State lawmakers will leave the $419 million in funding for a controversial K-12 education bill in the state budget after all.
State senators took up one of the most controversial bills of the regular legislative session, HB 7069, Thursday afternoon, debating whether or not to strip the funding and funnel it to the state’s K-12 public schools.
The bill, which has stirred up a storm of contention between traditional public school advocates and school choice supporters, was one of the biggest battles lawmakers duked out during the regular legislative session, just narrowly approving the measure in the Senate by a vote of 20-18.
Supporters argue the bill is a necessary move to increase school-choice options. HB 7069 heavily favors charter schools and school choice for Florida students.
Pushed into the bill was the $140 million "Schools of Hope" proposal, which would pump money into turning around failing public schools.
Mostly, the legislation -- and thus the public response -- has pitted school choice activists against traditional public school supporters and officials, who worry the bill will funnel important funding away from schools and provide students with subpar classroom instruction.
State legislators are back in Tallahassee in part because Gov. Rick Scott disagreed with the Legislature’s spending plan for K-12 education. The governor disagreed with lawmakers’ proposal for per-student spending, vetoing the budget item and sending legislators back to the drawing board during a special session.
Part of the compromise between lawmakers and Scott was to pump $215 million more into public school spending in exchange for the governor’s signature on HB 7069.
An increase in education spending would skyrocket per-pupil dollars from $24 to $100 under the new proposal.
To make ends meet, Senate PreK-12 Education Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, proposed taking millions of dollars out of HB 7069 and stuffing it into the $215 million Scott wanted for public education.
Under Simmons’ amendment, lawmakers would have taken $374 million out of the $415 million bill and used it to bring per-pupil funding up to a whopping $197 per student.
Senators fiercely argued over the measure, which was a top priority for House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes.
Republican Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, who voted against the measure when it came up in May, previously said he wasn’t comfortable supporting a compromise over education when HB 7069 was still on the table.
On Thursday, Garcia trashed the bill as just another form of “corporate welfare” lawmakers have railed so adamantly against during this year’s legislative session.
“If you're against corporate welfare, you should be against it across the board,” he said on the Senate floor.
Other lawmakers fervently voiced their support for the measure during debate, saying the bill might not be perfect, but that it would still make many positive moves for the state’s public education system, especially for children in the state’s school choice programs.
"We do have a record on balance here that school choice has given real change for an awful lot of students,” Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said.
The Senate ultimately shot down two amendments to strip funding from HB 7069 -- one from Simmons and the other from Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, which would have taken $274 million -- out of HB 7069.
Both the House and Senate will have full floor votes on their K-12 spending plans Friday, the last day of the three-day special legislative session.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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