Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–July 26

Click on a headline to read the complete story:

 

Broward school cuts: bus service, traffic aides

When school starts in August, there will be fewer bus stops, fewer school supplies and fewer crossing guards as the Broward school district braces for more budget cuts.

 

Some colleges make security a priority, even with money short

ISSUE: State colleges struggling to find ways to finance security upgrades.

There’s no question the state’s colleges and universities are in a cash crunch. With inadequate funding from the Legislature reaching a low point this year, many are even capping enrollment to help bridge the gap.

 

Broward County charter schools offer alternatives for learning

Charter schools have gone from the fringes of education reform to mainstream during the past decade in Broward County and the rest of the state.

 

Hebrew charter school in Hollywood may cross line of church-state separation

OK, class, time for a quick quiz in the separation of church and state.  Would you expect to hear the following sentences in a publicly funded school?

 

Library’s days are numbered

Springs plans to close West Atlantic site

CORAL SPRINGS The county’s West Atlantic Library branch will close in a year and scale back its services beginning this October, if the City Commission approves a proposed budget that calls for city contributions to be halted.

 

Expect to shell out more for schools

Despite all the talk of rolling back property taxes in Florida, don’t look for a break on school taxes this year.

 

Appraiser’s mistake lowers Stuart taxpayers’ bill

STUART — A mistake at the Martin County property appraiser’s office means city taxpayers will owe even less on their tax bills than City Manager Dan Hudson initially proposed.

 

Tax cuts stall river-saving reservoir

State-ordered tax cuts are forcing delays in one of the state’s top environmental priorities: a long-awaited effort to protect the St. Lucie River from polluted runoff.

 

Price tag for faulty software rises again

In less than a year, the amount spent on the Palm Beach County School District’s PeopleSoft project has ballooned from $17 million to nearly $25 million – and it’s not over.

 

Governor touts $57 million anti-tobacco campaign, won’t endorse tax increase

Gov. Charlie Crist re-ignited the state’s anti-tobacco campaign Wednesday, touting a voter mandate to spend $57 million next year on prevention and education programs.

 

Private I-595 plans put before investors

The morning and evening commute could look a lot different for anyone who regularly drives on Interstate 595 by 2014, Florida officials told a packed audience of investment bankers and contractors on Wednesday.

 

Broward County wants overpass over I-75 at Pembroke Road

After nine years, Pembroke Road may span I-75

PEMBROKE PINES The on-again, off-again plan to link the eastern and western portions of Miramar and Pembroke Pines with an overpass over Interstate 75 at Pembroke Road is on again. But Pembroke Pines officials, who have been trying to get a link for nine years, are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

 

School Scene / News From Area Schools

The newly constructed two-story building at 11400 SW 232nd St. is home to Somerset Academy Silver Palms, Homestead’s newest K-8 grade school.

 

Crist: Cuts, Not Raises the Answer

TALLAHASSEE – It’s unlikely taxes will be increased, as Democratic leaders have suggested, to help Florida overcome a potential $1 billion revenue shortfall if Gov. Charlie Crist gets his way.

 

Commissioners Resist Select Cuts In Budget

TAMPA – Hillsborough County should take advantage of a soft construction market to build fire stations, libraries and parks despite planned budget cuts, county commission Chairman Jim Norman said Wednesday.

 

Expand the budget session

Unpleasant as it is that the Legislature must cut at least $1 billion from the just-passed state budget, the September special session gives legislators one last chance to take care of some unfinished business.

 

Judge Investigated for Spending Orders

The sheriff got a patrol car worth more than $23,000. The tax assessor received a $2,400 computer, and City Hall got its carpets cleaned — all with the stroke of a judge’s pen.

 

Budget Compromise Lands Central Brandon A New Firehouse

TAMPA – The central Brandon area will get a new firehouse after county commissioners Thursday approved a compromise that saved the station from budget cuts.

 

Projections Trim Schools’ Budget

LAND – O’ LAKES – The Pasco County School Board’s proposed property tax rate for the 2007-08 fiscal year was already going to decrease. Thanks to new projections, the proposed rate has dropped even more.