AP, IB funding safe; construction money, not so

Courtesy of Patricia Mazzei, Miami Herald:

In a win for school districts, leaders of the House and Senate committees hashing out a compromise pre-K-12 education budget agreed late Wednesday not to cut funding to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other rigorous high school courses.

The Senate had originally proposed slashing money for the popular, college-level classes in half, as well as reducing the bonuses teachers receive when their students pass the course exams. School districts cried foul, saying that was unfair to do in a year when a new high school grading system will give more weight to those advanced course offerings.

Senators reversed their position earlier Wednesday, and House members accepted the change Wednesday night.

While the two chambers don't yet have a compromise on all areas of the education budget, one area has seen no change: a move that would shift some property-tax money normally designated for school districts' capital budgets into its day-to-day operating budgets.

That would help smaller districts strapped for cash, but larger counties with more construction, maintenance and technology needs could be in trouble. Miami-Dade and Broward schools officials have said they might have to forgo roof replacements, maintenance workers and new computers if the change goes through.

"We just don't want to disenfranchise some of the small school districts," said Sen. Stephen Wise, a Jacksonville Republican and Senate leader on the education budget negotiations. He dismissed large districts' hardship claims as "part of the season."

"Every year they're going to die," he said. "I'm sure they'll be back next year with four or five new ones."

Comments

[diann]

Ap and IB are all important classes for our kids to advance successfully through college and become a great assest to our future but I certainly do not agree with the teacher bonuses because they are suppose to be in education for the love of teaching and advancing our students. This is an unfair practice; teachers who choose to help the lower ended kids to meet the min threshold are not recognized for their contributions. Stop the unfair practices but fund the courses for our students.

[kevinW]

boardwatcher is incorrect.

Certain maintenance expenses can legally be made from the capital budget.

terminator is a one note song. But, the good news (for his employer) is that instead of working against them at the Capitol that he is playing on the blogs during working hours.

Hooray for IB and AP weights being restored.

[boardwatcher]

Jeff,

Maintenance is a line in the operating budget, not the capital budget.

Capital is used not only for the purchase of computers and equipment, but to build new schools and additions to other schools, even when an adequate stock of buildings exists to meet student needs (and when enrollment is declining). So they close one school and add on to another, while cutting teacher salaries because of "budget cuts". More operating and less capital sounds like a great idea to me.

[terminator]

Jeff and John:
get real! do you really think these guys are hurting for money?
talk about kool-aid gulpers. Chug, chug, chug.....mmmmm...this is really good.

these large school districts are some of the most wasteful governmental entities out there.

Miami-Dade is the state's poster child for most corrupt and dysfunctional (no big surprise there).
They are the only district to ever have a state oversight board because of financial mismanagement.
They are currently on the watch list of districts facing additional state scrutiny due to the fact they are below the 2% threshold on reserve ratio requirements.
Yet they've got 600 bureaucrats making over $100K per year (oink, oink)!

Broward while not as bad as Dade falls into the same category with the other "sky is falling" big districts like Pinellas, Hillsborough, Orange, Duval and Palm Beach.

If the Federal Reserve printed up a zillion dollars and gave it to them in a fleet of Brinks trucks they would be back the next year claiming how broke they are and how they need more money for the "kids".

I hope Senator Wise and the legislators stick to their guns and ignore the gloom and doom scenario of the wasteful school districts.

Pay your teachers first or face termination is the message.

[Jeff]

Not adequately funding construction and maintenance is like not changing your car's oil to balance your home budget. Very small short term gain for a very large long term loss.

[JohnM]

See, all our worries were taken care of by the kind and all-knowing legislators. As for me, I "know" I will be voting for each and every one of these people. NOT!