School districts around Florida say they are bracing for more big cuts after the Legislature passed a $16.6 billion K-12 education budget.
But the sky-is-falling scenario isn't universally embraced, and legislative leaders say Chicken Little is not coming home to roost.
While lawmakers reduced K-12 spending by $1.4 billion, districts will lose less than half that amount because the Legislature also enacted pension reform requiring school employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay toward their retirement fund. That shift means a net cost reduction of 3 percent to school systems, which have heretofore fully funded their employees' pensions.
Budget analysts in Tallahassee estimate that the total reduction for K-12 schools will be about 3.8 percent -- not the 8 percent loss bruited about by districts.
Nevertheless, some large school systems around Florida continue to issue dire warnings predicated on the 8 percent figure. In some cases, local officials say they are mulling budget cuts that would gash academic services.
"Headlines from just todays statewide newspapers provide a glimpse of what districts are facing: Pink slips issued in Monroe County, Flagler to cut 45 minutes from the school day to save money, Palm Beach County looking to cut custodians and police officers in schools," recited Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association.
Following is a roundup of reports from districts by Sunshine State News and the News Service of Florida:
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: The state's largest school district said it is preparing for a $144 million budget cut. Previously, the system reduced spending on maintenance operations and staff. But with capital projects all but stopped, officials say there's not much more to be pared there. The district declined to detail what cost-saving measures it has in store.
LEON COUNTY: The school board may turn its high schools' optional seventh-period classes all virtual, saving an estimated $1 million out of a projected $10 million cut. About 10 percent of Leon County's public high-school students take seventh-period classes.
LEE COUNTY: Anticipating a $30 million cut, the school board may eliminate more than 50 support staff positions.
DUVAL COUNTY: Expecting a budget shortfall of $82 million, the district is considering a four-day week, furloughs, increasing class sizes and reducing bus transportation to magnet schools.
VOLUSIA COUNTY: The district, which funded 500 jobs through federal stimulus money, faces an estimated $13 million budget shortfall. As in other districts, leaders say their first priority is to protect classroom funds and, second, to save jobs.
PINELLAS COUNTY: Planning for a $60 million shortfall, the district may eliminate 400 jobs, mostly through attrition. Officials say reductions in transportation, utility costs and health insurance expenditures remain on the table.
Even after stagnant state budgets and sagging local property tax revenues -- roughly half of which goes to local schools -- several districts have been able to maintain budget reserves that will help to soften this year's fiscal blow.
Two districts told Sunshine State News that they are not expecting any major new belt-tightening.
ORANGE COUNTY: Anticipating tight times ahead, the district last fall prevailed on voters to approve a temporary 1 mill property tax hike. That increase -- which will generate an additional $85 million annually over four years -- is expected to largely offset a projected $95 million shortfall this year, district spokeswoman Kathy Marsh said.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Though hard hit by plummeting property values, the Treasure Coast district reported that it made "significant adjustments during the last several years to avoid having to continually look at further drastic cuts annually, as we anticipated revenues to continue to decline."
"Such adjustments include trimming transportation costs by streamlining routes and creating community stops, developing utility use management and earning rebates from FPL, moving administrative support staff from the district office out to schools to fill positions open through attrition, and requiring pay for play for athletes, among other things," explained district spokeswoman Janice Karst.
"That is not to say there will be no adjustments for 2011-2012, but we are not facing a financial cliff at this time," Karst concluded.
The district said some of its fiscal salvation has come from driving down administrative costs in recent years. St. Lucie ranks second in the state (behind Hernando County schools) for lowest administrative cost per student, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Republican legislative leaders say St. Lucie is on the right track in aggressively reducing administrative overhead.
"Administration cuts should be the first priority. That's the direction from the Legislature: Find the fat and do not cut from the classroom," said a Senate aide who requested anonymity.
In addition, Gov. Rick Scott admonished districts that received a total of $100 million in federal stimulus funds last year not to expect Florida taxpayers to pick up that tab as those one-time Washington outlays expire.
House and Senate leaders say their K-12 spending plan largely conforms to the budget proposal put forward by Scott at the beginning of the session.
The FEA, the state's largest teachers' union, does not buy the tough love and fiscal calculations of GOP leaders.
Public school funding is off $540 per student, or 8 percent," FEA spokesman Pudlow declared in a statement.
"Many districts have run through their reserves over the past few years of previous budget cuts. Per-student spending is down nearly $1,000 per student since the close of the legislative session four years ago -- and still the Legislature continues with the unfunded mandates, ordering hundreds of new tests to begin next school year with no money to pay for them. Then they tell districts to spare classrooms?
"Theyre school administrators, not magicians, Pudlow said.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (772) 801-5341 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
