Duval school budget: Budget cuts could be drastic

[fsu813]

As the actively involved mother of three public school children, I have learned that this district has been forced to cut not only to the bone, but into the marrow.

This is due to stagnant school funding over the past decade measured in constant dollars.

Schools are seeking corporate sponsorships, not for supplemental enhancements, but to fulfill basic needs.

Somehow, incredibly, the conversation in Jacksonville has turned to yet another "silver bullet" solution for education: Appointing, instead of electing, the School Board.

The truth is that the elected School Board is way ahead of the city: The School Board has subjected itself to the strict accountability of a strategic plan, which it developed in conjunction with some of the best business and nonprofit minds in the community.

Early indicators reveal significant progress for our schools. The city, however, has no strategic plan. Further, Jacksonville's school system is subjected to the highest level of scrutiny on the progress of every student population group and sub-group.

The city, however, has no such accountability structure for the progress of its citizens; and if it did, well, the grades wouldn't be pretty.

Our schools are hemorrhaging, and our leaders are arguing over which hospital to go to, when we need to stop the bleeding.

Contrary to some leaders' assertions, a less than 2 percent population shrinkage does not account for the 11 percent in district level personnel cuts made last year, nor the more than 10 percent in operational cuts threatened this year.

Shifting the burden from state general revenues to local school levies won't close the wound.

But don't take my word for it.

Please attend one of four town hall meetings that Duval County public schools Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals will be hosting this month.

Citizens need this information, they need to ask questions and they need to judge for themselves whether or not Tallahassee lawmakers are fulfilling their constitutional duty to put public education first. It's not a matter of raising taxes, it's a matter of getting the state's priorities straight.

Don't let the appointed-elected debate distract you from the real crisis in public education: The need to use our abundant "outputs-accountability" data to help us stay accountable for what we invest on the "input" end of the equation.

We've never done that analysis in Florida. Isn't it time we did?

JULIE DELEGAL


http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters_from_readers/2010-03-02/story/duval_school_budget_budget_cuts_could_be_drastic

[fsu813]

Pratt-Dannals has done a good job with what he has to work with. Cuts are going to be very tough.

[aaapolito]

It just amazes me how tight we are on the education budget.  States spend so much money on other things, but refuse to spend on education.

Education is so important to the fabric of our society.  An uneducated public creates a weaker society, and possibly, a poorer society.  We are failing our children, plain and simple.

[Traveller]

I believe it's a function of living in a state full of retirees.  Where my folks live in South Carolina it's the same story.  Folks are all in favor of funding public education when THEIR kids are in school.  Then they retire, move to Florida, and don't want one dime of their taxes to go towards education (or anything else that doesn't benefit them directly and immediately).

[uptowngirl]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/3717744.stm

Let the parents and students decide, get commercial schools to compete for students, that is the answer to getting more bang for your buck!

[urbanlibertarian]

http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/18/education-is-too-important-for

"Since 1980, government spending on education, adjusted for inflation, has nearly doubled. But test scores have been flat for decades. Today we spend a stunning $11,000 a year per studentâ€"more than $200,000 per classroom."

"The people who test students internationally told us that two factors predict a country's educational success: Do the schools have the autonomy to experiment, and do parents have a choice?"

[mtraininjax]

The 2009-2010 budget includes; $26 billion (39%) for Health/Human Services, $21.3 billion (32%) for Education, $9.3 billion (14%) for Natural Resources/Transportation/Economic Development, $5.2 billion (8%)Justice/Corrections, and $4.7 billion (7%) General Government.

The estimated State of FL gap for 2010 is at 2.6 billion, in 2009 it was 3.2 billion. So taxes were levied on cigarettes and motor vehicle fees as well as unemployment taxes rose an amazing amount. What is left to tax? Should we ad ad valorem? What about taxing all the old farts more for the Floridian way of life?

How many old people will enjoy paying money into an education system, ranked 10th in the nation, yet in Jacksonville produces so many failures. 66 other counties have better education systems than Duval. So why is it that the educators here can't pull their head out of the sand and get it right?