In funding, Senate bill differs slightly from House version

In many ways -- including a 2 percent across-the-board funding cut and increasing the class size of summer VPK -- the Florida Senate agrees with the Florida House in how to cut millions from public education as part of its budget balancing act.

It has raised a few different ideas, though, to slash spending. Among them, in its bill, which just passed its first committee, the Senate:

• Would not set a 2 percent general fund reserve threshold for declaring a financial emergency, though it would allow the Florida education commissioner to require salary cuts if the district can't reach a negotiated resolution.
• Would not permit districts to offer employee buyouts that cost more than one year's salary.
• Would waive the requirement to purchase new textbooks within two years of adoption. (This has been discussed in the House.)

The bill also would make specific reductions to other non-district education allocations, such as bonuses for National Board certified teachers and funding for 30 positions at the state Department of Education.

The biggest controversy centered on the provisions to allow the commissioner to cut district salaries to solve a fiscal emergency. Democrat Larcenia Bullard of Miami and representatives of the Florida Education Association continued to argue against the proposal.

Even some Republicans weren't comfortable with the language, asking for revisions to make it more palatable. "I do think this could be potentially unconstitutional," said Sen. Nancy Detert, chairwoman of the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee, who noted the bill needed a specific definition of "emergency."

Education Appropriations Committee chairman Stephen Wise noted this issue needed quick attention because nine districts currently face fiscal emergencies with depleted fund balances, a situation that commissioner Eric J. Smith detailed.

You can track the bill, which passed committee, on the Senate's Web site.

Comments

[Jorge Antonio Lovenguth]

What happened to the last Hurrah? Is it also true that a software program was used by a certain state level department that actually came from a junk car wrecker and was then modified and it really doesn't work? Who in this Florida world approved that? Wouldn't be the same person who approved Dr. Wise who really messed up northeast Florida educationally speaking is it? When it is all going to end? I know it will begin to end when I am elected in 2010 as the next United States Senator for Florida. I don't owe anyone any favors and those that do might want to be very carfeful with your voting to keep cutting education in favor of the others who don't even live in Florida and get their dividends checks from wall street. It's all public information and with that used and abused software program I've learned about I can only put in an FOIA request and see what else the people of Florida have paid for and not really received. It's becoming very clear to those in Florida that the game is about over for those who payed to played and for those for have already voted to allow the payers to just help themselves. Each day another name and another event comes forth, simply amazing isn't it?

Dear voters,
I encourage you to write and contact your lawmakers. Education is being critically cut. This will negatively affect the classroom and the students. We as a state, are constitutionally required to balance our budget. We are also constitutionally required to fund class size amendment at the state level. The lawmakers need to follow all the laws, not just the ones that they want.
Support our children and teachers!

[George Anthony Lovenguth]

George Lovenguth to run in 2010 Senate election to help stop the cutting.
The state legislators are in a near panic on how to proceed. They are cutting already funded existing programs, focused on police, safety, health, the arts, and education. This is wrong! All of these people are unable to speak up and defend themselves. Safety personnel and real sworn in law enforcement persons are prohibited from speaking up against the lawmakers, the sick are medicated and won't be listened to, the uneducated do not know which way to turn. The lawmakers, elected to represent (in theory) residents, are not doing their job. They are making these cuts to make good on legislation they passed (2008) for one specific industry which needs to be funded now; the private prisons listed on the stock market; those who made polictical contributions to most candidates. http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=private+prison+industry+stock+symbols&e... http://election.dos.state.fl.us/campaign-finance/contrib.asp

[Robert Borsky]

Being a school employee, there are three points I would like to make about the state budget woes and the resulting cuts to education. We all agree these are hard times and the funds are not there to spend.

However, for many of the counties in the bay area, school districts tend to be the largest employers. Cut the salaries of their employees and the results are: less money to spend, fewer goods purchased, tax revenue decreases, more budget cuts and the cycle continues. This example does not improve our failing economy but it makes it worse.

Secondly, when Governor Christ was the last elected Education Commissioner of our state and running for the position he now holds, he stated that teachers would be making a six-figure salary over a period of years. He was both ridiculed and applauded for the comment. I guess it was all a dream. Now facing the possibility of a pay cut, this has become a nightmare.

Finally, a stimulus plan for states is being discussed at the federal level. Taxpayers have given the financial institutions, insurance companies and automakers billions with little or no oversight. But if education is given a single dollar, the accountability is amazing. Furthermore, the idea of taking the federal funds, which don't exist yet, and repaying debt is absurd. Just don't take the money, I feel we are no better off with or without it.

Why is it that those who work with our most precious resource, children, are the ones being asked to give up the most?

I am aware of the times we are facing and I see it every day in my students' eyes. Some are thrown out of their homes because they can not afford the rent. Their mom or dad may have lost their job. I might even be asked to take a pay cut and have a difficult time supporting my family. I implore the legislature and governor to look at the big picture. What are we doing to our future with the financial decisions we make today? If education suffers, then students have a difficult time learning, they might drop out of school and do not become contributing members of society.

I guess terminator did expect that his teachers would get stung by the financial crisis language, so he isn't upset. He should be upset. Both houses included it in their bills. This will allow the Legislature to make apocalyptic cuts which the districts can pass down onto their employees. Classic.

[Mark]

Where are the real conservatives? The ones who believe that local governments should control their own budgets and not be beholden to the state and federal governments. If the state government doesn't like the way a county is spending money, the state doesn't have to send it. Conservatives used to say that government closest to the people is best, but I guess that motto goes out the window when legislatures want to exert their own petty power.

[terminator]

mc
absolutely correct.
(sigh), now will they ever use it?
what will it take for people to get p*ssed off enough they're willing to stand up and be counted?
can you say FCAT flu?

[Mr. Concerned]

Terminator you are absolutely right!
Teachers must stand up!
Together they have such an unbelievable power IN all of their numbers that they cannot be silenced.
Just how much more will it take for them to do so?

[say goodbye to collective bargaining]

"Would not set a 2 percent general fund reserve threshold for declaring a financial emergency, though it would allow the Florida education commissioner to require salary cuts if the district can't reach a negotiated resolution."
Just one more way to undermine the collective bargaining rights of public employees. "You teachers better agree to whatever the School Board tells you that you can have (I mean "negotiates" with you) or Ed Com will swoop in and cut your pay."

Who's next?

[terminator]

11:18
you're a legend in your own mind bureaucrat.
call it trickle down economics, the pain has to be shared by all.
we've got some tricks up our sleeve you'll see during regular session.
the idea is to put more pressure on the districts to be financially ACCOUNTABLE and make them hurt if they don't.
when you throw a whole bunch of crap against the wall sometimes things that may not have been intended stick.
it's up to the teachers to finally get off their duffs and go after wayward board members and raise so much hell the district has no other alternative then to get rid of the deadwood. Legislators in Tallahassee can't do everything for us.
I get the feeling you're starting to sweat!

[Fatcat lawmaker]

Florida... where we care more about palm trees then children. We do not care what the voter says. Let us get the awful people who work for the school systems. We care more about medians then children.

[Fatcat Lawmakers]

Florida...where we care more about palm trees then children. Let get all those awful people who work for the school system, so we have money for the roads and median projects.

I guess (the financial urgency language) is this special session's version of terminator being totally WRONG in a prediction again. He said that only administrators and fat cats would suffer. I said that students would be hurt. As usual, I was right, and "he" was wrong.

I wonder if I could goad him into more predictions. They are alway good for a laugh.