Return
to Article Index
Copyright
2003 Sun-Sentinel Company
Sun-Sentinel
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)
May
26, 2003 Monday Broward Metro Edition
SECTION:
LOCAL; Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 1868 words
HEADLINE:
EDUCATION BEARS BRUNT OF STATE CUTS;
TOUGH BUDGET OFFERS STUDENTS A LESSON IN POLITICS
BYLINE:
Linda Kleindienst, Jennifer Peltz and Jonathon King Staff Writers
BODY:
Florida's
money woes have turned Roxanna Cella into an activist. The Palm Beach
County mother never involved herself in politics until a few weeks ago,
when she learned that one of two daily art classes at her son's magnet
school will likely fall victim to the budget ax this fall. Now she's
helping to lead an effort to raise $425,000 privately to save the classes
at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, a public school that specializes
in the arts, including theater.
In
Miami, Ana Manrara is ready to start her final year at Florida International
University -- she hopes. But a tight state budget, which proposes to
cut $40 million from the public university system, could interfere with
her plans to graduate in the spring if she can't get the classes she
needs to earn her political science degree.
Because
of a dramatic cut in state funding for the arts, the Florida Youth Orchestra
in Hollywood could lose $30,000, killing an outreach program that has
introduced the violin to Diany Jean's fourth-grade daughter and hundreds
of other children in hopes of building their interest in school and
the
arts.
"It
has helped her so much," Jean said of Sherma, one of five children
in her Fort Lauderdale household. "I want her to continue. She
has music in her blood, and I like her to be busy and occupied with
the right things."
On
Tuesday, the Florida Legislature is prepared to approve a $53 billion
state budget, which provides a nearly $3 billion increase over current
spending but is the most austere in a decade, offering little in the
way of new initiatives and resulting in cuts to many programs.
"The
public policy of this budget is sound. But am I proud of the money amount?
No," said Senate Appropriations Chairman Ken Pruitt, R-Port St.
Lucie. "And the level of education funding is going to hit legislators
the hardest when they go home."
Pruitt
and the Senate leadership spent much of the 60-day regular session pushing
for an extra $1.4 billion in state spending to fend off some of the
deeper cuts being forced by lagging tax collections caused by war and
a sluggish economy. But the House, backed by Gov. Jeb Bush, has prevailed
in its drive to build a state budget based on no new taxes or money-raising
plans such as video gambling.
"The
future is bright," said House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City.
"We resisted tax increases. And we resisted going down the road
to easy money with gambling."
Financed
with help from increased university and community college tuition and
$100 million in higher fees -- but no new taxes -- the budget relies
on $1.3 billion of "nonrecurring" or one-time revenue to pay
for ongoing programs. Critics warn legislators they are causing major
problems for next year when budget writers must find dollars to keep
those programs operating.
But
some legislative leaders hope the economy will improve and bring a healthier
flow of dollars into the state coffers next year.
"This
is a budget that'll hurt people, and we're digging a really big hole
for next year," warned Senate Democratic leader Ron Klein of Boca
Raton. His concerns were echoed by Dominic Calabro, president of Florida
TaxWatch, who said the use of what he calls "fiscal gimmicks"
doesn't reflect sound conservative budgeting practices.
The
spending plan provides $464 million to reduce class size and pays for
the popular lottery-funded Bright Futures scholarship program while
forcing cuts in public school programs. It provides corporate tax breaks
while eliminating the popular summertime sales tax holiday for school
shopping and gives $6 million in prescription aid to low-income seniors
while forcing the poor to pay more upfront for emergency medical services.
Legislators
did find the money to build 4,000 prison beds and fully finance the
Medically Needy program, which helps 27,000 working poor with catastrophic
illnesses or organ transplants. Yet waiting lists for programs such
as those that help the developmentally disabled and seniors trying to
stay out of nursing homes are expected to grow longer. A nationally
recognized and successful program aimed at cutting youth tobacco use
was scaled back from $37.5 million to $1 million. Spending on arts and
cultural programs is being slashed. And while state workers are scheduled
to get a 2 percent pay raise, much of that will be eaten up by an increase
in health insurance costs.
Clearly
this is a Republican government colossally out of touch with reality,"
said House Democratic Leader Doug Wiles of St. Augustine.
Countered
House Appropriations Chairman Bruce Kyle, R-Fort Myers: "We have
achieved the goal of living within our means."
PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
South
Florida school districts have been preparing for the worst, painting
scenarios that include the elimination of some magnet schools, hiring
freezes, cutting seventh period in high school and axing art programs.
When
photography teacher Rob Dickes leaves Spanish River High School next
month, the school's photography program may well go with him.
Photography
is a popular offering at the Boca Raton-area school, with 125 students
in five classes this term. At least an additional 100 students wanted
to take the classes, but there was no room for them, said Dickes, who
is leaving to help launch an arts and vocational charter school in Ocala.
Palm
Beach County school administrators have told high schools to prepare
to trim electives to save money next school year, so Spanish River may
not replace Dickes in order to save other teachers' jobs, said Principal
Geoff McKee.
Although
the Legislature has agreed to increase public school funding by $840
million, more than half of that -- $464 million -- will be channeled
into meeting the voter mandate to begin reducing class size this fall.
With the remaining dollars, school districts will have to accommodate
more than 40,000 additional students, negotiate teacher and staff raises,
and pay for increasing costs of utilities, gas and insurance.
According
to the Florida School Boards Association, it would take an additional
$1.8 billion to meet the real costs of running the school system and
beginning a serious class-size reduction effort.
"Last
year, Palm Beach County got $92 million in new money, and this year
it could be between $66 million and $69 million -- but half of that
will be earmarked just for class size. So, that's a heck of a drop,"
said Vern Pickup-Crawford, Palm Beach County's legislative lobbyist.
Broward
County, which is expecting 7,100 new students next fall, is facing 20
percent insurance cost increases and needs to hire 800 teachers to begin
reducing class size. Superintendent Frank Till has already warned that
entire magnet schools could fall to the budget ax as well as 1,000 jobs
and school field trips.
UNIVERSITIES
Public
university students such as FIU's Manrara will be paying 8.5 percent
higher tuition next fall -- bringing the average annual tuition cost
to $2,900. Their counterparts in community college will face a 7.5 percent
tuition boost, for an average annual tuition bill of more than $1,600.
But
they may be paying more for a higher education system that offers less.
Universities are facing a $40 million cut while trying to accommodate
22,000 additional students next fall. And community colleges will increase
enrollment by 150,000 or more students with no new money.
The
end result: Students will likely have a tougher time getting the classes
they need.
"If
you tell someone, 'You're going to pay more, but you're going to receive
more,' people would be willing to pay," said Manrara, 21, who lives
near Kendall. "But they're telling us we're going to be paying
more, but not getting more."
At
Florida Atlantic University, mathematics professor Frederick Hoffman
fears teaching and learning will suffer. He has already seen what tight
budgets can do to class sizes. His introductory math class used to be
limited to 100 students. Last fall, it grew to 168. For students, a
bigger class can mean less access to professors and teaching assistants.
For professors, it can mean more tests to grade and less time for scholarship
work and research.
TAX
CUTS
"Pursuing
the dream of higher education is in jeopardy for anyone entering college
in the fall. But the corporate tax cuts are being preserved, "
said Sen. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. "These are messed-up
priorities."
Since
Republican Gov. Jeb Bush took office in 1999, the Florida Legislature
has cut taxes by $6 billion, which Democrats contend has helped put
Florida in its current financial bind.
This
year, legislators are endorsing an additional $300 million in cuts --
mostly for corporations. But gone is the popular nine-day tax-free summer
shopping holiday for families buying school supplies and clothes. It
was dropped because it would cost the state $27.8 million in lost sales
tax revenues.
"I
hate to see them tweaking us again," said Lisa Lassen, a Boca Raton
mother who annually uses the tax holiday when outfitting her daughter
for school. "If they were going to take the savings from cutting
that program and put it directly into the education budget, I wouldn't
mind. But you know that's not going to happen."
The
sales tax holiday fell at the insistence of Senate leaders who said
the state couldn't afford it.
Still,
corporations and wealthier Floridians will get tax breaks. The Legislature
is forging ahead with a $118 million cut in the state's intangibles
tax on investments, and a change in corporate depreciation tax rates
will benefit mostly larger corporations by $102 million. Legislators
have also agreed to add $38 million to an existing $50 million program
that offers corporate tax breaks to businesses that provide private
school vouchers for low-income students.
ARTS
The
arts community may have been the most vocal in its protest of funding
cuts as the House and Senate crafted their budgets in the regular session
and the current special session. Once at risk of getting no money from
the state, the final budget compromise allocates $7.8 million for arts
and cultural programs -- less than a third of the $28 million paid out
in the current fiscal year.
Although
about one-third of the money from the current budget helps 100 South
Florida organizations, there is no indication yet how much of the reduced
budget those groups will get when the new state fiscal year begins on
July 1.
Myra
Weaver, executive director of the Florida Youth Orchestra, is anticipating
a loss of $30,000 and is cutting a program that introduces children
to instruments and music to which they might never have access.
Michelle
Pope, principal of North Side Elementary, has had several children from
the predominantly poor neighborhood go on to magnet schools for the
arts because of the program.
"I
am a believer that we need the basics in education," she said.
"However, to build well-rounded students and community members,
we need the arts. We have to provide them with these other experiences."
Linda
Kleindienst can be reached at lkleindienst@sun-sentinel.com or 850-224-6214.
LOAD-DATE:
May 26, 2003
Return
to Top
Return
to Article Index