Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners — Tuesday, March 1
Mar 1, 2011
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THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Tax Swap Bills Re-Emerge
Put on the backburner a couple years ago, the idea of swapping a sales tax increase for property tax cuts has emerged again in the Florida Legislature.
Florida property tax laws targeted
Amendment proposal irks some in office
Voters might have a crack next year at capping property taxes for residents, businesses and out-of-towners.
Editorial: Fair Florida taxes come at a price
Florida needs a more equitable tax system, but nobody ever talks about leveling things up. Reform usually means more cuts in government revenue, a painful issue these days.
Dade schools chief: Don’t cut education
Hoping to answer parent questions and send a strong message to Tallahassee, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho held a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss the school system’s budget.
Poll: Florida’s pension system – A ‘ticking time bomb’ as Rick Scott says, or rock solid?
Broward libraries in budget-cutting crosshairs, again
After four years of reducing library services, the county finds it must find further cuts that might, this time, involve closing some branches.
Library lovers across Broward County should brace for more cuts, possibly at every branch
Editorial: Tampa voters should approve tax breaks
Tampa voters will be asked in the March 1 election whether to authorize the city to grant tax breaks to businesses that expand or relocate to Tampa.
Session to re-examine teacher pay
Major cuts to school budgets as federal stimulus funding dries up. Tying teacher evaluations to student performance on standardized tests. Expanding vouchers and virtual school programs.
POLLS Study: Florida teacher pay dropping to 47th in U.S.; union raps Senate Bill 736
Florida’s public school teachers are on their way to being among the worst-paid in the nation.
Court system in peril amid budget crisis
South Florida lawyers, judges and court workers fear impending budget cuts will leave justice system decimated
As state lawmakers prepare to hammer out a balanced budget when the legislative session opens in Tallahassee next month, court personnel in South Florida say their already strained justice system will collapse if state employees are forced to shoulder significant cuts.
Bright Futures scholarship program faces $100 million funding cut
Florida’s popular Bright Futures scholarship program may suffer big cuts at the same time students are facing rapidly rising tuition at state universities.
Florida school district leaders blanched when they heard how much Governor Rick Scott wanted to cut funding to public education in the state.
Minnesota legislators consider Florida’s model for education reform
A committee in the Minnesota House will look to the south today for ideas to improve Minnesota’s schools. The Education Reform Committee will hear what’s being billed as “The Florida Story.”
School policy gets tough on substitute teachers
Substitute teachers in Sarasota County will be banned from the classroom after a single performance complaint under a strict new policy unveiled by the school district Monday.
Florida Teachers, Beware Wisconsin Stinky-Cheese Effect
Union protests may be powerful now, but they could leave teachers lonely later
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what unions are getting from all the muscle-flexing going on in Wisconsin.
Possible Federal Government Shutdown 2011 Casts Shadow on Florida
State leaders weigh in on possibility of federal government shutdown
As Republicans controlling the U.S. House of Representatives and Democrats leading the U.S. Senate try to work out a deal to keep the federal government running, state government leaders in both parties are crossing their fingers in the hopes of a compromise.
Clearwater High program putting Kindles in students’ hands attracts national attention
As experiments go, Clearwater High School’s pilot program to put a Kindle e-reader in the hands of every student, with the hope of replacing textbooks entirely, was a bold one.
Huizenga offer could replicate Broward Junior Achievement program on Treasure Coast
If local education and business leaders decide to create a program to enhance financial education for Treasure Coast students, former Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga has offered to contribute $2 million to the effort.
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