65% Rule to be on November Ballott

[uptowngirl]

What do the teachers on this board think? As a parent and a payor of property taxes I support this, and to be honest am a little shocked a bill would need to be passed for this to occur...

http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/080108/D929CKUGO.shtml

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Conservatives and libertarians nationwide tout the "65 percent solution" as a way to increase classroom spending without raising taxes.
The idea is to require schools to spend 65 percent of their budgets on classroom expenses as opposed to administrative costs."

[uptowngirl]

Also I was not aware of the virtual public school programs available in Florida. I believe the two programs are Connections Academy, and Virtual Florida. These are public schools K-12 that are actually attended at home virtually. The good news is these are free, and in some cases the school system will provide a computer, printer, and subsidy for your internet access. Home schooling isn't for everyone, but there are enough families choosing to home school to support a public school program.

[fightingosprey07]

I'm assuming that teachers' salaries are included in "classroom expenses." As long as that is the case, It seems like 65% would be a little low.

[downtownparks]

What is the % currently?

[Lunican]

From the full AP article which jacksonville.com did not publish:

Federal statistics show school districts nationally spend an average of 66 percent of their budgets on classroom instruction and related expenses and about 11 percent on purely administrative costs. They also spend 5 percent on support services such as libraries, school nurses and guidance counselors and 18 percent on transportation, food services, maintenance and other operational costs.

http://www.wftv.com/9wantstoknow/17058659/detail.html

[uptowngirl]

I'm assuming that teachers' salaries are included in "classroom expenses." As long as that is the case, It seems like 65% would be a little low.

Me too.

I am still researching but found this within the bill:

It would change state
law to mandate that school districts in the state
spend at least 65 percent of their operating funds
on “services that directly affect student
achievement.”

I know assuming is dangerous... but I would think the teacher would be a service directly affecting the students achievements. I also found from 2002 a Florida breakdown showing 83.91 of school spending went to teachers salaries, but this doesn't feel right, I would think teachers would egt paid more if this were true.

[uptowngirl]

I found this article:

Dubbed the "65 percent solution," the proposed constitutional amendment - which is backed by Gov. Jeb Bush and powerful lawmakers - would force school districts to spend at least 65 percent of their operating budgets on classroom expenses such as teachers, computers and student supplies.

None of Florida's 67 school districts meet that standard.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/28/State/_65_percent_solution_.shtml

At that time, national statistics compiled by the National Center for Educational Services indicated that 61.5 percent of education operating budgets were spent on direct classroom instruction. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that only four states spent 65 percent or more in classrooms.

From 2008:

Currently, using the federal definition, the average in Florida is 59 percent

[Lunican]

I wonder if they would just start reclassifying budget items instead of making any real improvements?

[BridgeTroll]

I wonder if they would just start reclassifying budget items instead of making any real improvements?

BINGO!

[uptowngirl]

I would be interested in seeing what the final proposal looked like. I think the majority of funds should be spent in the classroom (including the teacher), but would be concerned about reclassification and/or cuts to outside the classroom but just as important development items such as playground equipment. The spirit of the bill is to cut the administrative costs, but as we have learned with JAX the politicians won’t cut anything, they will figure out how to tax us to keep what the have and will do anything in their power to not be fiscally responsible. For some reason these people forget it is OUR (the publics) money and not THEIRS (the politicians/administrators). In this case it is extremely frustrating because this isn’t just taking advantage of the tax payers; it is detrimental to our children and affecting their future in a negative way.

[brainstormer]

I wonder if building maintenance and the physical facilities are included in the 65%.  An appropriate sized classroom and nice facilities certainly affect student learning.  Many of our children learn in rooms the size of closets or rooms that have no natural light.  Would this law make construction more difficult?