Florida Legislators Slash Public School Funding

The Florida Legislature might earn this week's Ham on Wry award Friday; however, this post deals largely with the 1.4 billion dollar cut to funding for public education and its effects on the state.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I wrote 1.4 billion dollars.  That translates to approximately $542/pupil and massive lay-offs for teachers.  In Pinellas County, over 1,000 teachers have received notices that they will not return this fall. The layoffs affected mostly teachers in their first or second year in the classroom.  Talk about bursting a bubble.  This news should strike fear in the heart of every parent whose children attend public school in Florida.

The day after the legislators fought into the wee hours of the morning May 7th to pass the budget, Robert Trigaux's column in the Busisness Section of The St. Petersburg Times announced that CEO's had just voted Florida as the third best state for business, with Texas #1 and North Carolina #2.  They used three criteria in rendering their decision:

1. Low taxes and minimal regulation (what a surprise!)
2. Good quality of life for all corporate employees
3. Good schools from which to recruit well-educated employees

Guess where Florida fails?  If you chose #3, you win my admiration.  Now guess what blogger wrote Governor Scott about the follow of large cuts to education early in his tenure as Florida's governor.  I hope you concluded it was I.  Yep.  I stated that he would regret cuts to education when he stated that the education budget was bloated.  I informed him that every poll taken to identify why coporations don't relocate their headquarters to Florida places poorly educated populace or similar wording at the top of the list.  As an aside, he also wants to give public funds to charter schools with a religious affiliation.  More on that in a separte post.

Governor Scott sent no reply to my correspondence.  What a surprise!.  He had more important things to do, like learning about the state and its constitution, which, by the way, he proudly prolcaimed he had never read.  Scott, who at one time headed Columbia/HCA, behaves more like a CEO than a governor and evidently feels the Sunshine Law does not apply to him.. But, I digress. 

Everyone who voted to cut education funding by such a staggering figure will rue the day when the ravages of their actions lower graduation rates further and reduce overall student achievement scores..  Education Week gave Florida high marks on implementing recommended standards and accountability measures in January 2010.  The same publication gave student achievement a D- and college readiness an F.  All of the assessments and standards in the world have little meaning, if students don't perform at grade level or above.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised with the legislature's actions.   They considered it vital to select a state amphibian.  The winner-a barking tree frog.  Need I say more?