Saturday, February 28, 2009

Legislative Update

 

FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS ANALYZED

 

This subject (like the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act law itself) is enormous, and it still too early for local districts to know much about it that it will be especially useful for budget planning purposes. However, one of the best sources so far seems to be the "Economic Stimulus Resource Center" run by the National School Boards Association.

 

NSBA http://www.nsba.org/MainMenu/Advocacy/FederalLaws/FederalFunding/Stimulus.aspx

 

Also, the federal government has created a new Web site devoted to ARRA that may be useful for general information, and which may be useful for more specific purposes in the future.

 

Federal stimulus site: http://www.recovery.gov/

 

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GOVERNOR PROPOSED STATE BUDGET FOR FY2010

 

The Governor released his proposed state budget last week, and it included $21.5 billion for education. It also included considerable dependence on the federal stimulus fundingabout 12 percent of the overall budget. Florida will need to seek a waiver from the U.S. Secretary of Education in order to be eligible to receive these funds, because Florida's current funding level for education is too low to qualify for the federal assistance. In addition, this level of reliance on one-time funding for recurring costs will require a 3/5 vote of the legislature because it is four times higher than the 3 percent permitted by the state Constitution.

 

The proposed budget could raise per-student from the current $6,860 to as much as $7,044 in FY2010.

 

This proposed budget makes some assumptions about revenue based on November estimates that have historically been much higher than March estimates. Senate President Jeff Atwater and several school district superintendents have criticized the budget on this basis.

 

The Governor's budget also proposes several new revenue sources, including $529 million from taxes on a bottled water fee, a 10 percent increase in the cost of motor vehicle registration, a 10 percent increase in drivers license fees, and increases in the solid waste disposal fee and the fee on overweight trucks.

 

Other sources of revenue included raising $300 million by bonding for prison construction, claiming a total of $288 million from the Seminole Tribe in an as-yet unratified gambling compact, borrowing an additional $400 million from trust funds, and saving another $274 million in trust fund reductions.

 

The Governor's budget would minimize further cuts to education. This has been generally well-received by advocates for public education who have held local rallies across the state in anticipation of statewide rally at the University of Central Florida on February 28th.

 

The budget proposal may be found at http://www.thepeoplesbudget.state.fl.us/govpriorities.aspx

 

Forbes overview at http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/02/20/ap6078508.html

 

 

Articles on local and state rally efforts:

 

Duvall http://www.jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2009-02-25/story/schools_to_parents_budget_crisis_coming_and_we_need_your_help

 

Brevard http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-rally1209feb12,0,2600826.story

 

Hillsborough http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Hillsborough-School-officials-plan-a-Make-our/9LeUQHWorU-go4QnN9fGuw.cspx

 

Lee http://news-press.com/article/20090222/NEWS0104/902220388

 

Miami-Dade: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/853835.html

 

Orange http://www.cfnews13.com/Business/LocalBusinessHeadlines/2009/2/20/parents_teachers_rally_against_school_budget_cuts.html

 

Seminole http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-rally1209feb12,0,2600826.story

 

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GOVERNOR MEETS THE PRESS

 

The Governor recently appeared on MSNBC's "Meet The Press" to express his support for leveraging the federal stimulus funding to Florida's advantage.

 

MSNBC  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29330676#29330676

 

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FASA SURVEYS LOCAL COSTS OF BUDGET CUTS

 

About a dozen people have forwarded this link to me, and I can see why. FASA recently conducted a survey inviting its members to submit examples of the local costs of school budget cuts. They got back 240 responses, most of them horrific, which were run recently in a St. Petersburg Times blog. Remember that these are unverified statements from a non-scientific survey, but you might find them illuminating nonetheless.

 

St. Petersburg Times http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/files/verbatimresponses4.doc

 

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THE RETURN OF "THE 65% SOLUTION"

 

A controversial proposal from 2005 has returned. Back then, the "65% solution" promoted by Patrick Byrne of Overstock.com was to require all school districts in the country to move budgeted funds so that 65% of all expenses were "in the classroom." The argument in favor of the proposal was that school districts don't establish budget priorities well, so requiring that classroom costs be budgeted at this level would put limited funds where they will do the most good. However, defining what is "in the classroom" and what isn't turns out to be enormously difficult, since all school district expenses are of course directed toward making what happens in classrooms possible.

 

No state adopted the plan after educators pointed out that this plan would do harm to many essential services (librarians, counselors, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, nurses, etc.) that also contribute in an important way to student learning. Standard & Poors found that the 65% point showed no statistical importance to student learning, and even found that there is no percentage point at all that has this kind of significance. The idea faded away, or so it seemed at the time.

 

It resurfaced again last year when the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission proposed a constitutional amendment that would establish the 65% rule. This proposed amendment was thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court as being misleading to voters.

 

However, now the idea has resurfaced in two new bills before the Florida legislature, but now the percentage has increased from 65% to 70%.

 

HB 883 http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=40985&SessionId=61

 

SB 1978 http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=41273&SessionId=61

 

Standard & Poor's https://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/8373.pdf

 

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

 

Chance that a U.S. schoolteacher is married to another schoolteacher: 1 in 6

 

Per-pupil expenditures for K-12 education in the U.S. in FY2006: $8,587

 

Per-pupil expenditure in Florida for the same year: 7,630

 

Percent by which Florida's expenditures were below average: 12%

 

Number of budget savings suggestions received by Pinellas school district officials: 16,996

 

Estimated number of people who showed up at budget meeting of Brevard County school officials and state lawmakers: 10,000

 

Number of seats in the meeting hall: 2,000

 

 

Sources

 

1: Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/v-fullstory/story/903704.html

 

2-4: U.S. Department of Education http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008345.pdf

 

5: St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article978829.ece

 

6-7: WFTV http://www.wftv.com/news/18782207/detail.html

 

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Special Message from Governor Charlie Crist, February 20, 2009

 

 

February 20, 2009

 

Dear Friends,

 

Today, I unveiled my budget and policy recommendations for the 2009-10 fiscal year. My 2009 legislative priorities are aimed at investing wisely so that we can move Florida’s economy forward. These budget and policy proposals will make our classrooms world-class so that we train the best workforce possible. They will keep our air clean and diversify our energy. They will lower property taxes and ensure fiscal responsibility in local government. And they will help businesses thrive so they can create and retain the jobs that we need, now more than ever, to fuel our economy.

 

There is no doubt; these are historic times of economic challenge for our nation and for our state. But I believe that there are better days in store for Florida. Times like these provide a unique opportunity for elected officials to make government better, more efficient, and more accountable.

 

In developing my recommendations, my highest priority is to avoid further deficits – yet continue to move Florida’s economy forward. Now more than ever, we must create jobs for the hard-working people of Florida. Second, we must continue critical services to Florida’s most vulnerable – our children, elders, and persons with disabilities. And we must continue our investment in Florida’s classrooms and hard-working teachers, in public safety and in health care. The taxpayers of Florida deserve nothing less.

 

The $66.5-billion budget I propose includes $4.7 billion in federal stimulus dollars for 2009-10 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Without these funds, we would have had to tighten our belts another $3.4 billion. My budget proposal reflects Florida’s greatest needs – allocating $25.2 billion to Health and Human Services, $21.5 billion to education, and $10.3 billion to transportation and Economic Development. I also maintain my commitment to public safety, with $4.9 billion that will help keep criminals off the streets and our neighborhoods safe.

 

My recommendations include a significant increase in per-student funding: $183 more per student, for an average of $7,044 per student. That is increase of 2.67 percent over the current fiscal year.  The money we set aside for schools must be spent wisely. I want to thank Representative Robert Schenck and Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla for supporting legislation requiring our school districts to spend a minimum of 70 percent of operating funds on direct classroom expenditures benefiting students.

 

Strong universities are vital to creating the competitive workforce that will keep Florida’s economy vibrant for generations to come. I thank Senator Ken Pruitt and Representative Will Weatherford for supporting legislation that will clarify university governance and provide more teaching resources for Florida’s 11 universities -- while maintaining access and affordability for students and families. Under the proposal, each board of trustees may adopt a tuition differential beginning in fall 2009, with Board of Governors approval. Overall tuition cannot rise by more than 15 percent a year, and 30 percent of the revenues must go to need-based student financial aid.

 

Despite the economic challenges facing Florida, the Sunshine State has been recognized as a national leader in terms of our greatest resource – our workforce. To continue supporting Florida’s workforce, I recommend $2 billion in workforce initiatives, including over $800 million for career education and employment services that will create or retain 3,000 jobs. I also recommend $621.2 million for school readiness. This investment is expected to create or retain more than 12,800 jobs for child-care providers.

 

Continuing my commitment to public safety, I recommend $4.9 billion to maintain support for Florida’s increasing prison population and continue programs that reduce recidivism, prevent juvenile crime and keep violent criminals off the streets. My proposed budget also maintains funding to support local law enforcement agencies.

 

We must make every effort to preserve direct health care services to our children, our elderly, and our disabled populations. I am recommending an increase of $45 million for cash assistance and food stamps for families and their children, and $52 million to support an additional 46,000 children in the KidCare program.

 

We must continue our efforts, started in August with Accelerate Florida, to maintain Florida as a friendly place to do business. I am urging the passage of legislation sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz and Representative Trudi Williams that streamlines and reduces burdensome licensing requirements for contractors and other professionals.

 

Now more than ever, as families are faced with economic challenges, we must reduce the tax burden on Florida homeowners and business property owners. I propose a set of reforms that build upon previous legislation resulting in the largest property tax cut in state history.

 

I support the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Senator Evelyn Lynn and Representative Carl Domino that encourages homeownership and enhances the tax savings provided by Amendment One. It further reduces the growth cap on non-homestead residential and commercial properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. The amendment also grants a 50 percent exemption, up to $250,000, to homeowners who previously have not owned a home in Florida.

 

Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano and supported in the House by Representative Marcelo Llorente protects Florida homeowners from having to pay more in taxes when market values are declining. The proposal repeals the automatic three percent increase on the assessed value of homesteads when their market values decrease. In addition, legislation sponsored by Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera provides fairness for property owners who challenge the property appraiser’s assessment of their property value.

 

Local governments, like state government, must be accountable in how they spend taxpayer dollars. Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Haridopolos and Representatives Dean Cannon and Anitere Flores keeps our local governments accountable by limiting increases in local revenues to inflation and growth, based on the value of new construction. Only through super-majority votes by governing bodies can revenues increase by more than the cap.

 

I again call on the Florida Legislature to quickly approve the 25-year compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Over time it can provide billions of dollars to Florida’s schools – with $150 million guaranteed in 2009-10 alone. The tribe also reports the compact can create 45,000 new jobs. I am also encouraging the Legislature to support SunRail, the proposed 61-mile commuter rail system that would serve Orlando and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties.  A recently released economic impact study found construction and operation of the commuter rail project will infuse more than $1 billion over the next 30 years into Florida’s economy and create more than 13,000 construction and operations jobs.

 

I look forward to working with the Legislature on these proposals. Together, we can put in place new laws that strengthen our economy and make life better for Floridians. May God continue to bless the great state of Florida for now and into the future.

 

  

 

 

 

Click here to see the Governor's video message: http://www.clickcaster.com/charliecrist


   

Receive Regular E-mail Updates from Governor Crist

 

I would like to keep you informed about actions my administration is taking on a variety of issues, if you are interested. I invite you to click the link below and select the issues you want to learn more about.  Feel free to select as many topics as you like.

 

Thank you and God bless. It is a privilege and honor to serve you as Governor.

 

http://www.flgov.com/issuesignupform

 

 

To receive Governor Crist's weekly newsletter, "Notes from the Capitol," please visit www.flgov.com and click on "Subscribe to Notes from the Capitol."

 


www.FLGov.com 


  

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

THE STIMULUS BILL PASSES, BUT WILL FLORIDA BENEFIT?

 

The conference report of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has now been approved by both the House and the Senate, and the President is expected to sign it into law in Denver on Tuesday. At $787.2 billion and 1,073 pages, this enormous bill will affect state and local budgets for the next three years at least, but there is much still to sort out. (See White House link below for full text of the bill.)

Apart from the historically large dollar amounts in the bill, the bill also contains language authorizing the Secretary to waive maintenance of efforts and supplement-not-supplant requirements. These provisions had been requested by numerous states and school districts facing enormous shortfalls in state and local education funding.

The Secretary has made statements suggesting he will be reluctant to approve such waivers. Even with these waivers, nearly all of the direct federal support for education in ARRA will come in grants restricted to early childhood programs, Title I, and IDEIA.

Over the weekend, Governor Crist, Senator Nelson, and Senator Martinez all wrote letters to Secretary Duncan requesting his approval of such a waiver. (See the text of the Governor's letter at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/02/crist-asks-feds-for-educaton-waiver.html)

In the case of Florida, the waiver will almost surely be necessary to balance the state budget in FY10. State budget projections are looking so bleak that state Sen. J.D. Alexander, the chairman of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, has predicted that school districts would need to raise local property taxes by ten percent just to maintain the current minimal level of funding.

More on this from the Palm Beach Post:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2009/02/13/0213flastimulus.html

Instead of raising local property taxes for schools, however, the Governor will propose four ballot initiatives that would effectively lower local property taxes. More on this from the Miami Herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/story/904089.html

While the main education strategy of the stimulus bill is to keep educators on the job, it also provides expanded safety nets for those who lose their jobs during the crisis. The bill makes changes in COBRA health insurance subsidies and unemployment benefits. In some school districts, complying with these new requirements and benefits may potentially affect budget planning and internal procedures. More on this from U.S. News & World Report:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-health-and-money/2009/02/13/stimulus-bill-to-cover-65-percent-of-cobra-costs-for-9-months-.html

While state legislators and school district leaders anxiously await operational details on ARRA, the White House is hosting full text versions of the bill itself, and inviting public comment:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/arra_public_review/

Monday, February 16, 2009

Legislative Update: Budget and Appropriations

Education advocates are celebrating Congress' passed of HR 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This legislation represents a historic investment in education and other critical domestic programs. With a price tag totaling $790 billion in tax cuts and spending, it is a bill designed to stimulate the economy by creating new jobs through investing in the nation's infrastructure, providing a lifeline to families that have been crushed by the economic downturn and providing emergency funds to states to prevent teacher layoffs, make college more affordable, modernize schools and support other high priority services.

Conference negotiations took place throughout last week. A high stakes game of chicken unfolded between the Obama administration, the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate and three moderate Republican senators who wanted to support the bill but objected to some of the proposed spending. Claiming the price tag was too high and too many of the investments would not stimulate economic recovery, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) joined forces with conservative Democrat Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to persuade their colleagues to reduce funding in the package by more than $100 billion. Their support was critical to overcoming the 60-vote hurdle the bill required in the Senate. The Senate compromise enraged many House members who thought the price for minimal Republican support was too high.

The bill that was called up on Feb. 13 on the floor of the House of Representatives respected the total funding agreed to by the conferees - $790 billion - but funds shifted dramatically on both the tax and spending side of the equation to accommodate Democratic priorities. For the Department of Education, the bill provides approximately $100 billion in funding. An additional $30 billion supports education-related programs, such as Head Start ($2.1 billion), the Childcare Development Block Grant ($2 billion) and the National Science Foundation ($3 billion). Twenty-five billion dollars more is provided through various bonds for school construction.

The debate on final passage was contentious and highly partisan. In the House, the bill passed on a vote of 246-183 without a single Republican supporting the measure. In the Senate, Collins, Snowe and Specter, who took part in the conference negotiations on HR 1, were the only Republicans who voted in favor of the conference report.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Bills to make it easier to fire Florida teachers

A sweeping plan to make it easier to fire bad teachers and put a bigger spotlight on teacher quality is headed to the Florida Legislature.

The plan, a priority of one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's education foundations, would essentially gut teacher tenure, a status encoded in state law that gives teachers special protections against being fired.

Read more:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/02/bills-to-make-i.html

The Obama-Biden plan

President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history, America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education in the coming years will shape our future for generations to come. Obama and Biden are committed to meeting this challenge with the leadership and judgment that has been sorely lacking for the last eight years. Their vision for a 21st century education begins with demanding more reform and accountability, coupled with the resources needed to carry out that reform; asking parents to take responsibility for their children’s success; and recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers to fill new successful schools that prepare our children for success in college and the workforce. The Obama-Biden plan will restore the promise of America’s public education, and ensure that American children again lead the world in achievement, creativity and success

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education/

Thursday, February 12, 2009

First Lady Michelle Obama Visits ED

Michelle Obama Visits Department of Education: On Feb. 2, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Department of Education in the first of her planned visits to federal agencies. She said the department will "be at the forefront of many of the things that we have to do in this administration," including agenda items such as renovating and modernizing schools, increasing Pell Grants and providing tuition tax credits to college students. She noted that money in the economic stimulus bill would help prevent teacher layoffs and preserve early childhood education. "Investments from the stimulus also will help fund innovative approaches to teaching, such as teacher quality initiatives, school turnaround programs and charter schools," she said.

http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/2009/02/20202009.html

Budget Update

After being approved in the House, the Senate devoted the entire week to discussions about HR 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The debate was chaotic and contentious as senators struggled to perfect what many saw as a bill that would spend more money than originally intended and perhaps not stimulate the return they hoped. While support for the bill waned, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) met with a bipartisan group of senators from both sides of the aisle to discuss a proposal that would reduce the overall cost of the package by as much as $100 billion.

Collins and Nelson also met individually with President Obama on Feb. 4 to express their concerns and seek his support for the development of a less partisan, alternative bill. Although the president didn't endorse any new plan, at a meeting later in the day with Senate Democrats, he told them they should compromise on the overall size of the bill to secure Republican support. The willingness expressed by the president to compromise, rumors that as many as 20 senators were dissatisfied with HR 1 and the consideration of a Collins-Nelson alternative that would not include many of the education and research spending proposals of the House bill, set off a lobbying frenzy on Capitol Hill that will continue.

On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to work through the nearly 300 amendments to the bill that had been filed. Ironically, the bill continued to grow during the Senate debate as expressions of dismay over the size and scope of the measure grew louder off the Senate floor. Reid made an offer to the Republicans to require 60 votes to pass the bill in an effort to avert the time-intensive cloture procedure that must be invoked when a filibuster is underway. Reid had hoped to have such a vote on final passage completed on Thursday but soon realized that a deal was not in the offing. At that point he announced a rare Sunday session to encourage compromise among his colleagues.

While the Senate debate heated up, efforts in the House of Representatives to finally adopt an FY 2009 budget for the government were put on ice for another few weeks. In spite of Rep. David Obey's (D-Wis.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-Md.) best efforts, the Senate persuaded the House that passage of the Omnibus Conference Report prior to completing action on the stimulus plan would be a mistake. On Feb. 5, House Democrats left the Capitol aboard a private train for their two-day retreat at a resort in West Virginia, leaving the Senate to work its will on HR 1.

 

President Obama Signs SCHIP Reauthorization Bill Into Law

President Obama Signs S-CHIP Reauthorization Bill Into Law

After passing the Senate and House with votes from both parties, on February 4, 2009 President Barack Obama signed into law the S-CHIP bill that reauthorized the program for another ten years. The bill includes a spending increase of $32.8 billion to cover an estimated additional 4 million uninsured children. The extra funds will come from a 61 cents increase in the tobacco sales tax. The new program allows states to expand coverage of more low-income families and encourages states to spend more on outreach programs to sign up children who are eligible but not enrolled. Section 505 of the law clarifies that states are not limited by anything in the program from delivering services through School-Based Health Centers.

More information on the new language used to define SBHCs is available at:
http://www.nasbhc.org/site/c.jsJPKWPFJrH/b.4956831/

More information on the law is available at:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2

 

Monday, February 09, 2009

Action Alert: Call Congress to Secure Education Funding in the Stimulus Package

From:   Dr. Jane E. West, Senior Vice President for Policy, Programs and Professional Issues

Date:    February 9, 2009

Re:       Education Funding in the Stimulus Package

 

As many of you heard at the AACTE Annual Meeting, there is significant funding for education in both the House and Senate stimulus proposals.  The House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in late January, and the Senate is set to vote on its version of the bill tomorrow.  The likely bill the Senate will vote on is a compromise worked out under the leadership of Sen. Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Nelson (D-NE). 

Within both bills there is funding directly targeted to support educator preparation.  The House bill contains $100 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants (Title II, HEOA), and the Senate compromise amendment contains $50 million for the program.  There is also $100 million in the House bill to support programs such as the Noyce Scholarships and the Math and Science Partnerships at the National Science Foundation. 

After the Senate votes on Tuesday, the bill will move quickly to conference with the House to negotiate the final numbers in the stimulus package.  The goal is for Congress to vote on a final bill on Friday.   Last week we asked you to call your Senators to ask them to vote against the Nelson-Collins Amendment, which reduces funding for education programs in the stimulus.  Unfortunately, it now appears that the amendment has enough votes to pass in the Senate.  We are no longer recommending that you urge opposition to this amendment.  Since the bills are moving toward conference, we recommend that you call your Senators and Representatives today and ask them to support the House's funding for education in the final American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  You can find their phone numbers at www.senate.gov or www.house.gov or you can call the Capitol Switchboard at (866) 220-0044.

 Key Talking Points

  • Support the funding for education programs in the House's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in the final stimulus bill.
  • The education funding in the stimulus bill will save thousands of jobs as states are making major cuts to the education workforce to balance their budgets.
  • Include the House's recommendation for $100 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant program (Title II of HEOA) in the final bill. This is a workforce development program that will result in the creation of 4,000 new teachers for high-need schools through the teacher residency programs authorized in the grants.  Those who enter the residency program receive a living wage for the year they participate, a Master’s degree in education when they are finished, and a 3 year commitment to teach in a high need school.
  • With well prepared teachers in such great demand in high need schools, the individuals who participate in these programs are likely to gain long term employment.  These grants will have a dual impact on the economy -- preparing individuals for jobs and investing in high quality teachers in high need schools.

 

FLORIDA NOT YET ELIGIBLE FOR FULL FEDERAL AID TO INSURE LOW-INCOME CHILDREN

The just-passed State Children's Health Insurance Program legislation (SCHIP) assists states in providing basic health insurance to low-income children, and could provide HMO benefits to 800,000 children in Florida who now lack coverage. In order to qualify for maximum funding under SCHIP, however, Florida would have to increase its current $124 million allocation by an additional $39 million. This increase would allow the state to obtain the matching $86 million in federal assistance, which will come from a 62-cents-per pack federal tax on cigarettes.

See South Florida Sun-Sentinel article at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flrxkid0205sbfeb05,0,7513996.story

 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PROPOSES SOLUTIONS TO FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDING COMPLICATIONS

As mentioned here previously, there are special difficulties inherent in dealing with large increases in federal funding for education such as are currently included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which passed a house vote last week and is now being debated in the Senate. Long-standing administrative regulations regarding federal grants include the "supplement, not supplant rule" and maintenance of effort requirement, both of which make it extremely difficult to use federal funds in instances where state and local funding is dwindling. Florida has an additional problem in that state budget cuts over the past two years have lowered the state's contribution to education so much that Florida would be ineligible to receive the stimulus funding based on current requirements.

In a letter sent recently to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, the Congressional Budget Office suggested that waiving the maintenance of effort rules and converting some grant programs to a formula basis instead of a competitive basis would assist state and local agencies in moving these federal funds into the economy faster. However, the letter contained no discussion about supplanting funds.

See full letter at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9975/01-29-ConradII.pdf

 

REPORTED COMPROMISE COULD CUT EDUCATION FUNDING IN FEDERAL STIMULUS PROPOSAL; SENATE VOTE NEARS

A bipartisan group of Senators have agreed on an amendment to the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act that would make the following changes to education stimulus funding previously approved by the House:

(1) Reduce school lunch equipment program from $198 million to $100 million

(2) Reduce Head Start & Early Head Start from $2 billion to $1 billion

(3) Reduce Title I of No Child Left Behind from $13 billion to $12.4 billion

(4) Eliminate the entire $16 billion for school construction

(5) Reduce the state stablization fund from $79 billion to $39 billion

These proposed reducations may or may not be accepted by the Senate, which debated until Saturday afternoon. A floor vote may come as early as Tuesday.

Details of compromise cuts from Education Week at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2009/02/moderate_amendment_scales_back.html

Discussion of debate from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/07/stimulus/

Spreadsheet of proposed amendment from Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson's Web site http://bennelson.senate.gov/documents/Nelson-Collins%20Stimulus%20Final.xls

 

NEW EDUCATION BILLS FILED FOR FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE SESSION

These are some of the education-related bills were filed since the last update.

 

·       House Bill 543  allow delivery of an inspirational message at a noncompulsory high school event.

·       House Bill 595 would establish a sales tax exemption on school supplies for one week in August 2009.

·       House Bill 597 would establish a homelessness prevention grant program; create a Housing First program; and provide school attendance exemption and school certification of school-entry health examination exemption for certain children in foster care.

·       House Bill 627/Senate Bill 1320 would prohibit school bus stops from being established directly on a state-maintained road with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or greater.

·       House Bill 765/Senate Bill (not identical) would allow for school years calendars of 180 days of instruction or their hourly equivalent, and provides authority for adjusting these requirements in emergencies.

·       Senate Bill 619 would modify the state's current program in which businesses receive tax credits for providing vouchers for private school tuition. If approved, the bill would require businesses to donate at least 25% of their contributions to scholarships to pay for tutoring of pubic school students, and would require school districts to account for these donations.

·       House Bill 677/Senate Bill 112 would prohibit use of a cellular telephone while operating a motor vehicle in a school zone.

·       Senate Bill 918 would expand eligibility for Florida KidCare low-income health insurance program. (See related article below.)

·       Senate Bill 1010 would make available McKay scholarships to students who receive certain services under the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, and delete the requirement that a student must have spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school to receive McKay scholarships.

·       Senate Bill 1128 would modify provisions for the designation of a surrogate parent for educational decisionmaking for a child who has or is suspected of having a disability and for whom no willing and able parent can be located.

·       Senate Bill 1182 would prohibit a retired person from receiving both a salary from an employer in the state-administered retirement system and retirement benefits, and from reenrolling in the State Retirement System. Exemptions would include employees currenty enrolled in DROP and substitute teachers, and also part-time, non-contractual education paraprofessional, transportation assistants, bus drivers, or food service workers.

·       Senate Bill 1214 would prohibit an elected officer from receiving both a salary from an employer in the state-administered retirement system and retirement benefits.

·       Senabte Bill 1248 would delete the requirement that a school collect 50 to 75 percent of a textbook's purchase price from a student who has lost, destroyed, or damaged a textbook that has been in use for more than 1 year.

·       Senate Bill 1360 would allow delivery of an inspirational message at a noncompulsory high school event.

 

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Making children a greater national priority in the federal budget


Children's advocacy group First Focus has released a new website that details investment in every federal program that benefits children. The searchable database allows users to access information on any of the 180 federally supported programs that help children, including annual funding information, program overviews, and graphs that display funding changes over time. Searches are customizable, and can be limited to funding type, policy area, amount of funding, and federal department or agency. Data can also be viewed in the aggregate, according to eight broad categories. "The federal budget is a reflection of our national priorities. Politicians of all political affiliations claim to put kids first. Yet this year, the federal government will spend less than 10 percent of its budget on programs addressing the needs of American young people," said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus. "We have created this website to highlight this startling fact, providing policymakers and advocates with the information they need to improve investments in children's programs."
Read more: http://www.firstfocus.net/pages/3563/First_Focus_Releases_Online_Budget_Resource.htm
See the website: http://www.childrensbudget.org/

U.S. Secretary of Education says stimulus spending builds a better-educated workforce


The approximately $140 billion for schools in President Obama's stimulus plan is "a historic chance to make things dramatically better," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told The Associated Press in an interview. "If we want to stimulate the economy, we need a better-educated workforce." While few in Congress would argue with this, some complain that little in the stimulus creates jobs in the short term. In Duncan's view, the planned education spending will have a major impact up front, through the building and renovation of classrooms, and in keeping hundreds of thousands of teachers from being laid off. Duncan also sees the stimulus as a way to make the country's public elementary and secondary schools more rigorous, preparing more kids to go to college. The stimulus plan would also double spending on Pell Grants to help low-income students pay for college, raising the maximum award to $5,350. "In our economy, never has it been more important to go to college," Duncan said. "Well, college has never been more unaffordable. And so increasing access is hugely important. Long term, if we want a better economy, we need more people going to college."
Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ggZpWyW-Ah6rORr2qLgfRqw2uZSAD96136PO0

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Stimulus Package Expected to Boost Education


Educators have their eye on the federal government's funding plan, and how it might trickle down to the classroom.

by Alexandra R. Moses
February 4, 2009

As the U.S. Senate debates the economic-stimulus package, educators are already planning how they might spend the extra money.

The $150 billion targeted for education (including postsecondary schooling and preschool) would double the federal Department of Education [1]'s current budget. And the money might come just in time, as the slumping economy includes a drop in the sales tax and property tax revenues on which education depends. At least 25 states have made or plan to make cuts to education funding.

"It's essential that the federal government step in and try to make sure that we do not have a collapse of our elementary and secondary education system," says U.S. representative George Miller (D-California), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

A final decision on the $819 billion-dollar stimulus package is expected within the next couple of weeks.

Uncertain Plans

Exactly how the money will benefit schools and students isn't clear, because the federal government generally doles out money with the expectation that state and local governments will decide how to spend it. It is, however, expected to restore some state cuts that included prekindergarten programs, teacher training, and specialists like reading-recovery teachers, and to fund school staff positions that might otherwise be lost.

Still, though educators hope the stimulus money will be more than a short-term boost, some are doubtful about whether there's enough sustained funding to spur true education reform. New money in the package for Title I, for instance, isn't expected to become the baseline for the way the program will be funded in the future.

"The road ahead is pretty uncertain," says Jen Rinehart, vice president for policy and research at the Afterschool Alliance [2].

Among the plans in the stimulus package:

  • $79 billion to restore education cuts to local school districts and public colleges and universities.
  • $17 billion for school repairs, technology upgrades, and support for homeless students.
  • $26.5 billion for K-12 schools, including special education and Title I funding, which helps high-poverty schools.
  • $2 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start.

The Classroom Budget

So, how do educators think the money should be spent?

Aloha Keylor, an English as a Second Language teacher at Highland View Elementary School, in Silver Spring, Maryland, wants money for professional development restored. The State of Maryland cut spending, so, to attend a conference, teachers like Keylor have to take a personal day and pay all their costs.

She'd also like to see money for parent outreach, education specialists, such as reading-recovery teachers, and after-school programs.

"I keep a hopeful attitude," she says about whether federal money will trickle down, but she adds, "I'll believe it when I see something concrete."

The Afterschool Alliance's Jen Rinehart hopes after-school programs can tap into the funding slated for Title I. Right now, 6.5 million children participate in after-school programs, but she says an additional 15 million kids would be in a program if it were available to them.

"Funding for after school is very tenuous," Rinehart says. "We often see programs started up and programs closing."

Jim Rex, superintendent of South Carolina's schools [3], says his state has a number of needs, including a court mandate to do more with early-childhood education. "We have been pushing for universal four-year-old kindergarten for at-risk kids," Rex adds. "We'd be delighted if the stimulus plan helped us move that forward."

Alexandra Moses is a freelance writer in the Washington, DC, area who specializes in education.


Source URL: http://www.edutopia.org/economic-stimulus-education-school-funding

Links:
[1] http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
[2] http://www.afterschoolalliance.org
[3] http://ed.sc.gov

 

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

New Reports on Children's Health Insurance Coverage Released by Kaiser Family Foundation on January 23, 2009

With the House of Representatives having passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program legislation on January 14th and the Senate now discussing SCHIP reauthorization, children’s health has policy makers’ attention. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has predicted passage of the bill in the Senate by the end of this week. New opportunities for positive changes could be at hand.

At a Kaiser Family Foundation briefing January 23, several new reports were released that proposed strategies for enrolling uninsured children in Medicaid and SCHIP, provided an overview of the challenges associated with expanding coverage in a recession, and updated their yearly publication of eligibility requirements in the 50 states and summarized health insurance coverage trends.

The materials released in conjunction with the briefing and a webcast of the event are available at:
http://kff.org/medicaid/kcmu012309pkg.cfm