Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–June 23
Jun 23, 2009
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Four Amendments OK’d For 2010 Ballot Include Property Tax-Related Proposals
Four amendments were certified by Secretary of State Kurt Browning on Monday for Florida’s 2010 ballot, with the first three proposed by the Legislature and the fourth through a petition drive.
Broward schools chief to withdraw tax-hike proposal
Reversing his recommendation from earlier this month, Broward Superintendent Jim Notter will tell School Board members Tuesday not to raise property taxes.
School boards face tax decision
Volusia, Flagler can use extra charge for up to 2 years
The Volusia and Flagler school boards will decide Tuesday whether to take advantage of an extra property tax authorized by the Legislature this spring to balance their budgets for the coming year.
Court Affirms Reimbursement for Special Education
In a decision that could cost school districts millions of dollars, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Monday that parents of special-education students may seek government reimbursement for private school tuition, even if they have never received special-education services in public school.
West Palm Beach considers 16 percent tax-rate rise but expects drop in revenue
Property values in the city have plummeted even more steeply than expected as recently as two months ago. That means more budget cuts next year and a property tax rate that could rise as much as 16 percent, officials said Monday.
Tax protesters plan ‘tea party’ over eco-passage
The state Department of Transportation’s now-famous “Tallahassee turtle tunnel” has become a rallying point for the next round of Independence Day taxpayer “tea party” protests.
$40 million in 2008 property taxes unpaid in St. Lucie County
More than $40 million in property taxes went unpaid on more than 11,000 county parcels this year.
Lake County ferreting out property tax cheats
Lake County Property Appraiser Ed Havill has made it easier to rat out tax cheats. Havill has added an online tool to his Web site that allows citizens to anonymously report property-tax fraud.
Editorial: Amendment 3’s failings
More caps to assure Florida’s tax inequities continue
The median price for existing homes in the Volusia-Flagler County area fell to $130,525 in April, down 41 percent from the boom peak of $219,900 just three years ago.
Broward parents, students rally to fight teacher layoffs
The communities of at least two Broward high schools have pulled together to support teachers and sports coaches laid off by the district.
Angry parents and students have rallied to oppose teacher layoffs in Broward, particularly to save cherished coaches at two high schools — West Broward and Western — hit hard by the cuts.
Gambling entering a new era in Florida
When Gov. Charlie Crist gathered to sign one of the most expansive gambling bills in state history last week, he chose as a backdrop not a casino, horse track or jai alai fronton, but instead opted for the campus of a Miami high school.
Gambling won’t solve education-funding woes
Twenty-three years ago, proponents sold voters on the Florida Lottery by pledging that revenues generated by state-run gambling would be a boon to public education.
Florida‘s charter schools faulted
A new study said Florida’s charter schools don’t promote academic growth as well as traditional public schools.
Students in Florida’s charter schools are not making the same kind of academic gains as their counterparts in traditional schools, according to a report released from Stanford University.
Video: Jeb Bush on Raising Education Standards
Jeb Bush spoke with the Miami Herald about the next generation of education reforms, including raising academic standards, expanding virtual education and increasing school choice.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Schools To Have Fewer Students Next Year, Economists Say
Florida schools will lose 10,000 students next year, the third straight year of declining enrollment in what remains the nation’s fourth largest school system.
Deland developer sets sights on governor run
Michael Arth is an enigma — at once driven and intellectual, hands-on, somewhat eccentric, a nomadic jack of all trades.
Law will force another look at zero-tolerance
Amid the flurry of bills Gov. Crist has signed into law in recent weeks, one got the governor’s John Hancock with little fanfare, and it should have been publicly heralded as the return of common sense.
Small Texas school districts’ finances ride on greenhouse gas legislation
The high school sports coliseum in this tiny East Texas town is the house that coal built. The large 3-year-old gym with a soaring ceiling and theater-style seats looks like it belongs on a college campus. Yet the Tatum High School Eagles only recently advanced to 3A competition.
Pennsylvania’s next state budget must adequately invest in education in order to avoid drastic local property tax increases, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today during a visit to a Fulton Elementary School in Lancaster.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com.