[SIZE=2]To send Senator Don Gaetz an Email: [URL]http://www.gulf1.com/Elected/gaetz/Gaetzmail.htm[/URL] [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Half-time Report: Senate makes progress on NW Florida priorities In at least one way, a Florida legislative session is like a high-powered basketball game ? the last minutes are often the most exciting and most important. Right now, the 2009 session is at half-time with adjournment scheduled for the first week in May. So, while there are some points on the board, most of the action is still to come. NW Florida School Districts Fare Well in Senate Budget One ?hot off the press? development is that the Senate education budget does not include deep cuts in school funding in Northwest Florida. As former Superintendent of Schools in Okaloosa County and as a member of the Senate Education Committee, I?m committed to squeezing full value out of every precious taxpayer dollar that goes to education. But I also believe that deep cuts to school budgets will undermine our economy and make our children less competitive and less successful as they enter college and the workforce. That?s why I?m proud of Senate President Jeff Atwater for standing with us to protect classroom instruction even as state and local revenues have steeply declined as a result of the deteriorating economy. President Atwater is insisting that cuts be made elsewhere in the budget in order to keep our schools operating. While I would not have voted for the federal stimulus plan if I were in Congress, I am working closely with my colleagues in the State Senate to ensure that stimulus dollars designated for education are properly used. The Senate?s plan for education funding does not make the double digit cuts which some folks predicted and, frankly, over-dramatized. Here?s how the five school districts of coastal Northwest Florida will fare under the Senate budget: [/SIZE][SIZE=2] (funding per student) District / 2008-2009 funding / 2009-2010 funding / Change per student Bay / $6,658.47 / $6,692.99 / 0.52% Escambia / $6,593.44 / $6,580.29 / -0.20% Okaloosa / $6,683.05 / $6,649.61 / -0.50% Santa Rosa (County)/ $6,493.44 / $6,478.33 / -0.23% [B] Walton / $7,065.06 / $7,306.22 / 3.41%[/B][/SIZE]
