Hey, lawmakers, leave the funds alone

The new president of the Pinellas School Advisory Council Association has a message for local legislators: Stop messing with education funding.

Sami Leigh Scott expressed concern about recent cuts in a tersely-worded e-mail to Rick Kriseman, Bill Heller, Daryl Rouson and others earlier this week.

Scott spoke out specifically against budget reductions that led the district to cut its parental advocacy program, an initiative that for many years served as a bridge between families and school administrators.

She also railed against a decrease in funding to School Advisory Councils that means schools will receive $5 per student – down from $10 – over the next academic year, as well as a decrease in school recognition funding from $100 to $85 per student.

So far, she's received no response.

If other taxpayers agree with her stand, Scott says, they should follow her lead and write to their legislators. For anyone who wants to follow through, here is a list of House members.

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

The lights are out and nobody's answering

If you're trying vainly to reach someone at your local school or district today, don't feel bad that you're not getting a response.

They've shut down for Fridays this month to save the expense of running all the utilities and to help workers cut their traveling costs. Hope you remembered to keep your kids home from summer school.

One unfortunate side effect of this decision, though, is that no one is around to generate much school news today. Stay tuned.

Florida PTA ready to rally against amendments

About 1,000 Florida PTA members will arrive in Palm Harbor on Friday for the group's annual weekend leadership conference. Their first order of business is to rail against Amendments 5,  7 and 9, three measures appearing on the November ballot that have proven hugely unpopular in the state's education ranks.

Amendment 5 would change the way Florida funds public education, relying on sales taxes instead of property taxes. "We're going to lose a lot of money for education, and we have no assurances that it will be replaced," Mary White, a Pinellas representative to the Florida PTA legislation committee, told the Gradebook. "It's absurd."

Amendment 7 proposes to allow public funding to support programs run by private, religious institutions. "All they're trying to do with that one is get around the Supreme Court decision that said 'no vouchers,'" White said, echoing a common complaint with this recommendation by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission.

The Patrick Byrne connection

Patrick Byrne is the maverick businessman who created quite the buzz a few years ago with his 65-percent movement. Truth be told, the movement fizzled as fast as it flared, but now it's roaring back to life thanks to the resurrective powers of Jeb Bush and other die-hard voucher supporters (see Sunday’s St. Petersburg Times story here.)

Byrne's brainchild lives on in Amendment 9, which happens to be all tangled up with vouchers. Byrne is a big fan of those too: Last we heard, he was licking his wounds from the pounding he took last fall as the leading financial backer of a failed bid in Utah for universal vouchers.

The St. Petersburg Times did this entertaining profile on Byrne in 2006, when he was couch surfing in the Florida Legislature. Can we expect to see him back in our fair and freaky state soon?

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

A weekend interview with ...

... Chris Dunning, principal of Paul R. Smith Middle School in Pasco County. Dunning, like his colleagues, has been told he must cut his school-based spending by 10 percent for the second straight year. He spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about the considerations that go into such reductions.

When they tell you that you are going to get a percentage cut to your school level budget, what's your first reaction?

(Laughs) Basically, how are we going to do that? What different pieces or places can we take away from to make that work. The budgets aren't very big from the starting point.

They aren't very big? How big are you looking at? Because most people would think a big school with thousands or hundreds of kids in it would have a large budget.

Yeah. I mean, everything comes in a little bit different area and money is designated for certain spots. But such as for my school, I'm supposed to have about 950 students next year. And my total budget for running the school is about $33,000 ... for a year. And that's buying paper towels, trash bags, paper for photocopies, you know, teacher supplies, ink cartridges. Everything to run that school. The wax for the floors, all those things have to come out of that fund. Now, there's additional funds that we get for media centers, text books - those are different funds we get. But for the actual operation of the school, that's the fund that I have.

If you have all those monies put into separate accounts and separate places, are specific things you can cut 10 percent across the board? Or is it a 10 percent prioritized so some things you might cut 100 percent and another place might be a 0 percent cut?

The note is not in the mail

Once upon a time (last year), the Florida Department of Education would send a letter home to the state's best high school 11th-graders. It would tell them that so long as they graduate in the top 20 percent of their class, they'd have a spot reserved for them at one of the state's 11 public universities.

The Talented 20 program still exists. But not the letter.

Starting this fall, if juniors are to find out about the program benefits, they'll have to hope someone else who knows the scoop tells them. The state is eliminating its notification.

Budgets are tight, you know.

"Due to fiscal constraints, the Department will no longer send these letters, although we encourage school counselors to notify potential eligible juniors of the Talented 20 program," the department has announced. "We will continue to mail seniors a letter notifying them of their potential eligibility in the spring."

No if's about the 4 percent spending holdback

Florida school officials held out hope that Gov. Charlie Crist's plan to hold back 4 percent of agencies' operating budgets the school districts might be spared. Lobbyists talked about the proposal in terms of "if" it will apply to public schools, rather than when.

Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith has put all doubts to rest with a memo to superintendents in which he tells them to budget accordingly.

I am recommending that school districts develop 2008-09 budgets that reflect contingency funding plans that reduce total Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) expenditures by approximately 2 percent in order to achieve a statewide reduction of 4 percent in state funding. Contingency plans for all other state funded programs, such as Workforce Development and Voluntary Prekindergarten, should continue to include an expenditure reduction of 4 percent. This will allow districts to maintain fiscal stability until the actual status of revenue collections is known.

To see the governor's office memo to agency directors outlining the hold back, click here.

To continue the story ...

Yesterday, in the interest of showing how big school districts beyond Tampa Bay are handling their fiscal woes, The Gradebook brought you a story out of Montgomery County, Md. The school system there was considering a budget-cutting move to pare bus service, thereby increasing walking distances for many students.

Here's how the story ends: The Montgomery County school board last night gave superintendent Jerry D. Weast emergency powers to reduce the district's busing obligation if escalating diesel prices make it necessary.

"I know people are upset. I know people are worried about losing their current walking distance," Weast said, according to a Washington Post story. But he added that it was a choice between cutting bus service or cutting textbooks and teachers. "And trust me, having been here a decade, nobody wants to do that, either."

Jeb throws darts

The St. Petersburg Times already reported that former Gov. Jeb Bush likes Amendment 5. But The Gradebook forgot to mention the swipe he took along the way at Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, who's set to become Senate president in 2010 and got a lot of ink today (see here and here) as Amendment 5's top opponent.

During a discussion with reporters at his education summit last week, Bush said of Amendment 5: "Unfortunately, I think some of the emerging leaders of the Legislature who'd have to deal with this don't want to deal with it … I don't know what they would rather do. To me, it'd be a lot of fun to deal with a big issue rather than worrying about the new state song or something."

Bush went on to say he liked Amendment 5 because it was a "big idea," then took another swipe: "We need to deal with the challenges we face in bigger ways, rather than small ways where we play like we're solving a problem but moving on to the next thing and playing like we're solving that one."

Sound like anyone we know?

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

BOE: Budget cuts threaten progress

Sometimes, it's who bears the bad news that matters.

Members of the state Board of Education aired concerns about education cuts today, fearful that continued budget woes could undermine the progress Florida students are making in academics.

School boards and superintendents, of course, have been ringing alarms for months. But today's clanging was different: Nobody can accuse the 7-member Board of Education of being a pack of tax-and-spend liberals. Five members were appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush and one, Kathleen Shanahan of Tampa, served as Bush's chief of staff.

"I'm very concerned about the loss of financial support," board member Roberto Martinez, who also has close ties to Bush, said at today's meeting in Tampa. "I think this board has a responsibility … to be more vocal, starting today. This board has an obligation to use our bully pulpit."

4 percent cut could be worse

School district officials across Florida are less than thrilled with Gov. Charlie Crist's plan to hold back 4 percent of all general revenue for 2008-09. They fear the quarterly 1 percent reduction of their revenue will only mean more cuts in an already dire budget year.

It may be bad. But lobbyist (and former Hillsborough schools chief of staff) Jim Hamilton notes in a memo to Hillsborough leaders that it could be worse. If voters approve a November ballot proposal to eliminate local property taxes as a source of revenue for education, the same action a year from now would mean double the pain.

"If this hold back is applied to public schools, it will only apply to the $9 billion in state revenue in the budget," he notes. "The $9.4 billion in local funds will not be included in the holdback, reducing the impact on public schools to slightly less than two percent. This shows the importance of property tax revenues to supporting Florida's students."

Fiorentino: Forget the four-day week

During talks about budget cuts, some Pasco School Board members have raised the idea of moving to a four-day week for middle and high schools. Keep an open mind, they said, in an effort to explore the concept that is gaining attention across Florida.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino isn't ready to head down that path.

"It is possible, and it's definitely not on my list of recommendations," Fiorentino, who faces a reelection challenge in the fall, told the Gradebook. "I am opposed to that."

She acknowledged that a district could save 20 percent of its transportation costs, as well as realize other savings. But "can you imagine being a parent and every Friday having to figure out what to do with your child?" Fiorentino said.

Saving money is one thing, she stated. But schools remain in the business of educating kids, and "I don't believe (the four-day week) is a good way to educate children."

She's not alone. School leaders on the other coast share that concern.

"A four-day school week caused by insufficient state support for the investment in education would be seen nationally and internationally as a true negative on the state of Florida," St. Lucie superintendent Michael Lannon told the Stuart News.

Guv will hold back 4% from schools, colleges

State agencies including public schools and universities just learned that Gov. Charlie Crist, a day after signing a pared-down $66-billion budget, isn't ready to spend even that much - a sign of the weakening economy.

The governor's office will hold back 4 percent of agencies' budgets, as he did last year, in anticipation of state tax collections and revenues continuing to fall below expectations.

Board of Governors spokesman Bill Edmonds said the news was not unexpected, given the reports on state tax collections this spring.

"Like everyone in Florida , we hope the economy, here and nationally, starts showing new strength soon," he said. "We will continue steps begun last year to tighten up operations and reduce expenditures."

USF provost Ralph Wilcox said this is precisely why USF announced a few weeks ago it would cut its budget for the coming year by $50-million -- $36-million to cover lost state money, and $14-million they anticipated the state would cut in the future.

The 4 percent cut amounts to about $14-million, Wilcox said.

"There goes our $14-million."

A highlight?

We all know accentuating the positive is the way the PR game is played (or cherry picking the negative, if you're on the other side of things – and you know who you are). But we can't help but humbly ask, after seeing yesterday's press releases (click here and here), if the governor's office and the Department of Education didn't go overboard by describing what just happened to the bonus program for national board certified teachers as a "highlight" in this year's budget.

As the St. Petersburg Times wrote in this story today, Gov. Crist signed a bill this week that caps the bonus at 10 years; eliminates funding for a related mentoring bonus; reclassifies the award as a "bonus" for retirement calculations; and scraps the state subsidy that paid 90 percent of the $2,500 application fee for other teachers who want to get board certified.

Crist himself called changes to the program "disappointing." So can it still be a highlight? Maybe, given all the budget cutting going on, it's a highlight that the program wasn't zapped altogether?

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Schools consider 4-day weeks

Hey moms and dads. Have you heard this one yet? School districts all across Florida, including some here in the Tampa Bay area, are looking at running classes on a four-day schedule to save money. And that's not just for the summer months, either.

Nope, as the price of gas and electricity rise and tax revenue slides, leaders in Hernando, Pasco and other school districts are at least raising the prospect of shutting down the schools and idling buses for one more day a week during the academic year, too.

"All 67 districts in Florida are considering it, but no one has implemented it," Bay County superintendent James McCalister told his School Board, which also is considering the idea, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Of course, districts would have to work out details dealing with the state requirement ensuring students get 180 days of school, FCAT scheduling and the like. And they'd have to deal with you, too.

We imagine your work places probably wouldn't be moving to four-day weeks to coincide with the school schedule. So if you like the idea - or more likely, if you don't - you might want to start paying attention to the debate as your local school board talks about its budget plans.

Maybe there's another way out of this box

Could it be that taking an ax to school budgets isn't the only way out of the predicament many Florida districts have been put in? At least two districts are uttering the T-word.

The Alachua County School Board just put a one-mill property tax hike on the November ballot that would raise about $13 million – which is about how much the state cut from the district this year, according to this story in the Gainesville Sun. Meanwhile, the Naples Daily News reports that the Collier County School Board wants voter approval for a tax swap – shifting 0.25 mils from the district's capital property tax to the general fund.

Even if voters in those districts say yes, the extra money wouldn't undo the cuts already done or under way. But with the state budget forecast continuing to look gloomy, it could help deflect future cuts.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Beyond the freeze: Pinellas teachers set sights on a raise

The grim budget picture for Pinellas schools continues to evolve. That initial across-the-board wage cut that fueled so much outrage has morphed into a wage freeze, thanks to a plan that will require employees to pay higher medical premiums. Now union officials tell The Gradebook they are pushing for more.

They contend there's enough money in the budget to give teachers their "step increases" (the routine raises based on years of service) plus a regular raise of 1.5 percent for teachers and all other employees. That’s a long way from where things started in the effort to cut $40-million from the budget.

Jade Moore (left), executive director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, points to $9-million the district has set aside to comply with the class size amendment. He contends Pinellas can meet the mandate without that money, and that it should go to employees.

District budget officials say otherwise. It's all part of the annual dance known as "collaborative bargaining," but the stakes in this year's crisis atmosphere seem higher. The School Board expects to settle on a budget by June 10.

Pasco teachers to protest pay freeze

It may amount to nothing more than a fruitless gesture. But Pasco school employees want their superintendent, School Board and the public to know exactly how upset they are with the recommendation to take away their annual raises based on years of experience.

So the United School Employees of Pasco has asked all district employees to wear black on next Wednesday, the last day of classes, and then for everyone to leave their campuses in unison when their contracted day officially ends - not an hour or two later, as many often do.

"They felt it was very important that they have the opportunity to send one last message before the end of the school year," USEP president Lynne Webb said of the group's school-based leadership team, which has taken the idea back to each school for buy-in. "There is a lot of concern out there ... that the district is not seriously trying to see what it can do to honor the contract and honor the step increases."

Schools spared Medicaid cut

As if losing millions in state funding wasn't bad enough, Florida schools also faced a cut of millions more in Medicaid reimbursements, thanks to a plan pushed forth by the Bush Administration. (See a recent Florida Today story on the issue here.)

Well, as it turns out, Congress wants to have none of it. As part of its Iraq continued spending budget, the U.S. Senate voted by a seemingly veto-proof majority on Thursday to delay implementation of the Administration's Medicaid rules, Congress Daily reports (via GovernmentExecutive.com). The House approved the change earlier this month. For more on the posturing over war and domestic spending in D.C., see this Washington Post story.

The issue has been critical to school districts across the country - the Local Education Agencies Network has kept tabs and sent alerts regularly since the cuts came into play. - especially in budget-challenged states such as Florida and California. The Senate and House votes offer at least a small victory for the school districts.

The survey says ...

For the past week, we've asked Gradebook readers for their thoughts on where school districts should cut their budgets during lean times. Respondents overwhelmingly suggested that bus rides to students who live closer than 2 miles to school should get the axe before salaries or extracurriculars.

Here's the breakdown of answers to our question, "In tough budget times, what should School Boards cut first?"

• Courtesy bus rides, 122 votes - 68%
• Athletics and extracurriculars, 50 votes - 28%
• Employee salaries and benefits, 7 votes - 4%

Our new question focuses on the FCAT, and your views on whether the state should retain third-graders who don't pass the reading section of the annual exam. Please take a second to click on an answer. If you have any ideas for future questions, or any other thoughts about the Gradebook in general, please send an e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.

Superintendents saying 'See ya!'

Pinellas Superintendent Clayton Wilcox is leaving for greener pastures in New York City. Sarasota County Superintendent Gary Norris is headed for a smaller one in Iowa. Manatee County Superintendent Roger Dearing looks like he's on his way out, too.

The turnover rate for superintendents in Florida is "higher than anyone can remember," Jim Warford, executive director of the Florida Association of School Administrators, told the Gradebook in an e-mail.

And budget cuts appear to be a big reason why.

Pasco superintendent proposes $16M in cuts

The biggest loser in Pasco County's efforts to cut its budget for next year would be full compliance with the 2002 class-size reduction amendment. Superintendent Heather Fiorentino (left) has recommended not filling teaching positions aimed at getting every classroom to the limits set forth in the amendment, instead targeting school averages, as lawmakers allowed during the recent legislative session. That would save the district about $11-million.

But one key item that she didn't propose on paper is likely to loom large over the discussions to come. She did not include any mention of pay raises. Fiorentino told the Gradebook she intends to recommend that the board negotiate with the United School Employees of Pasco to have no annual raises based on years of service, a savings of more than $5-million, and no cost of living raises.

"To be able to preserve the jobs and the benefits, we will have to negotiate that," Fiorentino said. "We'd be able to maintain our people where we are today, which is better than most districts."

In a letter issued Friday, USEP president Lynne Webb praised the administration's efforts to find savings in the general operating budget, which was about $527-million this year after a mid-year $10-million reduction. But Webb questioned the $16-million cutting target, while also reminding Fiorentino that employees "have made it clear that they are expecting to be paid their step increases."

To see Fiorentino's proposed budget cuts, click here. To see her memo to the School Board, click here. To read the USEP's letter to the superintendent, click here. And be sure to check tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times or tampabay.com for our full story.

Open that wallet a little wider

As if it weren't bad enough that local property taxpayers will end up footing more of Florida's public education system than the state for the first time in decades, consider this. If the Legislature based its school funding formula on inaccurate property tax roll estimates, the local taxpayers' share could grow even more.

It's no secret that property values have been tanking. Just look around you at the number of foreclosures and houses that have sat on the market for months, or read about the nation's sub-prime mortgage crisis. That news has prompted more than one property appraiser to reevaluate assessed values, with an expectation among many that the tax roll will head downward and not the other way.

Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino described this scenario to some top state education officials when she got some face time with them this week, asking pointedly whether the state or the local taxpayers would make up the difference if Pasco's values were closer to $29-billion than the $30-billion that lawmakers predicated the district's budget (and tax rate) on.

The answer was short, not so sweet and probably predictable: "We would have to raise taxes," Fiorentino told the Gradebook. Hang on, folks. It could be a bumpy budget cycle. Counties will be releasing their property tax rolls on July 1.

The men and women in black

If you see educators in Hernando, Citrus, Marion and Sumter counties wearing black today, it won't be a coordinated fashion statement. Rather, it's their announced "Day of Mourning" for public education, a protest to the Florida Legislature's deep cuts to school funding.

"These budget cuts will have an awful impact on our children and our public schools," Melissa Pfeiffer, political action chairperson for Citrus County Education Association, said in a news release announcing the event.

School districts across the state are preparing budget reductions in the millions. Pinellas officials are considering employee pay cuts, for instance, while the Lee school district already has begun laying off people. Other ideas circulating include eliminating reading coaches in Leon and changing school schedules to scale back transportation costs in Orange.

At the state level, National Board certified teachers will see their bonuses shrink, and all teachers will see their school supply budget reduced. The Legislature also cut funding for school advisory committees and school recognition. At the same time, though, Pfeiffer points out, the high expectations that teachers must attain remain intact.

"In the best of economic times, Florida seriously underfunds public education when compared to other states," she said. "These cuts threaten the most important investment our state can make: the education of our children."

Burden on borrowing

Over the past few weeks, Florida school districts have publicly focused their attention on how to deal with budget cuts in terms of layoffs, program reductions and the like. Behind the scenes, they're also keeping a close eye on how the state's many changes to school funding - real, proposed and expected - will have on their ability to remain active in the bond market.

It's a critical piece, especially for districts that have expansion plans, but also for those that already are in the market for support of past capital projects. The Legislature's decision to reduce district's local tax rate for capital projects by .25 mills, for instance, could push many districts beyond their borrowing limits.

Financial advisors have told the Gradebook that bond ratings agencies see the tax change as just one of many factors depressing the Florida school bond market, possibly leading to downgrades, reduced borrowing capacity and perhaps even downright rejection of some bond sales. Already some districts, including fast growing Pasco County, have seen the market send back some bonds because of market conditions.

"This is a major concern for us," Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino told the Gradebook, adding that her finance department is exploring the issue thoroughly, as the district has continued plans to build more schools.

Many of these issues are super complicated. The Bond Buyer reports with fine detail this morning about the current situation, noting at least 14 districts had sold more than $2.34-billion in debt by this time last year. This year, six districts have sold $251.5-million.

Pasco's target: $16-million

Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino and her top deputies have made their way through the budget coming out of Tallahassee, and they've figured out how much they think the School Board needs to cut to balance next year's general spending plan. It's $16-million.

The amount might change, if the state set the local tax roll too high (as many expect), or if the state's tax revenue keeps on shrinking. But it's the number that Fiorentino is targeting as she aims to provide ideas for cuts to the board.

"We're going to be sitting down on Friday and hashing things out," Fiorentino told the Gradebook, saying she hoped to provide a list of recommendations to the board next week.

The administration has received several ideas, including having employees pay more for benefits, making parents pay for athletic costs such as transportation and coaching supplemental salaries, and ending the district's lawn service contract. Everything is on the table, Fiorentino said, but the goal is to have "the least amount of impact in the classroom and (to) maintain jobs."

Lawsuit a-coming?

Two key Florida education groups are considering filing suit against the state Legislature in the wake of education budget cuts.

"We have been looking at it for a while," Florida Education Association spokesman Mark Pudlow told the Gradebook this morning, adding that a decision will be made in the next few weeks. "But certainly what happened this year and what we anticipate will happen next year fans the flames."

What happened this year was $332-million in cuts statewide. What'll happen next year doesn't look good, either. And why all that might point to a lawsuit is language in the Florida Constitution that says, among other things, that the state must make "adequate provision" for a "high quality system of free public schools."

The FEA isn't alone. The Florida School Boards Association is talking about a lawsuit, too.

"We're going to do something," FSBA executive director Wayne Blanton told the Gradebook, explaining that he has a committee exploring options. "My Board of Directors meets June 11. I'm sure it will be on the agenda."

The response from a key lawmaker: The constitutional language regarding education is "serious words, but there's not a number attached," said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville and chair of the senate education committee. "The 1.8 cut (in education) is a real cut," he continued, but "I don't think it's as bad or as deep as some had feared."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter, and Jeff Solochek

Here's the deal for National Board teachers

Florida's National Board certified teachers will get their mentoring bonus for the work they've already done this year, House Schools and Learning Council chairman Joe Pickens (left) explained on the floor this afternoon during a lengthy education budget review.

They won't get the money - close to $5,000 - for next year or any other year while the state lacks the funding, Pickens said. "Next year, we are eliminating that program."

Also gone will be the state's support for teachers to apply to the certification program, again because of a dearth of resources. The primary goal of the Excellent Teaching initiative is to give a 10 percent bonus to teachers who earn the certification, Pickens said, and that's what the budget makers sought to preserve.

"The core of the Excellent Teaching bonus was the 10 percent bonus," Pickens said. "We kept the core."

Details, details

The state has just released the 2008-09 Florida Education Finance Program report. The document is 57 pages long. We're just trolling through the details. Thought you might like to look, too. Let us know if you see anything interesting. Click here to download the report.

OK. A few observations. While the state reduces its contribution by $792.6-million, or about 13 percent, local districts are being required to come up with $364.9-million more than last year, or about 4.6 percent. That means the local tax rates would rise by 0.177 mills, on average.

Part of that would come by reducing the local capital millage rate from 2 mills to 1.75 mills. Just wondering whether bond rating agencies, which analyze districts' ability to repay COPS and the like based on expectation of future revenue, will look unfavorably upon such a change.

But wait. There's more.

The 65 percent solution is back

The idea that school districts should spend 65 percent of their operating budgets on classroom expenditures is nothing new. It's come before the Legislature several times, most recently this year, and has moved nowhere. (HB 1463 by Rep. Robert Schenck didn't even get a hearing in the GOP dominated House. See also this Times story from 2005.)

That didn't stop the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission from deciding to send the proposal to voters. If approved, the matter would simply return to lawmakers, instructing them to do what they haven't done before.

"The issue is about convincing the public that money should be spent in the classroom," said Commissioner Greg Turbeville, a former Jeb Bush associate who sponsored the referendum. "This just sets a minimum threshold."

Commissioner Sandy D'Alemberte urged against passage, saying it would "further clutter up the constitution for no particular purpose." Commissioner Dan Gelber also spoke against the concept, calling it a "gimmick." The arguments did not persuade, though, as the measure passed 20-4.

UPDATE: The Buzz reports commissioners now intend to merge the voucher and 65 percent proposals. The latter will top the much more controversial former. Not restricted to single-issue referendums like voter initiatives are, the commission looks like it hopes to attract votes to the more popular spending proposal, perhaps cushioning the heated debate over vouchers.

The idea that school districts should spend 65 percent of their operating budgets on classroom expenditures is nothing new. It's come before the Legislature several times, most recently this year, and has moved nowhere. (HB 1463 by Rep. Robert Schenck didn't even get a hearing in the GOP dominated House. See also this Times story from 2005.)

That didn't stop the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission from deciding to send the proposal to voters. If approved, the matter would simply return to lawmakers, instructing them to do what they haven't done before.

"The issue is about convincing the public that money should be spent in the classroom," said Commissioner Greg Turbeville, a former Jeb Bush associate who sponsored the referendum. "This just sets a minimum threshold."

Commissioner Sandy D'Alemberte urged against passage, saying it would "further clutter up the constitution for no particular purpose." Commissioner Dan Gelber also spoke against the concept, calling it a "gimmick." The arguments did not persuade, though, as the measure passed 20-4.

UPDATE: The Buzz reports commissioners now intend to merge the voucher and 65 percent proposals. The latter will top the much more controversial former. Not restricted to single-issue referendums like voter initiatives are, the commission looks like it hopes to attract votes to the more popular spending proposal, perhaps cushioning the heated debate over vouchers.

Pasco releases list of possible cuts

Knowing that state funding for education is going to decrease, Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino asked district employees for ideas of where they might cut spending.

She took comments for weeks. On Wednesday, she released the list of possibilities. They include:

• Eliminating or reducing field trips.
• Scaling back employee benefits.
• Getting rid of junior varsity athletics.
• Reducing jobs.
• Streamlining student transportation.

"Right now, what we're doing is putting numbers to it," Fiorentino told the Gradebook. "These are things that we are looking at. But it doesn't mean those are the answers we are selecting."

To see the full list, click here.

Less state cash, more local tax money for K-12

The proposed K-12 budget making its way through the Legislature would, for the first time that anyone around the Capitol can remember, fund schools with more in local tax revenues (so-called "required local effort") than in state dollars.

About $8.9-billion would come from the state, while $9.4-billion would come from local tax coffers  -- the result being that per-student funding drops by an average of $146 per student. That's even after lawmakers went back to the property tax rollback rate, in what they say was an attempt to keep the required local effort down.

"It would have been greater had we not gone to the rollback rate," Rep. Joe Pickens, R-Palatka, said. "It's evidence of the fact that we have billions of dollars less in our state budget."

But school officials say it's evidence that the yearslong trend of the state providing less for education has reached a breaking point. They want lawmakers to use as much as $1-billion in reserve funds intended for emergencies to blunt the losses to schools, which come as the state seeks to cut its general revenue by $3.2-billion for next year.

"Back 10 years ago, it was 60 (percent state), 40 (percent local)," said Marshall Ogletree of the Florida Education Association. "This is reflective of a bad budget year, yes. But it's also reflective of a bad trend in which government hasn't given its fair share, and they've left it on the doors of taxpayers."

Things are tough all over

 The budget is the news these days. So here's the latest.

If you thought per-student funding was going to shrink $86 (House version) or $116 (Senate proposal), think again. The latest recommendation from the legislature is to cut the funding by $142 per student, the AP reports (via Bradenton Herald).

Such talk has the Florida School Boards Association pondering whether to sue the state for failing to live up to its constitutional obligations for supporting education, the Naples Daily News reports.

The Florida Education Association has come up with one (not so new) idea, calling upon lawmakers to do what Gov. Crist suggested early in the game - shore up funding with the "rainy day" accounts, rather than slash school budgets, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

In the meantime, districts continue to prepare for the worst.

• Pasco officials, who already have (unsuccessfully) asked teachers to delay their step increases, plan to release a list of possible cuts today. That's one day after board members urged a discussion on priorities.
• Seminole announced it would let go some of its most senior teachers, ones it had recruited to stay after they had already retired, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
• Lee - which already has started laying off people - is cutting back hours of cafeteria workers, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
• And Volusia, which already has announced the closure of seven schools, is looking at eliminating 271 teaching jobs and a pre-honors middle school program, among other options, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Lawmakers have said they expect to have a printed budget ready for consideration over the weekend. Education folks have said they plan to lobby their interests to the bitter end. Stay tuned.

Is it raining yet?

The Florida Education Association argues that it if it isn't, it soon will be in Tallahassee - at least metaphorically speaking - when talking about the state budget.

So this afternoon, FEA president Andy Ford will have a press conference to talk about how bad it is. He'll be the guy under the umbrellas.

The teachers association sent out a few snippets from Ford's speech in advance, so we can get a sneak peek at how stormy the skies are in its forecast. Hint: He calls for the Legislature to tap into its "rainy day" reserves.

"We Floridians are used to seasonal storms. But the storm we're here to talk to you about today isn't a force of nature. It's a product of stubbornness and election year politics. We've seen it coming for a year and it's totally preventable.

Yes, we understand that economic conditions have caused the state to lose anticipated revenues. We also understand that Floridians are hurting – not only because of the bad economy, but also because of an unfair tax system that pits Floridians against each other – some pay too little in taxes, some pay far too much … and it's just right for nobody.

Though it doesn't appear that the unfairness of the tax system will be fixed any time soon, we can help alleviate the negative impacts of the economic downturn. Florida has a system of reserves that we use in times of emergency. This can come in handy when a hurricane hits our shores and it can do the same when nasty economic conditions blow in. One of these vehicles is even called the state 'rainy day' fund."

Ford plans to urge Floridians to call upon their lawmakers to steer clear of the storm, if you will, by using the reserves.

Layoffs? Or pay cuts?

Florida's school districts face some tough choices as money gets tight. They face the first year-to-year decline in spending money for the first time in about three decades, if lawmakers stick to their budget plan. As a result, leaders have begun talking about eliminating field trips, increasing meal prices, scaling back sports.

But everybody recognizes that the 800-pound gorilla is employee salaries and benefits. They make up about 85 percent of spending in most districts, as superintendents regularly point out. So while trims in transportation might make up some financial ground, the districts increasingly find themselves needing to cut pay or cut positions.

Manatee County officials like the former better than the latter, and they've proposed slashing salaries by about 5 percent for teachers (and 7.5 percent for administrators) rather than laying off more than 400 employees that key leaders estimate would have to go to balance the budget.

"Our attitude was, everybody gives a little so nobody has to give everything," School Board member Jane Pfeilsticker told the Bradenton Herald.

But will teachers take it? Unlike parents, who have only PTAs and SACs to wield some influence, or kids, who have just student government, teachers have legally enforced collective bargaining on their side. And they can fight. (Look no farther than the Collier teachers and their yearlong battle over a 1 percent bonus. Or consider Pasco teachers' rejection of a proposal to delay their step increases for next year.)

So while families watch their programs get cut without much say, teachers actually might be able to choose whether they like less pay for all, or no pay for some. Wonder which one looks better (especially to the ones getting pink slips).

House, Senate agree on school taxes

House and Senate budget chairmen said Thursday they have reached common ground on several major spending differences, which likely sets the stage for smooth negotiations over the next week. The Buzz reports that Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the House budget chairman, said he and his Senate counterpart, Lisa Carlton, are in accord on the following issues:

* No increase in school property taxes to fund public schools (Senate agreed to House position). "There's not going to be a property tax increase," Sansom said. "They (senators) recognized that was an important position for the House."

* A scaled-back, seven-day back-to-school sales tax holiday in August on school items excluding books, which will reduce tax revenue by about $23-million (Senate agreed to House position). More here.

Budget numbers looking worse

Chairman Joe Pickens opened the Schools and Learning Council meeting this morning with some glum money news. State income through the Lottery appears down anywhere from $40-million to $100-million from the expected amount, he announced, and the most recent revenue estimating conference indicates that early projections for next year look to have overshot the mark.

"Things continue to not bottom out yet," Pickens said. And because "all other budget areas have given unto education as much as they can," the amounts are likely to come out of the state's budget for schooling.

Pickens expected to have more information available later in the day, and figured any budget changes would come during conference meetings with the Senate.

Cut school admins, help classrooms?

The House policy and budget council just approved Rep. Juan Zapata's  proposal to cut administrative school district costs by 2.5 percent and move that money into the classroom.

"We're going to free up some dollars that we'll be able to put back into the classroom," said Zapata, Miami-Dade Republican. He said some of the most bloated administrative costs are in the Miami-Dade school district. "What's going on there is a shame."

But education reps don't want it.

Wayne Blanton, executive director for the Florida School Boards Association, said the change would take away the flexibility schools need in a time of shrinking dollars.

"That's a local issue," he said. "What might work in Pinellas County won't necessarily work for another district."

Florida TaxWatch: Schools must spend smarter

Times are tough. Money's tight. School districts leaders across Florida are talking about layoffs, program reductions and more.

Florida TaxWatch suggests there must be a better way. In a report issued today, the watchdog organization posits that the state and schools can set better spending priorities that will help cut the fat without hurting student learning. It offers 10 concepts to get to the heart of the matter. Among them:

• Eliminate unnecessary duplication of services.
• Streamline bureaucracy.
• Spend less on non-instructional programs and services. (They don't say 65 percent solution, but the sentiment is there. And notably, and perhaps controversially, the group includes student transportation in this category.)
• Maximize flexibility. (Think class-size amendment here.)
• Examine big-ticket items for return on investment. (TaxWatch particularly likes Voluntary Pre-K.)

"Every dollar we can redirect into the classroom can actually increase student performance," Dominic M. Calabro, the group's president and CEO, said in a news release. "We must free ourselves and our children from excessive bureaucracy that gets in the way of classroom instruction."

To read "The 2009 Budget Crunch: Making Good Decisions in Bad Financial Times," click here.

"Tough, tough decisions"

Committee meeting by committee meeting, the future of Florida's education funding is becoming a bit more clear.

As the Gradebook reported Tuesday, the House budget includes reductions to school recognition funds under A-Plus, bonuses paid to National Board certified teachers and even support to school advisory committees. Its average per-student funding would dip by $86.

The Senate budget targets some of the same items, but in many instances with bigger cuts.

As the Palm Beach Post reports, the Senate's version would slash per-student funding by $115.91. It would cut the money that schools get for good FCAT grades to $80 per student, compared to the House's $90. It would reduce the money teachers get for classroom supplies by $50 each. And it would delay implementation of the final phase of the class size reduction amendment for two years.

"These are tough, tough decisions," committee Chairman Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, said in the Post article. "They're not for the faint of heart."

Ed. overhaul close to Senate OK

A few Senate Democrats including Ted Deutch (left) questioned the need for a proposed constitutional amendment overhauling K-20 education governance, but SB 2308 - a priority of Senate President Ken Pruitt - appears headed for passage in his chamber, based on the lack of spirited debate on the floor just now. It rolled over and is headed to a final vote in coming days.

The bill reinstates an elected education commissioner, shrinks the Board of Governors created in 2002 to oversee universities, created a "college system" for community colleges, and seeks to clarify once and for all that the Legislature - not the BOG - sets tuition.

"If education is of paramount importance in the state of Florida, the person heading up that department, a K-20 system, should be accountable to the people of Florida," said bill sponsor Lisa Carlton. "This resolution does not strip the authority of the BOG to set tuiton. The Board never had that authority. This body has been setting tuition, and guess what? We'll set it again in 2008."

Pickens: Ed budget "not as bad as I expected"

The talk around Tallahassee was that education funding would take a hard hit of about $1.5-billion for the coming fiscal year. But the cuts don't look nearly that severe in the House budget proposal that hit the capitol this morning.

"It's not as bad as I expected it to be," Schools and Learning chairman Joe Pickens told his council as he reviewed a summary of the spending plan. He credited budget chairman Ray Sansom and speaker Marco Rubio for taking money from other places to keep schools comparatively shielded.

When taking into account spending shuffles, tuition increases and revenue decreases, the bottom line, he said, looks like a cut of $481.2-million, or 1.7 percent, for education K-20. "The reduction is much smaller than I anticipated," Pickens said.

The proposal includes these ideas:

• Level per-student funding for prekindergarten.
• An average decrease in per-student funding for K-12 of $86. Some districts would see larger cuts, while others including Hillsborough stand to see slight increases.
• Cuts in school recognition funding (to $90 per student), Florida lead teacher funding and school advisory committee funding.
• Elimination of the mentoring portion of the Excellent Teaching program for National Board certified teachers.
• Reduction of 16.3 percent of spending to the State Board of Education.
• A slight increase in community college funding (about 1 percent), after tuition increases.
• A slight reduction to university funding (about 2 percent), after tuition increases.

The Senate Education Appropriations committee meets later today. Pickens said he expects the House budget could be "very different" from the Senate's version.

Don't go there

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a respected Washington think tank, has taken a look at Florida's Constitutional Proposal 45 that's scheduled to come before the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission next week, and it doesn't like what it sees.

In the proposal, which aims to limit government spending, the group sees a replay of Colorado's failed and suspended Taxpayers Bill of Rights (aka TABOR). Among TABOR's results, the center notes in a newly released report (summary here), was a decrease in K-12 funding, dropping Colorado from 35th to 49th in the nation. Higher ed funding also dropped by 31 percent.

"This proposal, if enacted, would only exacerbate the very real problems that Florida will face in maintaining the state as a good place to live and do business as the population ages," Iris Lav, the Center's deputy director, said in a press release today. "It didn't work in Colorado, and it won't work in Florida. The commission should reject it."

To see the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's staff analysis of the proposal, click here. The commission is scheduled to consider CP 45 on Wednesday.

Sen. Wise: Get the hankies ready

The Senate's higher education and Pre-K through 12 committees won't know until next week how much money they have to work with for the 2008-09 budget, but they are anticipating cuts of more than $1-billion and as much as $1.5-billion.
 
That means per-student spending is likely to decline fo