Public schools have been choked by harsh budget cuts for ...



Florida Ppublic schools have been choked by harsh tight budgets cuts for as long as any student or teacher can remember, but 2009 is expected to be an exceptionally tough fiscal year . $284 million from Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ budget will be cut due to the expected $75 million decrease in state funding and over $200 in increased costs; causing many to worry not only about Florida’s economy, but also about the future of public school education. stringent cuts for 2009 are expected to slash our various amenities as well as funding for the county.

Due to Governor Charlie Crist’s property tax amendment, passed last November, which alleviated Floridians from the strangle the tax structure had on the real-estate market, legislators are now forced to rely upon sales tax revenue instead of relying on property tax revenue, a more constant and prosperous source of income. Since sales tax revenues fluctuate much more than property tax revenues, budget planning for 2008-2009 has been much harder than previous years, but one thing is for certain; the $75 million decrease in state funding is hitting many schools hard, causing many programs, and services withing the school to either become eliminated or come at a higher price.Just as Florida schools started to show improvements on the already low scale (49th in the country) legislators removed as much as $4 billion and 1.8 percent will be cut from Florida’s public schools. Due to the property tax amendment, Floridians voted for in November, schools will now need to rely more on sales tax instead of the once present and steady property tax revenue. This change will diverge the way legislators handle budget planning because of the fluctuating amount of tourists and the current economic state. It’s much harder to predict how many people will buy what when making a state-wide budget so it is proposed to increase our 7% sales tax up by one cent. And all the tax-free services once offered by the state are expected to be eliminated as to increase tax revenue. To make up for the lost revenue in property tax, Floridians will see have to pay more for an increase in boat registration, drivers license and court fees as well as college tuition and drunk-driving fines.

Although the property tax amendment is a cause of the budget cut effect, it is a two-fold. In history, the economy’s cycle of good and bad years has proved that suffiecent saving during prosperous years lessens the negative effect during harder years. If MDCPS would have put some funds into reserve, the negative effects of budget cuts might have been a little lighter on the pocketbook.

Since the School Board of Miami-Dade County needs to give back millions of dollars to the state Dr. Rosann Sidener of Miami Beach Senior High already had to give back $179,000 to the district.

Although this is only the fourth cut in 35 years, the per-student amount will decrease by 2%. According to The Ledger, this student funding decrease contrasts with the past 16 years where school funding increase 5 percent or more, except for one year.

Miami Herald reported that of the many affected by the state budget cut of $4 billion, Miami-Dade and Broward schools will be hit hardest. TheExactly how much will be cut form the 2008-2009 budgets? $284 million dollar, but two budget chiefs for the House and Senate also, however, agreed to compensate Miami-Dade schools for the higher cost of living living costs by by setting aside $7.5 million.

However, it is not only Florida schools that will have to tighten their belt. There is no money available for the Everglades Restoration, which would have required $100 million to implement, and although the FIU medical school was given extra money, it is not enough to open the university by 2009.

Prison builders are the unexpected benefiataries of the new budget. It’s not only Florida schools that will have to tighten their belt. There is no money in the pot for the Everglades Restoration, which would have taken $100 million dollars to do, and although the FIU medical school was given some extra money, it is not enough to open the university by 2009.

An unexpected benefice of the new budget? Prison builders. An allotted $305 million will go towards the construction of two public and one private prison in Florida due to the expected estimated 107,000 expected prisoners by June 30, 2009. Consider the fact that the young minds of students will benefit with a $10 million less construction budget. Priorities anyone? Last time I checked, inferior education led to inferior jobs and higher crime. At least we’ll have brand new prison facilities.

As hard as the circumstances may seem, The School Board of Miami-Dade County held a budget workshop on April 28, 2008 to consider some possible savings. A majority of the school Board supported six key steps to save almost $50 million. By eliminating 261 positions from the District’s central administration, an extra $20 million would be saved. School administration would be hit hard for to save $2.4 million, bonus pay would be cut and a decrease in salary are possible. Another consideration; by not rehiring administrators or teachers who have already retired, the County would save a possible $13.9 million. All non-mandatory summer-school programs such as , , would save offset $10 million and all students not on free or reduced lunch may have to pay an extra 50 cents each meal; saving $3.7 million.

Although these measure are only being considered as of early May, the School Board will bote on the reduction-in-force recommendation on May 21st at the Miami-Dade County School Board meeting. An approved reogranization plan for the District will save almost $13.7 million and both the reogranization and the reductions would take place on June 30, 2008 or later.

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