Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–September 22

Sep 22, 2009

 

 

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Hollywood Commission to attempt to lower tax rate

Hollywood city commissioners will decide Monday night whether to lower the tax rate they tentatively approved last week.

 

Palm Beach County commissioners raise tax rate nearly 15 percent

West Palm Beach’s tax rate will be going up by 14.9 percent next year.

 

School enrollment figures show Dade up, Broward down

The Broward school district saw its declining enrollment continue to slide, though by a smaller margin than in recent years, while Miami-Dade saw its numbers tick up a bit.

 

Broward school district could shake up magnet programs

Some Broward schools could lose their magnet programs — and other schools could get new ones — under a proposal School Board members will discuss in a workshop meeting Tuesday.

 

Smokers must quit or pay up:  Broward County employees face $520 insurance surcharge

Add smokers and unhealthy employees to the list of targets in Broward County government’s effort to cut spending. And overweight workers could be next.

 

Boca Raton may take back its schools

Boca Raton’s 10 public schools are a showcase of A-rated education. You’ll find some of Palm Beach County’s most desired campuses, high-tech learning and award-winning teachers.

 

Value of Brevard County property falls, but tax rises

Sometime this fall, more than half of Brevard County homestead owners are likely in for a surprise: higher property tax bills despite plunging home prices.

A Florida Today analysis of property appraiser records shows that nearly 74,000 homesteads would have higher tax bills if proposed tax rates are adopted this fall by the county, cities, special districts and the school board.

 

Orlando’s finances:  Who won, and who lost?

Squeezed by a dismal economy but refusing to raise property taxes, Orlando leaders Monday approved a budget that cuts spending by $62 million.

 

Open for business:  Struggling schools are looking for ways to make money

From naming rights to ad sales, Florida districts are serious about making a buck

Cash-strapped school districts across Central Florida are scrambling to find a new source of money by marketing everything from online websites to gymnasium naming rights — and even Friday night football games.

 

Economic downturn reflected at Southwest Florida schools

In lunch lines and elsewhere, signs of vanished wealth

Hit hard by layoffs and paycuts, more Florida families than ever are turning to federal aid to feed their children at school.

 

Crowd of teachers appeals pay issue to Clay County School Board

Teachers seeking pay for experience

More than 250 Clay County public school teachers converged on the School Board meeting Thursday to protest a pay scale proposal they said does not fairly compensate them for their experience.

 

Post analysis:  Florida’s new high school grading system

For a decade, the state graded high schools based on a minimum standards test, designed to measure primarily if students had learned ninth- and 10th-grade reading and math.

 

EDITORIAL:  Florida’s flawed school bonus plan

Florida recently announced it will shower more than $122 million on schools that earned an A or improved a letter grade under the state’s ranking system.

 

BLOG:  National standards for language arts, math released, Florida considering signing on to this “common core” plan

A national effort — one that includes Florida — is underway to develop top-notch standards for what American children should learn when it comes to language arts and math.

 

U.S. House Loan Measure Would Free Up Cash for Early Education

Passage sends college-lending overhaul to Senate

Early-childhood-education programs and school facilities would get major new federal aid under a bill approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives that would cover the cost of that spending by revamping the way the federal student-lending program operates.

 

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