Duval school budget cuts

[SarahTay]

The Duval County School District needs to be cut 10% from 2011-12 budget = $86 million cut! Will discuss more on what to cut at a meeting this afternoon. What they're looking to modify:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/27839655/detail.html

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As the Florida Legislature finished its session early Saturday morning, the work for the Duval County School Board and 66 other local districts in the state was just beginning.
The Legislature reduced public education spending by $1.35 billion, which represents a $572 reduction in per student funding.
For Duval County schools, the cut in state funds ,combined with the loss of federal money from the one-time federal stimulus funds, add up to a $85.9 million hole in its nearly $1 billion budget.
For months, the Duval County School Board has suggested several ways to cut millions of dollars from their budget. At a workshop Tuesday afternoon, the board will solidify some of those plans.
Staff furloughs and the loss of art, music, sports, physical education and magnet school busing are options on the table. Channel 4's Vickie Pierre said all of those items and more may be lost to reach the level of cuts required to balance the budget.
A four-day school week was another possibility to save money on busing, utilities and custodial fees.

[urbaknight]

They're cutting all the things that make school tolerable for kids. What's next, are they going to cut lunch too? Kids will quit school as soon as they can if all there is is solid boredom without a break. And just think of the crime rate, that will surly skyrocket! And all I say about Florida being below the intelligence curve, it will be so true that even the dumbest Floridans would agree and hopefully start looking for solutions. Maybe Florida has to be stripped of what little it has left in order to reset itself and get back on the road to greatness.

[aaapolito]

My wife, a first grade teacher in Duval County, came home yesterday and told me that she may have 25 or more students in her class next year due to budget cuts.

The Florida Constitution caps first grade classes at 18.  This is simply unacceptable.

 

[SarahTay]

Urbaknight, I agree. Cutting extracurriculars is risky - the school system's graduation rate was only 67% as of last year, so this push for "strict focus" on academics? Is it really working? And how are they going to emphasize in this new "One in Three" program (referring to the aforementioned rate) the use of art exhibits and campaign with Cummer then slash the arts? A lot of kids they're profiling, and targeting, are those who don't care, those with at-home struggles preventing them from caring, and so on and on around the cycle. You'd think they'd focus on school being a place where they can "escape" or find something they love or are good at. Besides, everyone knows colleges now focus highly on extracurriculars. I'm not sure how Duval itself is going to "reset" itself.

[Yossarianlives]

My wife, a first grade teacher in Duval County, came home yesterday and told me that she may have 25 or more students in her class next year due to budget cuts.

The Florida Constitution caps first grade classes at 18.  This is simply unacceptable.

 

I believe, although I am not positive, the penalty for too many students is less than the cost of a teacher so most schools will take the penalty.

[SarahTay]

I really don't think Rick Scott could make one more move to be hated any less than he is...

[SarahTay]

Here's what happened at the meeting today - and ideas to have only a $60 million cut...

Under changes passed by the Legislature, employees will being contributing 3 percent toward their own retirement plan and school districts have more flexibility in meeting class-size standards. Those two items will save Duval County an estimated $25 million.
2011-2012 DUVAL COUNTY SCHOOL BUDGET

   Budget deficit              $85.9 million       
       "Functional" savings      $9.6 million       
   Class-size flexibility      $6.0 million       
   Retirement savings      $19.0 million       
   Negotiable fixed costs      $21.0 million       
   Remaining shortfall      $39.3 million       
    The school district is asking to renegotiate its teachers' contract requiring the employees to contribute more to their health benefits. That would save Duval County another $12 million.
School administrators propose saving another $9.5 million by eliminating dozens of employees, limiting teacher training hours, eliminating dozens of eliminating after-hours use of school buildings, changing exceptional student education funding, reducing vehicle purchases and use, holding graduation ceremonies on school campuses and trimming outside contracts.
All that still leaves the Duval County School Board $39.3 million short of balancing its 2011-2012 budget.
At a workshop Tuesday afternoon, the board discussed ideas that could save additional millions of dollars -- ideas that no board member wants to implement, but many must be done before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
"We're having to do what we're supposed to do," said board member Tommy Hazouri. "We're having to do it, but we hope it won't be on the backs of our kids or on the backs of our teachers."
Recommended budget cuts likely to pass the board include staff furlough, reducing art, music and physical education, eliminating busing to six magnet high school, contracting out custodial work and eliminating 163 administrative positions.
The board considers the elimination of sports and converting to a four-day school week "below the line" -- items that will only be considered if all the other cuts don't balance the budget.
At Tuesday's meeting, members spent significant time taking about ways to save sports, including converting middle school sports to intramural activities and looking into sponsors or pay-to-play plans to keep sports in high schools.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/27839655/detail.html

At least sports is saved... but let's not be modest, it's certainly going "to fall on the backs of students and teachers".

[aaapolito]

My wife, a first grade teacher in Duval County, came home yesterday and told me that she may have 25 or more students in her class next year due to budget cuts.

The Florida Constitution caps first grade classes at 18.  This is simply unacceptable.

 

I believe, although I am not positive, the penalty for too many students is less than the cost of a teacher so most schools will take the penalty.

That is correct.  Ed Pratt Dannels, superintendent has openly stated that complying with the Constitution is more expensive than the fines imposed.  However, I believe that the government should not be able to willingly violate the Constitution.  It is absurd. 

[brainstormer]

I often feel that the reason there isn't more public outcry and pressure on legislators in FL is because people here just don't know any better.  I've taught in other states and it saddens me how unsupported and depressed Florida's education system is.  You get what you pay for and all I hear in Florida is cut taxes, lower taxes, so many taxes!  Money won't solve all problems, but when you are underfunded as much as Florida is, money has a huge impact. 

The last school I worked at in WI had 2 full time Physical Education teachers for around 400 students.  The one I'm at now has over 400 students and we get 1 Physical Education teacher 3 days a week.  Same for music, art, etc.  Both schools were Title 1.  And students were never retained because as soon as they were struggling there were extra staff members available to offer academic interventions and support.  Students didn't need a label to get extra help.  We also had a full time school psychologist who worked with small groups of students on correcting behaviors, resolving conflict, working with parents, etc.  If a child needed to be removed from class because he/she was being disrupted someone would come right away, take the student out, regain control, and then transition the student back into class with support. 

In Florida, we put taxpayers and the wealthy first.  Kids come in dead last, behind prisoners. 

[urbaknight]

I have a solution to the state's budget problem, may sound a bit barbaric but just hear me out.

We simply start killing off our violent criminals, murderers, sex offenders, armed robbers, home invaders, anyone that cripples some one.

IMO becoming disabled at the hands of some asshole, is much worse than being killed, especially here in the south, where the disabled are not held in high regard or respected as human beings.

One of the few things I respect about the south is that, they know how to use the death penalty. It just needs to be more widely implemented.

There, problem solved!!! Why should our children, the poor, the working class, public safety etc be forced to to pay when nothing get cut from the prison system? Well Scott, I hope you enjoy HELL!!!

[JeffreyS]

Our Schools are funded low enough there should be no budget cuts.

[duvaldude08]

And atleast they are not eliminating music all together. Music and sports work hand and hand. A high school football games is not the same without marching bands battling it out.

[mtraininjax]

At least sports is saved...

Nope, middle school sports are on the table for the chopping block.

St. Johns County parents pay between 45 and 115 for their kids to plan in the same sports. Pay to play is coming in Duval as well.

[JeffreyS]

Pay to study is coming if the Tea Party has their way.

btw I am part of the problem as long as the Republicans have any say in Public education I will continue to have my child in private school.  So their strategy of moving away from our founding fathers vision of starting Government paid schools see Thomas Jefferson and Government paid hospitals see John Adams towards the Regan vision that citizens are evil leaches if they expect anything for their taxes is working. Sadly I am participating.

[FSBA]

What chaps me is that quite a few of these cuts are going to negatively impact the magnet programs at Paxon, Stanton, etc. Those were the one thing DCPS had going for it and they're doing their best to kill them off.

What you should really be upset with is the insane bureaucracy that takes way so much money for schools. Almost 45 cents of every dollar we spend on education never gets to the classroom.