Governor's Budget: Education for children or Tax Breaks for Corporations

What percentage of funding for schools in Florida comes from the state rather than local property taxes?

that is a good question. I am not sure.

According to this report (2010), though, 32% of the state's General Revenue budget goes to Education. I think each school district gets a portion of local taxes based on a formula for each District, but someone who knows more than I do about this will have to answer that...or you can do the research to see if you can find it.http://archive.flsenate.gov/data/pu...calAnalysis/2010_Fiscal_Analysis_In_Brief.pdf another source: http://www.fldoe.org/fefp/pdf/fefpdist.pdf

School districts in 2008-09 received 35.68 percent of their financial support from state sources, 54.15 percent from local sources (including the Required Local Effort portion of the FEFP), and 10.17 percent from federal sources

that is a good question. I am not sure.

According to this report (2010), though, 32% of the state's General Revenue budget goes to Education. I think each school district gets a portion of local taxes based on a formula for each District, but someone who knows more than I do about this will have to answer that...or you can do the research to see if you can find it.http://archive.flsenate.gov/data/pu...calAnalysis/2010_Fiscal_Analysis_In_Brief.pdf another source: http://www.fldoe.org/fefp/pdf/fefpdist.pdf

For the most part it is all based on head counts done in October and February. This is why some districts see a huge shortfall in dollars, they just do not have the students any longer.

Unbelievable! "Let's throw the baby out with the bath water". It has always been a mystery to me why many people do not value education and do all they can to sabatoge the future of our children. Disgusting, IMHO!

What percentage of funding for schools in Florida comes from the state rather than local property taxes?

Just about all the local property taxes are collected, sent to Tallahassee, then sent back on a per student basis. This was done years ago in order to try to give some equity to the counties on funding for schools. Otherwise rich counties would have more than poor counties due to the tax base. Not sure what the percentage is now but in Walton County we use to be pretty close to what we were collecting and what we were getting. Somewhere around 90% I think.

This is pretty interesting.
http://www.politifact.com/florida/s...atic-party-chairman-rod-smith-says-rick-scot/

here is an approach I would like to see Florida take:

Coming Together to Give Schools a Boost - NYTimes.com

We only have to consider some of the nation?s greatest achievements to appreciate what?s possible when we coordinate efforts rationally. At its peak, for example, the Apollo program, which put a man on the moon, involved 400,000 people and 20,000 companies and academic organizations. The Manhattan Project, which produced the first atomic bomb, coordinated the work of 130,000 scientists, engineers and others. The Los Angeles Olympic Games were successful because of unprecedented cooperation among civic groups, government agencies and businesses.

to do this, though, one needs leadership and people who are able to put the good of society above the next election...and I think Florida is sorely lacking in that kind of public servant right now...perhaps, though, there are enough to overcome the present situation if people will just pay attention and stand up for the right thing. I am optimistic.

The start of a new law and they don't even have the rules to assess the teacher or the money to pay for it. And Moody still has issues. As teacher tenure moves forward, schools could face nearly $217 million property-tax shortfall | Florida politics blog: The Buzz | tampabay.com & St. Petersburg Times

Pay Teachers More-Kristof

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/opinion/13kristof.html

Until a few decades ago, employment discrimination perversely strengthened our teaching force. Brilliant women became elementary school teachers, because better jobs weren?t open to them. It was profoundly unfair, but the discrimination did benefit America?s children.

These days, brilliant women become surgeons and investment bankers ? and 47 percent of America?s kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers come from the bottom one-third of their college classes (as measured by SAT scores). The figure is from a study by McKinsey & Company, ?Closing the Talent Gap.?

This is a thoughtful argument IMO. Too bad elected officials aren't listening or reading...

Merit Pay -- But, where's the Money?

Merit pay questions: Florida lawmakers are getting ready to approve a merit pay plan for teachers. But there's one glitch in the plan: How to pay for it. - OrlandoSentinel.com

State Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, the sponsor of the House version of the bill, said the measure isn't telling school districts when they have to give raises. The evaluation and salary schedule must be in place, but raises are subject to available funds.

"We're not saying how much," Fresen said during House debate on the proposal Tuesday. "We're not even saying when."

The Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union, calls the plan an "unfunded mandate." The union estimates the plan would cost more than $1 billion to implement, based on a previous legislative analysis on the cost of end-of-course exams.

The union signed on to the merit pay plan that's included in the state's the Race to the Top federal grant program. But the bill being sent to Gov. Rick Scott is more far-reaching, ending long-term job protection for new teachers, for example.

It's pretty obvious this is not about improving schools or teachers -- I bet if one digs into the bill, there is a funding source for the company that is going to be designing the tests that have to be produced to test those subjects not covered by the FCAT...and if one dug even further, it would be interesting to see who owns that company or companies.

it's one gigantic teabag fart in the wind designed to eviscerate those perceived as democratic, non-anglo, union, or anti evangelical. there is no check on the legislature or the governor, but the florida supreme court, and the repubs are trying to alter that as well

it's one gigantic teabag fart in the wind designed to eviscerate those perceived as democratic, non-anglo, union, or anti evangelical. there is no check on the legislature or the governor, but the florida supreme court, and the repubs are trying to alter that as well

:lolabove:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0736/BillText/c2/HTML

I don't see the part about "eviscerating" the "democratic, non-anglo, union, and anti evangelical" crowd in the bill. Maybe you could do me a favor and point that part out. :roll:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0736/FloorVotes/lV5M=PL=WeYpa12ETI5Iiln1XFCveA=%7C7/Public/Votes/Bill/20110316/HouseVote_s0736c2045.PDF

It passed the House.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0736/FloorVotes/lV5M=PL=WeYpa12ETI5Iiln1XFCveA=%7C7/Public/Votes/Bill/20110316/HouseVote_s0736c2045.PDF

It passed the House.

wow....amazing...must be a mandate working here

I continue to be amazed at the shortsightedness in the governor's education budget.

Critics feel Gov. Scott's education budget could harm Florida's economy | HeraldTribune.com

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Rockledge, noted that Scott's recent state of the state speech was all about jobs, but his higher education budget eliminates $1.5 million in funding for the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition in Pensacola and $10.9 million for the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa. Both bring highly-educated workers and potential spin-off companies to the state.

"Please take that message back" to the governor, Altman told Scott's education policy coordinator, Scott Kittle, during a recent exchange.

"These are public institutions that provide great benefit for all the people of Florida, have been scrubbed and reviewed over time, and you look at the support across the Legislature it's all the way across from Pensacola to Key West."

"He's not an education-oriented governor," said Kirby Kemper, vice president for research at FSU. "I don't know that he and his staff see the correlation between education and jobs."

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Jerry Brown uses YouTube to try to get a vote for tax extensions on the ballot in California so as not to have to double up on cuts to education, welfare, etc....:scratch:

When campaigning, he promised to "check in with voters on the most important decisions." It will be interesting to follow how this works out.

The YouTube video is Brown's attempt to put some constituent heat on the obstructionists. "We've been kicking the can down the road," he says, explaining his choice to balance the budget. "You've been treated with evasions, and gimmicks?smoke and mirrors... There's been a tendency to avoid reality, and you can't do that forever." Recalling his campaign promise to check in with voters on the most important decisions, Brown continues, "This is a matter that is too big, too irreversible to leave just to those you have elected... So let me know, let your legislators know, would you like the chance to cast this vote, or would you feel it's appropriate to shut out the people of California?"

He adds: "I don't see this as a Republican vs. Democratic issue."

WATCH: Jerry Brown Takes Budget War to YouTube | Mother Jones


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