Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–June 8
Jun 8, 2010
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BUDGET WOES: Funding shortfalls continue as tax bases decline further
By the time residents and businesses get their property tax bills in November, taxes will have fallen by more than $400 million over a three-year period in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties.
Broward cities near casinos to see millions from Seminole gambling compact
For some Broward municipalities, it’s akin to hitting the jackpot in the midst of a losing streak. The state’s new gambling rules – which reduce taxes on pari-mutuels and allow casinos to expand – will mean a windfall for Broward County and its cities that are home to or near the gambling facilities.
Broward School Board wrestles with how to pay for campus improvements across county
Cooper City High’s sinking building will cost district $27M
Cooper City High School’s main academic building is sinking, by an inch each year, and desperately needs to be rebuilt or torn down, the Broward School Board said Monday.
Broward schools to lay off 1,305, including 568 teachers
The Broward school district on Monday delivered pink slips to 1,305 teachers, secretaries and maintenance workers as the school district struggles to close a $130 million budget shortfall.
Broward school officials address overtime lapses
After a stinging audit found some school workers earned overtime every day for years, Broward School Board members are ready to impose a stringent new policy to control costs.
Palm Beach County faces 13 percent property tax rate increase
Palm Beach County property tax rates could go up for the second year in a row – this time about 13 percent – to head off a $100 million shortfall, according to the county’s 2011 budget proposal released Tuesday.
Martin commissioners to send tax breaks authority question to voters
Martin County voters will decide on Aug. 24 whether to empower the county commissioners to give property tax breaks to lucrative companies relocating or expanding in the county.
Blog: Lake County considers raising taxes for public education
The Lake County School Board launched a discussion yesterday into whether they want to introduce a new property tax to generate more money for local schools.
Pinellas school board tentatively agrees to $11 million in cuts
The Pinellas County School Board tentatively agreed to more than $11 million in budget cuts Tuesday, leaving $15 million that still must be targeted in coming weeks to fill next year’s budget hole.
Blog: Tax plan ‘revenue neutral’ for Jacksonville, not the taxpayers
The hits just keep on coming. The talk at City Hall these days is about a “revenue neutral millage rate.” That would mean having a property tax rate that would produce the same amount of revenue for the city’s next fiscal year as this year’s did.
Hillsborough school board eyes health care costs
Ballooning health care costs may push the Hillsborough County school district’s budget around $12 million into the red, part of a projected $20 million shortfall, board members learned last month.
Column: Lawmakers still waiting on special session
Since April, state legislators have been resigned to the idea that Gov. Charlie Crist would force them to return to Tallahassee for a special session to redo the budget or tackle new ethics reforms.
Arts and physical education in schools: Necessities or extras?
To some, art, music and physical education are vital to student success, not luxuries that can be scrapped when times are bad.
Sorry, teachers: Bailout cupboard is bare
Although teachers have been among their strongest supporters, even congressional Democrats were reluctant to provide more funding to prevent teacher layoffs.
- Washington Post Op-Ed: Why should education be exempt from recession budgeting?
- U.S. Secretary of Education: Keep Florida’s educators working
Major cuts: High schools face hard economic lessons
Students graduating from high school this spring may be collecting their diplomas just in time, leaving institutions that are being badly weakened by the nation’s economic downturn.
News Release: Claimed Benefits of Massachusetts-Style Property Tax Cap Overblown, New Study Shows
Suggestions that Massachusetts’ experience under a property tax cap shows New Jersey could impose a similar cap without harming education and other public services are misleading, according to a new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Chicago Teachers Union files suit to block increased class size
A few days before Chicago teachers choose their union leadership, current President Marilyn Stewart announced a new tack to prevent the school district from raising class sizes next fall.
D.C. agency to probe Rhee critic’s complaint over ethics of school funds clause
The District’s Office of Campaign Finance will investigate a complaint, filed by an outspoken critic of Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, alleging that Rhee violated the law by soliciting donations from private foundations that reserved the right to pull their funding if there was a change in the school system’s leadership.
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