Advanced academic courses and career and technical programs at public schools could land on the chopping block next year as part of state lawmakers’ efforts to shrink Florida’s budget ahead of anticipated revenue declines.
A House proposal to halve additional funding for students in International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Cambridge, dual enrollment and career-technical courses has prompted school officials across the state to blitz their local delegations with calls to reconsider. Several showed up in Tallahassee on Wednesday to vocalize their concerns.
“I want to start mobilizing parents and families who care about this,” said Jessica Vaughn, chairperson of the Hillsborough County School Board. “The district is already operating at bare bones.”
Vaughn and others expressed hope that the House might shift its approach once lawmakers understand how the reduction would impact children’s learning. In Hillsborough, for instance, the loss of about $12 million could lead to the elimination of International Baccalaureate programs in elementary and middle schools.
The district also faces a $7 million decrease in career education money.
Pasco County schools could lose more than $3 million, potentially pinching efforts to expand career and technical programs. The hit to Pinellas County schools could approach $10 million.
“The Legislature has been advocating over 10 years or more this direction” of boosting career and advanced courses, which count in a high school’s state grade, Pasco County superintendent John Legg said. “We’re trying to watch how it plays out.”
Opposition to the proposal surfaced Wednesday in both legislative chambers as lawmakers discussed their budget plans.
Students, teachers, parents and school officials told the House Budget Committee how the cuts to the funding, which is paid to districts based on student success on program exams, diplomas and certifications, would detract from the state’s focus on improved career and advanced education.
Sehar Sarang, a Leon County high school student, spoke of how her school’s ability to offer advanced courses has allowed students to overcome economic disadvantages. She said she earned a full scholarship to Dartmouth College as a result of her experiences.
“By defunding this transformative program, Florida will be stopping thousands of students from reaching their full potential,” she said.
House PreK-12 Budget chairperson Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, said last week that the goal was not to cut programs. But a state Department of Education report indicated that the rising amount of money going to districts has not aligned with needed expenditures, such as teacher pay supplements and course materials, she said.
For instance, in career-technical courses, 20% of the money last year went toward teacher compensation compared to 36% for “other,” she noted.
On Wednesday, Persons-Mulicka stressed that the funding under discussion is an incentive beyond the base per-student funding, and said school districts have come to rely on it too heavily to support entire programs rather than for intended uses.
She argued that those opposed to the reduction should be talking to their school boards about better spending the base funding for career and advanced programs.
“These do not fund entire programs,” she said, noting that while the add-on might be cut, overall per-student funding has been recommended to increase.
The House budget proposal calls for a $62.21 rise in per-student funds, entirely paid for by local taxes. The state share would decrease by just over 1%.
While Persons-Mulicka stood firm in the face of Democratic opposition, Budget vice chairperson Rep. Susan Valdés, R-Tampa, assured the public that cut “just is proposed.”
“This is not the end product,” Valdés said. “Your voices have been heard.”
The discussion could move toward the Senate plan, which Appropriations PreK-12 chairperson Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, told his colleagues did not include the same cuts.
Some senators had pointed questions about the issue, after observing that the bill Burgess brought forth also referred to reducing the add-on amounts by half. Burgess said Department of Education officials indicated that half the money wouid be sufficient to cover the testing, teacher bonuses and other items needed to provide the courses.
That will allow the Legislature to shift the other half into the general fund, he said, so schools can use the money for the career and advanced programs or anything else they deem appropriate.
“We’re giving them additional flexibility,” Burgess said.
Sen. Tina Polksy, D-Boca Raton, urged Burgess to stand firm during negotiations with the House.
“Let’s not let public schools get any further disadvantaged,” Polsky said.
