Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Legislative update

STATE EDUCATION BUDGET PROPOSED

 

On Monday, the Governor announced his education proposals for the upcoming Legislative session. He will ask legislators to approve a $22.7 billion education budget, representing a 2.6 percent increase per student from this year. This would restore K-12 funding to the 2007 level. Such an increase might also raise Florida's expenditures for education up from around the lowest in the country to almost average.

 

To accomplish this, the Governor seeks to hold class size accountability to the school level rather than the classroom level. He again asked the Legislature to approve the gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida to help generate state revenue. He also described the state's participation in Race to the Top as "visionary."

 

See the full press release at http://www.flgov.com/release/11305

 

The governor's proposal was praised across the state by superintendents and school board members. Historically, however, such budget proposals have not been acted upon by the Legislature.

 

Senate President Jeff Atwater described the Governor's proposal as "rather optimistic" and expressed skepticism that a state budget could be passed without more layoffs. Even less enthusiastic was House Speaker Larry Cretul's description of the three forces shaping the budget—the Governor, the House, and the Senate—as being "three tropical depressions" colliding to create a perfect storm.

 

St. Petersburg Times: http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/01/atwater-says-crist-budget-proposal-rather-optimistic-high-bar-to-clear.html

 

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FEDERAL EDUCATION BUDGET PROPOSED

 

The President has indicated that he intends to freeze most discretionary spending, although many education programs such as Pell Grants and the Race to the Top grants appear to be exempted from the proposed freeze. In fact, with the ESEA reauthorization looming in the background, the total federal education budget has been targeted for a $4 billion increase, despite the freezes being considered in other non-defense areas. Tonight's State of the Union address (and the resulting discussions and clarifications over the next several days) may make this clearer.

 

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/27/obama.education/index.html

 

It now also appears that the President will propose consolidation of 38 federal K-12 grant programs into 11, and recommend the elimination of 6 others altogether.

 

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012604586_pf.html

 

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DUNCAN'S FIRST YEAR CONSIDERED

 

Many educators are wondering and worrying about what will happen next with the ESEA reauthorization, and it seems that, for now at least, Secretary Duncan is guiding the discussions. Craig Cunningham over at Education Policy Blog has provided an interesting and insightful profile of Duncan and his first year in office—and what we might expect next.

 

Education Policy Blog: http://educationpolicyblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/arne-duncan-one-year-later.html

 

The Crisis in Haiti


The Crisis in Haiti

The tremendous outpouring of support for victims of the earthquake in Haiti is a reminder of the generosity of individuals. I recently met with students from St. Mary's School in Little Haiti, the largest Haitian community in South Florida. This tragedy personally touched many of the school's students, who have relatives in Haiti. Though many come from families with modest means, within the first 24 hours after the earthquake, students raised $500 for Haiti's relief efforts. This is just one of the many acts of generosity Floridians are undertaking to assist the Haitian people in their time of need.

Parish School Visit
Florida Senator George LeMieux Visiting with Monsignor Hogan of the Archdiocese of Miami at St. Mary's Cathedral in Little Haiti & Sister Jane Stoecker and the children at St. Mary's Parish School.

During this crisis, it is important we remove potential impediments to relief. That is why I joined with my Senate colleagues to adjust the federal tax code to make it easier for people to contribute directly to Haiti's recovery. The Senate unanimously approved this tax code fix and I am hopeful the House of Representatives will follow suit and send it to the president for his signature.

The U.S. tax code should not stand in the way of humanitarian relief efforts. The people in Haiti continue to need a great deal of assistance and there are many generous Americans who want to help.

Click here to learn more about how you can help.

http://lemieux.senate.gov


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Reps. Sanchez, Ehlers Introduce Resolution

Reps. Sanchez, Ehlers Introduce Resolution: Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Rep.Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) introduced a congressional resolution that will declare Feb. 1-5, 2010, National School Counseling Week to honor the important role school counselors play in students' lives.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Florida Applies for Race to the Top Grant

Florida Applies for Race to the Top Grant
On Jan. 19, 2010, Governor Charlie Crist submitted Florida’s application for federal Race to the Top funding on behalf of State Board of Education Chairman T. Willard Fair and Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith and certified by Attorney General Bill McCollum. Sixty school districts, three lab schools and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, as well as five local teacher union presidents signed official Memorandums of Understanding pledging their commitment to the reform initiatives outlined in Florida’s application request for $1.14 billion.

If Florida is successful in obtaining a grant award, half of the total award will be distributed to participating school districts according to a federal funding formula to implement locally-developed comprehensive education reform plans focused on accelerating student learning and improving the quality of education their schools provide. The remaining funds will support state-level projects benefiting all school districts statewide. Award notifications are expected to be announced in April, 2010.

To view a copy of Florida’s Race to the Top application, visit http://www.fldoe.org/arra/racetothetop.asp.