Superintendents from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, and Manatee Counties are calling on Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) in the proposed state budget.

  • Superintendents deliver common message: "Let's do more."
  • Governor's office points to record highs in per-pupil funding
  • Much of increased funding diverted to school security

“We’re all delivering one message: Let’s do more,” said Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins.

The administrators say they’re concerned because they’re only seeing an increase in Base Student Allocation (BSA) funds of 47 cents per student. BSA is what districts use to pay for costs like teacher salaries and school supplies.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning wrote a letter that he said was hand-delivered to Gov. Scott Wednesday. It notes that based on the current budget, Pasco would receive an additional $34,613.29 in BSA money for the 2018-2019 school year.

“This amount is not even close to what we would pay a starting, new teacher in Pasco County,” Browning said.

Record-high per-pupil funding?

The governor’s office notes that his budget proposal includes an increase in BSA funding of $152.45 per student. It also mentions that overall per-pupil funding is at a record high in the state for the third year in a row at $7,408 per-pupil.

“We are hearing that they are giving record funding to schools this year. The point that’s being lost is that almost all of that funding is tied to categorical funding,” said School District of Manatee County Superintendent Dr. Diana Green.

The superintendents said that the final state budget diverts nearly all of that money into school security measures. While they applaud the focus on safety, all said they’re concerned about what this will mean for other expenses.

“For Hillsborough County alone, the difference between what was proposed and what ended up in the budget adds up to more than $30 million,” said Eakins. “That’s $30 million we cannot use to support students and teachers.”

Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd said despite her district becoming one of the largest in the state, teachers and staff have still been able to create an environment that allows them to connect with students.

“That environment may suffer a great deal. If the budget remains where it is, we expect we’ll be forced to make significant cuts,” Byrd said. “It may mean we can’t hire teachers needed to be in compliance with the class size amendment. It would surely put a strain on all of our teachers.”

Special session necessary?

Other costs expected to face the districts in the coming year include mandatory increases in contributions to the state retirement system and rising electric, fuel, and health care costs.

“The governor…cited several times that the surplus revenue in this state is well over $3 billion this year,” said Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego. “With that surplus, our future youth receive 47 cents. We should and we must do better.”

The group wants Gov. Scott to call the legislature back for a special session to adjust the BSA funding.

The governor’s deputy communications director, McKinley Lewis, said in a statement, “In this year’s budget, K-12 public schools are provided hundreds of millions of dollars and the flexibility needed to make each school safer while still increasing Florida’s per-pupil funding to a record high. The Governor has been clear – the number one priority right now is making our schools safer, and he’s glad that the Legislature provided funding for that specific reason.”

Gov. Scott’s office also said that since he took office, BSA has grown by $725.20 per pupil. They say that works out to a 21% increase while student enrollment has grown by seven percent during the same time.

Superintendents are asking community members who’d like to see BSA funding increased to e-mail the governor at rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com using the subject line “Let’s Do More.”