From Bloomberg.com
by Bill Kaczor
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to slash public school spending by at least $300 per student, and possibly much more, will mean layoffs and steep cuts in transportation, art, music, athletics and extracurricular activities, education and teachers union officials said Tuesday.
They said the layoffs also would lead to violations of the Florida Constitution's class size limits.
Even some lawmakers who advocate state spending reductions were stunned by the depth of Scott's education cuts.
"With a 10 percent reduction, I do know our (school) districts are probably feeling a little bit panicky," said Rep. Marti Coley.
The Marianna Republican, who chairs the House Prekindergarten-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, said writing an education budget based on the governor's figures "may be very challenging."
Scott on Monday rolled out a proposed $65.9 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that would cut overall state spending by $4.6 billion while chopping taxes and fees by $1.7 billion.
Education, including public schools, colleges and universities, would bear the brunt of Scott's spending cuts by taking a $3.3 billion hit.
His plan for primary and secondary schools calls for spending $6,196 per student, a reduction of $703, or 10 percent.
The new Republican governor, though, said per student spending could go up to $6,600 — still a $300, or 4.3 percent, cut — by requiring teachers and other school employees to contribute 5 percent of their salaries to their retirement plan, saving school districts more than $519 million, and a one-time infusion of federal cash.
Florida's schools last fall received nearly $555 million from a federal jobs bill, but it must be spent on salaries in the current budget year. State officials, though, have urged school districts to use it to supplant and save state and local dollars for 2011-12. The Department of Education is conducting a survey to find out how much Florida's 67 school districts expect to save, but it will not be completed until later this month.
Even at $300 per student, Scott's proposal would lead to layoffs and program cuts, said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.
"I don't think we'll be transporting as many students; parents are going to have to take those responsibilities," Blanton said. "I could virtually tell you art and music are going to be on the chopping block everywhere, and they are going to be gone."
Scott dodged reporters' questions on how his proposal would affect schools after addressing the Florida Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Instead, he defended his spending and tax cuts as needed enticements for businesses to create more jobs in a state with a 12 percent unemployment rate.
"I think we've got to do the best we have with all the money we have to do a great job with education and get people back to work," Scott said. "Everybody's got to figure out how to do more with less. I believe our schools will do a good job."
Blanton questioned how laying off teachers will create jobs.
"We need to come to a better understanding with the governor's office on how important education is to help create jobs," Blanton said. "We shouldn't be laying people off during the time we're trying to attract business to Florida."
Scott's proposed cuts caught many school officials by surprise because just days earlier he had said: "We're going to keep the school budgets the same."
"Now, he seems to have a more nuanced view on that," said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union.
At a news conference Monday in Tallahassee, Scott denied he had flip-flopped, saying his no-cut promise applied only to state funds and not $872 million in federal stimulus dollars that expire after this year.
Public schools also would lose $867 million in local property tax revenues that are part of the statewide funding formula due to Scott's proposed tax cut and falling real estate values.
Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said her district, which includes Tampa, has prepared to lose the stimulus dollars.
"We have been planning with that and working very hard to weather that," Elia said. "This is beyond that."
She said her district already is running on a tight budget due to past spending cuts.
"There are very, very few places that we in Hillsborough can see that would not affect students in the classroom," she said. "It's a very, very serious concern."
Pudlow and other union officials say Scott's proposal to make state and local government employees, which includes teachers, contribute to the Florida Retirement System amounts to a 5 percent pay cut.
"This whole thing is really trying to pay down the state's debt on the back of public employees," said Pat Santeramo, president of the local teachers union in Broward County.
The Republican-controlled Legislature last year put a proposed amendment on the ballot to loosen class size requirements but voters rejected it.
Blanton said legislation is being drafted to make the limits more flexible without changing the constitution but schools still would have difficulty complying under Scott's budget proposal.
Associated Press writers Christine Armario in Miami and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this report.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-09/fla-school-leaders-gov-s-plan-would-mean-layoffs.html
No comments:
Post a Comment