Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–July 16
Jul 16, 2010
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Bay County School Board to Possibly File Claim Against BP
The oil spill is having affects on school systems across the Gulf Coast. The Bay District school board is hiring a law firm to take action against BP if they have to.
Senate May Expand Special Session
A week before the Legislature goes into special session, there was little agreement on just what oil-related items it plans to take up, though it became clear Monday that the Senate, at least, wants to go beyond the governor’s call and provide economic relief to the spill-weary Panhandle.
Republican Rick Scott appeals ruling to give state funds to rival McCollum
Republican candidate for governor Rick Scott wasted no time Wednesday and immediately filed an appeal of federal Judge Robert Hinkle’s decision to deny his request for an injunction to block the release of state funds to his rival under Florida’s public finance law.
Lawmaker’s effort to discipline Florida Department of Management Services is circumvented
Senate Budget Chief J.D. Alexander was fed up last April with the state agency tasked with managing state government’s properties and payrolls.
Blog: Editing the Constitution: Amendment 3
Florida’s 2010 Amendment 3 can be seen as a legacy of sorts of former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. The amendment, backed by Charlie Crist, Florida Realtors, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, could wreak havoc with municipal budgets as it seeks to slash property tax revenue by $1 billion over three years.
Budget cuts may force end of deputies in schools, Lamberti says
The call came from a student she’d only seen in the hallways at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School: “I know who’s been making the bomb threats.”
Palm Beach County schools weigh property tax referendum to fund ‘critical needs’
The School Board says it may not have any other choice because of declining state funding
Palm Beach County voters may be asked in November to continue a property tax – to help make up for declining state funding for public schools – that is set to expire after the 2010-11 school year.
South Florida water managers avoid tax increase as they push for Everglades land deal
Pledging no new taxes, South Florida water managers on Thursday agreed to keep the water district property tax rate unchanged for the coming budget year as they pursue a $536 million Everglades land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp.
Hillsborough County ponders tax-free lure for businesses that bring new jobs
Saying it would help bring jobs here during the economic downturn, Hillsborough County Commission chairman Ken Hagan on Wednesday proposed a property tax exemption for businesses that expand or relocate to the county.
Blog: Marco Rubio’s economic plan — Tax cuts and more tax cuts
Marco Rubio, who as House speaker published a book of 100 ideas that became a road map for the state Legislature, unveiled a new set of ideas Tuesday that he said he wants to take to the U.S. Senate.
Property values now reflect reality, appraiser tells Gables chamber
Miami-Dade property appraiser tells monthly business breakfast ‘we hit bottom’
At the monthly Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Miami-Dade County’s property appraiser Pedro Garcia asserted that residential property values now more closely match reality and predicted that they may slightly increase this year but will never return to “dreamland.”
Utility sale could increase Vero Beach property taxes
City residents could see their property tax rates soar if the city eliminated transfers from its electric utility system into its general fund, although proceeds from the sale of the system potentially could negate most, if not all, of the impact.
Nonteaching Broward schools employees OK unpaid days
Broward schools employees, from bus drivers and janitors to clerical staffers and security specialists — but not teachers — have agreed to five or six unpaid furlough days during the coming academic year in order to save jobs that would have been eliminated as the district struggles to close an estimated $130 million budget shortfall.
Martin School Board says no to proposed ‘critical needs’ tax
Martin County School Board members said no Tuesday to a proposed critical needs tax, saying they didn’t see the need for it.
Florida’s business climate gets mixed reviews from CNBC
Ranks first and 48th in same survey
Florida is simultaneously one of the best and one of the worst states for doing business based on an annual analysis by CNBC.
Palm Beach County schools joins legal fight against class-size penalties
The Palm Beach County School Board, staring at a possible $27 million penalty next year for violating the state’s more restrictive class-size requirements, voted unanimously Wednesday to join a statewide lawsuit against the sanction.
Collier schools send 21 principals to Harvard, cost about $100,000
While most of their staff and students were on vacation, 21 Collier County principals were going back to school.
Palm Beach school district to consider keeping graduations at convention center
After threatening again to take its business elsewhere, the Palm Beach County School Board will consider a contract Wednesday that would keep its graduation ceremonies at the county convention center in 2011.
Merit pay arrives for teachers – but some aren’t happy
Educators say some bonuses are so small, they’re not worth the effort
Florida schools struggling to emerge from the bottom of the heap have started offering merit pay to teachers.
Editorial: ‘Required Instruction’ — Trim Florida’s Long List
One of the persistent complaints from our public schools is that the Florida Legislature passes “unfunded mandates” onto local school boards, including Polk County, on an almost annual basis. This year is no different.
Public school foundations providing vital needs for students
Plumosa School of the Arts in Delray Beach is latest campus to try fundraising network
Plumosa School of the Arts is sure to impress parents with its new $30 million Delray Beach campus, opening next month with spacious studios, dynamic student programs and dedicated teachers.
Column: Education reform — Florida should take notes on Washington, D.C.
Republicans berated Gov. Charlie Crist for his veto in April of an education reform measure that would have linked teachers’ compensation to improved student test scores and eliminated tenure for new hires.
Alachua County kills fire fee, instead will raise property taxes
Alachua County commissioners killed the proposed fire assessment Tuesday evening and instead moved forward with plans for a nearly 12 percent increase in the property tax rate that now serves as the primary funding source for the county fire department.
Franklin County Schools brace for millage rate hike
Franklin County residents are likely to see the property taxes they pay to support the school district rise in the year ahead.
New York: Fees are the new taxes
Despite the property tax millage rate remaining generally constant for two decades, and sales tax revenue declining, government is getting more money from us somehow.
Suit accuses California of unequal school funding
A coalition of grassroots groups and families filed a lawsuit against the state Monday seeking to have California’s educational system declared unconstitutional for failing to adequately and equally fund schools.
U.S. Education Secretary Duncan: Congress needs to act now on school funding
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urging Congress to act soon to increase education funding because cash-strapped states can’t wait until the fall to determine if they must lay off thousands of teachers.
Reforming Public Education from the Outside
Many of America’s super wealthy are focusing their philanthropic endeavors on reforming public education in some of the poorest communities in the nation by offering parents and children alternatives to traditional public schools.
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