Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners — Friday, August 19

Aug 19, 2011

 

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Schools Look to Cut More

A new athletic facility for Lakewood Ranch High School will be delayed for two years after a divided School Board provisionally agreed to cut as much as $3 million from the district’s capital fund.

 

State’s credit rating raised to highest mark

When Standard & Poor’s decided to downgrade its debt rating for the United States from “AAA” to “AA-plus” on Aug. 5, it created an uproar that triggered a wild roller-coaster ride for the stock markets last week.

 

Charter schools must improve, Governor Scott says

Charter schools have to prove themselves worthy of existing, Governor Rick Scott said Thursday during a back-to-school rally for charter school teachers in Orlando.

 

Ex-education chief says Florida going backward

Test results show Florida is going backward in preparing students for college, yet the state’s high schools keep getting high grades from the state, a former education commissioner told a higher education study panel Thursday.

 

Broward teachers to get $500 cash bonuses

For the first time in three years, the Broward School District and its teachers union have reached a contract, giving each teacher a $500 cash bonus and guaranteeing them no unpaid furlough days.

 

Budget cuts will slow school marching bands to a crawl

Middle and high school marching bands are among the programs that will be affected by education budget cuts that eliminated $147,000 for band equipment replacement and repairs and $750,000 in discretionary money doled out annually to schools.

 

Governor Scott defends tax cut in face of bond downgrade

Governor Rick Scott defended a tax cut that has resulted in a bond rating downgrade for the South Florida Water Management District.

 

Top state education official says high school grading formula is flawed

Former Education Commissioner John Winn tells a higher education panel on Thursday that a newly-enacted grading formula for high schools masks serious problems.

 

Florida Students Inch Up on ACT

Florida’s high school graduates improved slightly on this year’s ACT college entrance test, but they still rank near the bottom nationally.

 

Charter school company prepares for new year with summit with Governor Scott

Thousands of educators from across the state gathered at the 6th annual Charter School USA summit in Orlando Thursday.

 

With western conditions and finances strained, Palm Beach County considers dissolving Glades cities

The quality of life in the struggling cities around Lake Okeechobee has become so dire that at least two Palm Beach County commissioners say the county may need to consider taking control of the region.

 

Blog:   State Representative Shawn Harrison introduces ‘Fallen Heroes Family Tax Relief Act’

State Representative Shawn Harrison has introduced HB 95, the Fallen Heroes Family Tax Relief Act, into the Florida House of Representatives.

 

Controversial land deal for Riviera Beach nursing home moves forward

The Palm Beach County Health Care District plans to close on a controversial $4 million land deal for a new public nursing home on Monday after the Riviera Beach City Council OKd the land use change it needed.

 

Illinois denies 3 hospitals property tax exemption

The Illinois Department of Revenue has denied property tax exemptions to three hospitals and is reviewing applications from 15 others, officials said Tuesday, signaling that the state plans to get tough on nonprofit hospitals it believes operate more like businesses than charities.

 

Wall Street Journal:  Downgrades Felt at Local Level

To city officials in Manassas Park, Virginia, Standard & Poor’s one-notch downgrade of the U.S. government’s credit rating was relatively mild compared with what the firm sprung on them last month.

 

 

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