TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Schools Take New Budget Hit
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: May 15, 2008
TAMPA - As Hillsborough County school administrators weigh how to cut millions from their budget, they dropped more bad news Wednesday: The Legislature cut 15 percent of the money paid to schools that perform well on the state's report card.
Schools that earn an A or improve a letter grade from the previous year now will receive $85 per student, down from $100. That means qualified schools will lose thousands of dollars paid in teacher bonuses and equipment.
The news comes as the district prepares to make up a $42.4 million loss in state revenue for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The Legislature is reducing much of the aid to school districts and colleges throughout Florida after tumbling tax collections left a $4 billion hole in the state budget.
The Hillsborough school district has proposed an initial cut of about $15.3 million to help balance the loss of state money. But those cuts are just the start, said Gretchen Saunders, the district's budget director.
"We continue every minute of every day to look at the budget numbers," Saunders said.
The district and the school board have tried to keep the cuts away from the classroom, and their earliest ideas cut money mostly from eliminating vacant positions and cutting back on equipment and software upgrades.
The worsening outlook, however, means the cuts will reach instruction. The drop in state revenue, for instance, includes a $500,000 loss in instructional materials, and a $1.9 million cut in supplemental instruction, which includes after-school tutoring and summer school.
The $42.4 million revenue loss likely will grow with another state cut anticipated in the middle of the year, possibly after November's election, Saunders said.
"Classrooms are going to be affected," board member Jack Lamb said. "But we're going to try to keep it to a minimum."
The recognition money comes from the same pot that pays teachers who use their own money for supplies. That reimbursement also will drop, from $250 to $200 per teacher.
To note how much the loss in school recognition money will affect schools, Saunders showed what would happen to Riverview High School if it scored an A this year, as it had last year.
The school, with 2,267 students, received $226,738 in recognition money this school year. Next year's calculation would take its award to $192,695, a $34,043 loss.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)
* Keep it clean
* Respect others
* Don't hate
* Don't use language you wouldn't use with your mom
* Use "Report Inappropriate Comments" link when necessary
* See Member Agreement for details
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
Reader Comments
Posted by ( MamaMagic ) on May 15, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Rather than distributing this money as teacher bonuses, which are taxed as income (meaning probably 20 - 30% of this bonus is skimmed off to income taxes), wouldn't a better use of the money be for the school to receive it and place it in an account for the classroom, where 100% of the money is utilized for the STUDENTS? Like a supply account, where teachers can purchase classroom material without having to dip into their own pocketbook.
This whole bonus program was simply Jeb's way of getting around paying teachers what they should be paid.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( JamieKrueger ) on May 15, 2008 at 2:38 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I really hope all you people that voted yes on amendment one are happy!
Your saving of about 200 dollars a year on property taxes is killing the education of our kids!
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( cp ) on May 15, 2008 at 5:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
The schools have wasted too much money for too long. This is a long overdue correction. It ashamed the legislature doesn't have the fortitude to keep the schools accountable except when in a crisis.
If parents were so concerned about their child's education they would not have them in a public school system that turns their brains to mush and where the failure rate is %30 to %50. Don't cry to the taxpayers when you are not willing to do what is best for your own child's education. A government monopoly school system will never do an adequate job of educating your children not matter how much money it gets.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( JamieKrueger ) on May 15, 2008 at 6:53 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Are you suggesting that only people who can afford private school are worthy of having their children educated?
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( leoasad ) on May 15, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Maybe Hillsborough County could approve a one-cent property tax to go towards schools? Pinellas did this a few years ago, and it helped.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( sissy82580 ) on May 15, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
WHERE IS ALL THE LOTTERY MONEY GOING THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SUPPORTING THE EDUCATION IN THIS STATE??? (cp)YOU MUST BE SO WEALTHLY, WHY DON'T YOU PAY FOR EVERYONE'S CHILDREN TO GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOL!! THE CHILDREN AND THE TEACHERS IN THE STATE ARE ONES WHO SUFFER DUE THE LACK OF FUNDING BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUDGET CORRECTLY.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( flea ) on May 15, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
cp- do you have kids? and did they all go to private schools? You sound like the poor and middle class should get poorer while the rich should get the better educations and get richer.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( jenean2 ) on May 15, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
cp-i have had and will continue to have my children enrolled in private school. i must say that now that the oldest is about to graduate from high school I'm not so sure about the education being so much better. I have the advantage of gauging my child's progress against that of my neice's in public school. I'm sad to report that the public school seems far better than the private school we chose (in regards to education). Education, while a factor, was not the primary motivation of choosing the private school. I think it is really up to the student and the parent's involvement in the school that makes a real difference. It's been a hard road keeping my children in private school. The tuition is killing us, but the alternative is really not an option in our family.
Sissy - when the lottery was proposed to the voters, it was my understanding that the money send to school would not be extra money. It was designed to eleviate the strain on the budget for the state of florida so that other worthy programs could be funded too. It's like a grant your company receives to fund (whatever). Your salary may be assigned to this grant but you don't get an increase. It just lets your company spend the money that they would have on your salary to another expense. I could be wrong, but that's what I believe the lottery does for our state's budget regarding school expense.
:-)
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( hemi_girl ) on May 15, 2008 at 2:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
School is supposed to be for Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. It is not supposed to be for soccer, football, tennis, how to put a condom on, diversity training, field trips, and all the other BS that is a parent's job to teach. If all of these extracuricular activities were taken out of the schools maybe the kids would come out smarter than when they first entered in first grade. And BTW, JamieKrueger, I have never attended a Florida school, my 2 children never attended a Florida school and my 2 grandchildren never attended a Florida school, yet in 2007 I paid $1811.84 for public schools on my real estate tax bill. Why should I pay for your children to have all this junk poured into their heads....my next door neighbor has 6 children that she home schools and she is paying her public school tax also because it is the law. So quit complaining and be thankful that there are plenty of people like me and my neighbor and the snowbirds who own a second home here in Florida that are paying to have your bunch of kids become airheads. The schools have plenty of room to cut back in expenses and they know it....Teachers should not be cut but secretaries, assistants, assistants to the assistants, secretaries to the assistants and a LOT of extracuricular activities could be cut.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( MamaMagic ) on May 15, 2008 at 11:36 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Hemi-Girl: You pay taxes whether or not your children go to public school, in order that when you or a member of your family needs a doctor, nurse, qualified technologist, lawyer---not to mention TEACHER--- etc, there is one with somewhat of an education to provide those services to you. Cutting funding for education might bite you in the rear when you need to have your gallbladder taken out and the "pickins" are slim.
As for teaching kids to use condoms---the parents abdicated that responsibility, or the schools wouldn't have to step in and take over.
The sports, arts, etc programs are in place to teach the kids teamwork and community involvement, as well as keep the kids interested enough to go to school, because their parents don't seem to care enough about them to promote education. But you are correct that the main purpose is "The Three Rs", as well as civics, and having to teach to FCATs has lowered the bar for those subjects. Nobody will admit to voting "Mr. FCAT" into office , yet he was elected twice.
Report Inappropriate Comments