Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners — June 21
Jun 21, 2011
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Blog: Virginia education secretary named to head Florida education department
The Florida Board of Education unanimously picked Virginias education secretary on Tuesday to run Floridas public schools.
Florida teachers union files suit to stop 3 percent pay cut signed by Governor Rick Scott
Calling it “an income tax levied only on those workers who contribute to the Florida Retirement System,” the Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court in Tallahassee on Monday seeking to stop the 3 percent pay cut on teachers, school employees and other public workers imposed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Scott.
Scholarship cut for 1,400 of Florida’s top students
The cost of college just went up by an unexpected $1,500 for some of Florida’s top students.
Tax break ordinances have yet to spur jobs creation
Voters in Hillsborough County and several other cities and counties passed new property tax exemptions last year to spur job growth, but the incentives are getting off to a slow start.
Florida legislative changes tough on school finances
Manatee School Board members continued to struggle Monday with the bad news that state funding for education isn’t keeping pace with inflation.
Florida pre-K program takes big funding hit
Florida’s pre-K classes will see more kids and less money in the coming year, a combination that means backsliding for a preschool program once heralded as a potential national leader in early-childhood education.
Column: Taxpayers Are Back in Driver’s Seat
“The more the plans fail, the more the planners plan.” Ronald Reagan spoke these words nearly a half-century ago.
Officials: Marion County water tax necessary
Last month, as the County Commission headed toward approving a land-use change advancing a bottled-water plant in the Ocala National Forest, Commissioner Kathy Bryant did an unusual thing for a Republican.
School buses offered in Indiana Township, but parents must pay
At a Monday night School Board meeting, Franklin Township Schools parents were told buses will be made available to take students to and from class — but for an additional fee that they’ll have to pay.
Florida graduation rate below national average
“Diplomas Count 2011,” a report released this week, indicates that despite improvements Florida’s high school graduation rate is still almost 10 percentage points below the national average.
FCAT results screened for discrepancies
In its most comprehensive sweep yet for cheating on the FCAT, the state threw out 90 tests in Brevard — among nearly 7,000 statewide — for having answers so similar that they are statistically unlikely to have occurred randomly.
South Florida Water District’s management staff to be cut by 61 percent
In the midst of a record-breaking drought, the agency responsible for South Florida’s water supply also was hit last week by threats of deep cuts to its management force and drastic directives from top environmental officials in Tallahassee.
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