Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners — Friday, January 28

Jan 28, 2011


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Governor Rick Scott hints at $5 billion budget cut

Governor Rick Scott’s refusal to talk about any details in his upcoming budget proposal has increased anticipation and raised expectations for the Feb. 7 release.


Blog:  Senate budget chief: shortfall is $4.8 billion

Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander advised his fellow budget-writing lawmakers to prepare for cuts “like we have not done in any time before” as the Legislature begins its task of drafting a budget for next year with a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.


Florida Governor Scott proposes bringing Department of Commerce back

Governor Rick Scott proposed bringing back the old Department of Commerce today and making it a hard-charging agency in his own suite of the Capitol, responsible for aggressively recruiting new businesses to Florida.


Column:  Crisafulli defends cuts to property tax, regulations

State Representative Steve Crisafulli has sponsored bills to curb property taxes and cancel a new mandate for costly septic-tank inspections for thousands of Space Coast residents.


A Decade of Borrowing Could Force Deeper Cuts

Deeper budget cuts may be needed to satisfy Wall Street, a top senator said Thursday, as a decade of heavy borrowing is forcing a call for higher budget reserves, which now loom as a driver of lawmakers’ spending decisions.


Florida Lawmakers Hone in on School Cuts

Teacher layoffs. Few if any electives. School supplies that last a school only a few months.


State spending:  Stop some bad habits

To close a $3.5 billion budget deficit, Gov. Rick Scott has no choice but to ask Floridians to sacrifice – either by paying higher taxes or, more likely, to accept substantial cuts in state services.


Teacher merit pay:   ‘What a difference a year makes’

Crafting a teacher merit-pay bill for Florida this spring is “not going to be like last time,” a key state lawmaker promised today.


Florida to consider legal online poker

Pari-mutuels would link to poker sites, share revenue with state

While some Florida legislators talk of setting up Las Vegas-style casinos in a few years, others suggest there’s a way to immediately raise gambling revenues with a click of a mouse.


Education in Florida:  B Minus With Shaky Future

Florida scored an impressive fifth place in the new national report ranking the quality of public education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.


Palm Beach County launches charter review that could shake up local government

Changes could expand County Commission’s power

Consider the can of worms opened.


    Union agrees to bonus, no raises for Miami-Dade school workers

    The labor union that represents Miami-Dade school bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers voted to accept a one-time bonus equal to 1 percent of their base salary.


    Florida students’ poor science scores concern education officials

    Reading? Better. Math? Better.

    Florida students are making strides in reading and math, but the latest national test results show they continue to struggle with basic scientific knowledge – and are at best average compared to their peers across the country.


    State official:  Florida Retirement System is bouncing back

    State investments supporting the Florida Retirement System have bounced back to within about $1 billion of their pre-market collapse level, the state’s top money manager told state legislators Wednesday.


    At South Florida education conference, reforms don’t pass the test

    The goal was to learn more about such controversial school reforms as merit pay, vouchers and charter schools. But many of the 250 to 300 attending Wednesday’s education summit at Lynn University in Boca Raton made it clear they want no part of it.


    Florida Virtual School responds to New York Times critique

    An article detailing the use of virtual classroom technology in Florida produced by The New York Times‘ Student Journalism Institute has caused a stir among advocates of Florida Virtual School, who argue that online instruction is one of only a handful of options available to school districts struggling to meet class-size mandates.


    Education pioneer Clark Maxwell Jr. dies

    Clark Maxwell Jr., a longtime champion of Brevard County schools and taxpayers, left behind a legacy of contributions that led to better public schools locally and elsewhere in the state, as well as better bridges.


    Psychologist to educators:  Failure of black males to graduate not your fault

    A noted psychologist told a gathering of teachers, school officials and parents that the reason why black males are struggling to graduate high school has very little to do with the failures of teachesrs.


    New York State Seizes Finances of Nassau County

    A state oversight board on Wednesday seized control of Nassau County’s finances, saying the county, one of the nation’s wealthiest and most heavily taxed, had nonetheless failed to balance its $2.7 billion budget.


    China approves testing property tax in some cities

    China will impose property taxes in some cities to help curb surging prices, the finance ministry said Thursday, part of a broader effort to control high inflation.


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