Facing tough economic times, our public schools are facing tough choices. At the March School Board meeting, the Board authorized a resolution to the current fiscal year’s general fund budget that decreases expenses by $31.2 million, including a $10.5 million reduction to the District’s Reserves to cover such costs as temporary instructors salary and discretionary budget accounts at school sites. This move was necessary with the state considering another reduction to the District’s current funding, bringing total cuts since the beginning of the school year to more than $63 million. (To review the state budget reductions to education, click here.)

Florida Lawmakers Considering Huge Budget Cuts to Education Spending

With the gloomy forecast for state funding reductions for education continuing into next year, the District is anticipating the need to cut up to $200 million from the 2008-09 budget. The Florida House has proposed a 1.2 percent reduction in dollars to public schoolchildren. That cut amounts to $86 per child. The Florida Senate is considering even deeper cuts with a proposal that would lower statewide K-12 spending by $883 million.

Superintendent Outlines a Series of Possible Budget Cuts for 2008-09

Superintendent Rudy Crew outlined a series of possible budget cuts at the March School Board meeting. The proposed measures would affect operations at the District and Regional administration offices, including reorganizing and reducing District and Regional offices, eliminating pay-for-performance plans, and requiring employee furlough days (pending negotiations with unions).

While the Superintendent’s intent has been to avoid touching specific educational programs, the reality is all options must remain on the table, including cuts to school-based budgets, which could mean eliminating field trips and reducing sports and after-school activities. (To review the Superintendent’s proposed budget cuts for the 2008-09 school year, click here.)

School Board Chair Offers Florida Legislature a Cost Neutral Plan to Fund Schools

In an op-ed that appeared in The Miami Herald (3/11/08), School Board Chair Agustin J. Barrera put forth the District’s recommendation to state officials of a cost-neutral plan that lessens the impact of funding cuts to school systems across the state.

This 10-point strategy offers guiding principles and strategies that are cost neutral to the state and require nothing more than a redistribution of or the removal of restrictions from existing funds to provide maximum flexibility to meet the needs of all Florida students.

• Delay class-size reduction targets, maintaining compliance at the school-level average for another year.
• Suspend class-size reduction penalties.
• Extend unrestricted 2-mill flexibility, allowing property casualty insurance premiums to be paid with capital funds, which would release up to $32 million for use on educational expenditures.
• Suspend unfunded mandates.
• Remove restrictions associated with categorical funding to increase the K-12 base allocation.
• Reallocate funds from the Florida School Recognition Program to general K-12 funds.
• Reallocate funds intended for the teacher performance pay plan to general K-12 funds.
• Delay property-tax reform initiatives that do not include replacement funding for K-12 education.
  
• Suspend the rollout of new programs.
• Release set-aside federal funds held at the state level to local districts and provide the maximum grant flexibility allowed under federal guidelines.
  

The Florida Constitution mandates high-quality public education, and good public policy dictates that in times of economic difficulty existing resources be equitably allocated. (To review the Dollars and Sense presentation, click here.)