Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–November 13
Nov 13, 2008
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2008-2010 Florida Senate Leadership Team Announced
Florida Senate President-Designate Jeff Atwater (R-Palm Beach) announced his 2008-2010 leadership team today, which comprises Senator Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) as Senate President Pro-Tempore and Senator Alex Villalobos (R-Miami) as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Broward County School District must cut $34 million from budget
Next year may bring more reductions
Anticipated budget cuts ordered by the state Department of Education became official Wednesday, with the state requiring the Broward County School District to cut another $34.2 million from its 2008-09 school budget.
Cash-strapped Florida school districts ask voters to OK property-tax hikes
Faced with the worst budget crisis in decades, some Florida school districts are taking the extraordinary step of asking voters to approve tax increases, hoping to replace lost state money with funds raised locally.
Sink wants special session on ‘ugly’ state budget woes
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink urged state legislators today to call a special session as soon as possible to deal with the state’s budget problems.
Florida TaxWatch urges special session
Florida TaxWatch is urging Gov. Charlie Crist to call a special legislative session to clarify the state’s corporate income tax law.
EDITORIAL: Sink’s call for special session makes sense
If it were clear that Florida had already hit bottom and would soon begin its financial recovery, policymakers could more credibly argue that there is no pressing reason for revenue reform.
Don’t raid state funds to help budget, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink tells lawmakers
Florida’s billion-dollar cash crunch has so far prompted a collective shrug from Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican legislators, who hope short-term borrowing will help them escape the year without deeper budget cuts.
Fla. revises deal with US Sugar to save Everglades
The state of Florida has agreed to pay the nation’s biggest producer of sugar cane $1.34 billion, instead of the $1.75 billion originally proposed, under a revised deal to buy up vast tracts of farm land to restore the Everglades, the company said in statements Tuesday.
Gov. Crist trumpets revised sugar deal, but water managers say it may cost taxpayers more
Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday trumpeted hundreds of millions in savings from a scaled-down Everglades land deal, but the agency paying the tab warned that it could end up costing taxpayers more.
EDITORIAL: Shuttering 19 state parks to save 0.003 percent in $66 billion budget would be folly
Look for more reasonable waves to balance state budget
Nineteen of Florida’s 160 state parks may close next year.
COLUMN: Federal jobs could help get cities buzzing
Sarah Palin could learn a thing from Charlie Crist during the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami this week.
Broward extends deadline for property-tax discount
Broward taxpayers have a few extra days to pay their taxes this year and get the full discount, but don’t expect a big drop in taxes.
Because some tax notices went out slightly later than usual, Broward County will extend the deadline for property owners to take full advantage of the tax discount this year.
Florida aid for Palm Beach County schools shrinks
State funding for Palm Beach County schools is shrinking again – there’s a $23.4 million cut coming in December.
As credit thaws, county looks at stimulus
As the nation debates whether to launch a second economic stimulus effort, Sarasota County is trying to reignite its first.
School district faces additional $9.1-million cut in spending
The other shoe dropped for Pasco schools Tuesday, as word came from Tallahassee that the district would face a $9.1-million funding cut for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Leon County Schools could face more cuts
Bad budget news just got worse for Leon County Schools as they start to get an idea how much money the state is planning to withhold from school districts due to vanishing revenue.
Polk Schools Enrollment Declines
First Time in 18 Years
For the first time in at least 18 years, enrollment in the Polk County School District declined.
Blocker touts savings from schools’ schedule swap
Orange County Public Schools is on the way to slashing $15 million from its transportation budget this year — a direct result of swapping the start times of middle and high schools, Superintendent Ron Blocker said Tuesday.
Former school might house teachers
A long-discussed plan that would provide affordable housing to Pinellas teachers moved a small step forward Tuesday after receiving enthusiastic support from five of seven School Board members.
FCAT scaled back as budget withers
FCAT may be the “big dog” in Florida education, but this year nothing is safe from budget cuts.
To save money, the Florida Department of Education has made some “difficult decisions” and scaled back its Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test program, according to a memo from the department.
Eliminating FCAT Retake Will Have Repercussions
Some members of this year’s senior class will have to delay starting college or work because of state cost-cutting efforts.
Board to revise its policy on bullies
When school bullies tease, taunt and push around other students, the school district will soon shove right back with a stronger anti-bullying policy.
Battle rages on accreditation, college money
As colleges are vying for their piece of the shrinking government funding pie, there are people who think some schools shouldn’t be grabbing a slice.
Carvalho: I’m committed to saving failing Dade schools
Dade schools chief Alberto Carvalho will recommend to the School Board that four schools facing closure must get at least a D grade, rather than a C, to remain open.
Speaking to hundreds of concerned parents and students worried about the possible closing of their schools Wednesday night, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced his plan for keeping them open — helping them earn a D grade or better from the state.
Coleman fields friction over cell tower idea
The prospect of a 100-foot-tall cell phone tower on the property of Coleman Middle School worries some parents.
Who says video games can’t be both fun and educational? The Broward County School District staff, that’s who.
Miami-Dade County schools endorsing many green initiatives
Schools across Miami-Dade County are taking the environment into their own hands, teaching students and parents how to make a difference
Given the nation’s newfound awareness over climate change, energy and other environmental issues, South Florida educators say they have witnessed an increased appetite among students and parents to ”go green.”
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