Florida lawmakers rely on property taxes in education budgeting
The big story: Florida lawmakers closed in on a K-12 education spending plan, agreeing on a bottom line of $29.5 billion, about 3% more than the current year.
To get there, leaders limited increases in areas they've touted before, such as teacher pay raises and mental health services. They also relied heavily on property taxes to supply the bulk of the additional revenue, even while Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about the unfairness of property taxes, Politico Florida reports.
Local taxes would be responsible for generating about 70% of the new funding.
Negotiators also revived proposals to expand the funding and scope of the Schools of Hope charter school program, intended to provide options to families in communities with persistently struggling public schools, Florida Politics reports. The concept died during the regular portion of session, but the House brought it back in budget proviso language, showing again how no ideas are completely buried until lawmakers go home, Florida Phoenix reports..
Local school district officials continue to watch and wait as their budget planning ensues. Pinellas County superintendent Kevin Hendrick was less than enthusiastic.
Hendrick noted that the base student allocation increase in the state proposal is less than 1%, and doesn't cover inflationary costs. At the same time, the district, like many others, is projected to lose students, which will decrease funding.
Beyond that, Pinellas unexpectedly had to spend more than $50 million this school year because of hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the Legislature did not provide relief, placing extra financial pressure on the district.
'If it wasn't for the referendum, it would be a really difficult year,' Hendrick said, referring to the district's voter-approved property tax increase in support of added teacher pay and arts initiatives.
The Pinellas County school board is scheduled to unveil its preliminary budget at a June 24 workshop, with public hearings set for July 29 and Sept. 9.
Marion County school district leaders have already begun talking about millions of dollars in spending cuts, WCJB reports.
Advanced classes: Students at an Orange County high school urged the school board to protect their International Baccalaureate program, which is facing reductions amid decreasing interest, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Affordable housing: The Orange County school district is looking to expand its access to affordable housing for employees, Spectrum 13 reports.
Auditor issues: The Broward County school district's internal auditor offered to take a deal to leave his post amid ongoing criticism from board members, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Charter schools: City of Newberry and Alachua County school district officials continue to spar over the conversion of Newberry Elementary to a charter school, the Gainesville Sun reports.
Contract talks: The Lee County school board approved an incentive plan of bonuses up to $9,000, to attract and retain teachers, the Naples Daily News reports. Teacher union leaders criticized the move, saying it was done without negotiations.
Florida A&M administration: The university's recently appointed athletic director has been placed on administrative leave after her arrest on fraud charges related to her previous job, WFSU reports. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.
Graduation day: A Hillsborough County high school graduate walked the stage carrying the posthumous diploma of his brother, who died in 2020 of a fentanyl overdose. Read about why that happened.
School leaders: Pinellas County schools continued to shift principals for the coming academic year.
Superintendent searches: The Manatee County school board laid the groundwork to find a new superintendent after pushing out the recent one, Bay News 9 reports.
Teacher unions: The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association became the 100th local union to recertify under new stricter state laws, the West Orange Times reports.
Don't miss a story. Yesterday's roundup is just a click away.
Before you go ... Is anyone else excited about a new season of Phineas and Ferb? Where is Perry, anyway?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Playbook PM: Reconciliation, rescissions roil Republicans
Presented by THE CATCH-UP BIG IMMIGRATION NEWS: The Trump administration today will tell hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who immigrated here legally under humanitarian parole that their legal status is being terminated, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez scooped. That will leave them vulnerable to deportation, after the Supreme Court green-lit the policy for now. … But the administration seems to have paused its plans to begin mass transfers of detained immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, POLITICO's Myah Ward and Nahal Toosi report. RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Republicans have averted one small blow-up on the Hill — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is invited to today's White House congressional picnic after all. President Donald Trump announced it, and Paul posted a photo of his grandson in a MAGA hat (though Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he too had his tickets withheld). But much more challenging clashes still loom for both the reconciliation megabill and today's House vote on rescissions. Miller time: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller met with Senate Republicans today to advocate for border/immigration enforcement funding in the reconciliation bill, per ABC's Allison Pecorin. But things got tense between Miller and deficit hawks who want to pare back spending, including what sources tell Punchbowl's Andrew Desiderio was a 'shouting match' with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on the budget math. Axios' Stef Kight reports that Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) was peeved at Miller, while an absent Paul loomed large. Kicking the can down the road: A decision on the state and local tax deduction number won't be included in the Senate Finance bill text yet, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Semafor's Burgess Everett. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told reporters he's working with House members to try to land a SALT deal. 'I hope they modify it in a very small way,' Speaker Mike Johnson said, holding up prayer hands. By the numbers: The latest CBO report offers a neat encapsulation of the messaging wars likely to come between Democrats and Republicans on the bill. The analysis finds that the reconciliation package — including tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and SNAP cuts — would bolster the average American household's resources from 2026 to 2034. But it would increase inequality, hurting low-income families' resources while benefiting the middle class and wealthy. Specifically, the nonpartisan scorekeeper says low-income households would suffer a $1,600 annual hit on average, middle-income households would gain $500 to $1,000, and high-income households would romp with a whopping $12,000 boost, per POLITICO's Jennifer Scholtes. WHAT TO WATCH TODAY: The House is barreling toward a 3 p.m. vote on enshrining Department of Government Efficiency cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting, with the outcome potentially still up in the air. Johnson said he feels confident Republicans have the votes to claw back $9 billion in funding. But POLITICO's Meredith Lee Hill reports that it's not a done deal yet: Leadership hasn't been able to flip seven GOP holdouts, and they 'may have to rely on Dem absences.' At stake: The consequences of this vote are enormous. Republicans see it as a way to start institutionalizing DOGE cuts and ax spending for organizations they dislike. But decimating funding for PEPFAR could threaten HIV treatment and prevention programs that have saved 25 million lives in 22 years, even as the White House claims it'll keep lifesaving work going. Humanitarian groups say the future of foreign aid looks very bleak, though the Senate may try to scale back some of the cuts, NOTUS' Helen Huiskes reports. Meanwhile, cuts to PBS and NPR have public media stations, especially in rural areas, fearing they may not survive, POLITICO's Aaron Pellish reports. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@ 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS WATCH: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today refused to confirm that the administration would comply with a potential court ruling barring the deployment of Marines to support ICE operations in Los Angeles, POLITICO's Joe Gould reports. He deflected lawmakers' questions and said only that 'we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy.' The California clash: Ahead of this afternoon's court hearing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to go after Trump for deploying troops to anti-ICE protests. On NYT's 'The Daily,' Newsom outright questioned the president's mental acuity after Trump claimed he talked to the governor Monday: 'Maybe he actually believed he said those things, and he's not all there. I mean that.' But he also distanced himself from sanctuary policies and said he'd work with ICE. Indeed, many Democrats are hoping to refocus the political conversation here away from immigration policy and onto Trump pushing the legal limits of his power, POLITICO's Dustin Gardiner and Natalie Fertig report from San Francisco. Behind the escalation: Before the LA situation, there was a monthslong history of planning within the administration to use the military more to support domestic immigration enforcement, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Natasha Bertrand report. And on the flip side, far-left groups that advocate for violence have encouraged agitators to escalate beyond peaceful protests, especially at night — part of a pattern from other cities in recent years, NBC's Rich Schapiro and Andrew Blankstein report. Wait, what? Apparently having heard from farming and hospitality advocates, Trump posted on Truth Social today to indicate that he doesn't want aggressive deportations to target their workforce. That message may not have gotten through to his vast immigration enforcement apparatus: Border czar Tom Homan told Semafor's Ben Smith that coming soon, 'worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand.' The other military hubbub: The latest AP/NORC poll shows Americans have mixed feelings about Trump's military parade on his birthday this Saturday. The median opinion seems to be something like: Seems fine, but wish we weren't spending money on it. U.S. adults overall say they approve of the parade, 40 percent to 31 percent, but don't think it's a good use of government funds, 60 percent to 38 percent. 2. PAGING NUUK: 'I just want to help you out, because people try to twist your words,' Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said to Hegseth on the Hill today. 'You are not confirming in your testimony today that at the Pentagon, there are plans for invading or taking by force Greenland, correct?' But Hegseth wouldn't go there: 'The Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies,' he said. 'We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.' 3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Top Israeli officials are expected to travel tomorrow to meet with special envoy Steve Witkoff, POLITICO's Nahal Toosi reports. That will be an opportunity for Jerusalem to clarify what its plans are toward Iran, amid a flurry of reports that U.S. officials expect an Israeli attack on Iran could be imminent. 'I don't want to say imminent, but it is something that could very well happen,' Trump said of a potential Israeli strike. But Witkoff has warned senators that Iran's response might be a mass casualty event in Israel, Axios' Barak Ravid scooped. 4. MAN OF STEEL: 'Trump Says US Government Will Get 'Golden Share' in US Steel,' by Bloomberg's Josh Wingrove and Mario Parker: 'Trump's comment was the first public confirmation by the administration that it was seeking a golden share. The White House has not yet spelled out what that would mean, including — as is typically the case — whether that would include an equity stake.' 5. TRADING PLACES: Trade talks between the U.S. and India have hit some speed bumps as both sides dig in on crucial demands, including whether New Delhi will allow genetically modified crops in, Bloomberg's Shruti Srivastava reports. Meanwhile, despite Trump touting the latest framework agreement with China this week, Beijing is very much playing the long game and learning how to stall the U.S. repeatedly, NYT's David Pierson and Berry Wang report. 'While Trump seeks quick deals done directly with top leaders, [Chinese President Xi Jinping] favors a framework led by his lieutenants that wards against being blindsided,' Bloomberg writes. 'Such haggling could drag on for years.' 6. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Despite Trump's alliance with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, ProPublica's T. Christian Miller and Sebastian Rotella reveal that San Salvador impeded a yearslong U.S. investigation into whether its government had quietly struck a deal with MS-13. Bukele allies have also refused to extradite gang members to the U.S. who could have been witnesses. At the same time, Bukele's growing relationship with Trump has emboldened what experts say is a growing authoritarian crackdown on dissent at home, AP's Megan Janetsky and Marcos Alemán report. Longtime Bukele opponents say there's been 'an inflection point' in recent weeks, as the U.S. Embassy hasn't said anything. 7. LOOK WHO'S BACK: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is hitting the road again with his record-breaking 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour, which has rejuvenated progressives deep into red territory. His stops next weekend will take a similar approach, from the Rio Grande Valley to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Johnson's hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. 8. BUYER'S REMORSE: 'Trump's travel ban fuels despair and disgust with politics among Arab Americans in Michigan,' by AP's Isabella Volmert in Dearborn: 'It came as a particular shock to many Yemeni Americans … While it may not elicit the same protests as 2017, many Yemeni and Arab Americans in the all important battleground state see it as yet another offense contributing to enormous dissatisfaction with both major political parties.' TALK OF THE TOWN Winsome Earle-Sears' old Google/Yelp reviews for her business show that she often got into it with displeased customers. Abraham Lincoln-signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment are going up for auction, potentially fetching several million dollars. Noah Wyle was on the Hill today to advocate for mental health care for health care workers. PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — 'This D.C. real estate agent is closing huge deals with Trump-world elite,' by Axios' Mimi Montgomery: 'Over the years, [Daniel] Heider, 38, has become known in Washington for selling ginormous, ultra-lux estates — positioning him perfectly for catering to the enormously wealthy cast of players moving into President Trump's Gilded Age D.C. … He doesn't see himself as simply a real estate agent. He's more of a white-glove concierge meets sociologist meets therapist, he tells Axios.' OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Walmart's U.S. manufacturing reception yesterday at its Navy Yard office, capping the company's two-day Hill fly-in: Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Brad Knott (R-N.C.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández (D-P.R.). — SPOTTED at the Aspen Institute's Philosophy and Society/Wisdom of Crowds salon with Francis Fukuyama at Damir Marusic's residence last night: Shadi Hamid, Samuel Kimbriel, Christine Emba, Jason Willick, Freddy Gray, Freddie Hayward, Jordan Castro, Rachel Rizzo, Kelly Chapman, Harry Stein, Jamie Kirchick, Diana Brown, Mana Afsari, Santiago Ramos, Kristina Tabor, Samuel Goldman, Jon Purves, Chris Griswold, Peter Catapano, Chris McCaffery, Sadev Parikh and John Hudson. TRANSITIONS — Ronald Rowe Jr. is joining the Chertoff Group as a senior adviser. He previously was acting director of the Secret Service. … Reservoir Communications Group is adding Patrick 'Pat' Kannan as CFO and Ashley Flint as an SVP. Kannan previously was CFO at OPEXUS. Flint previously was a principal at Avalere Health. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Jeffries urges Stefanik to jump into NY governor's race
As Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) mulls a bid for New York's governorship, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is offering some unsolicited advice: Please do. 'Here's my political advice for Elise Stefanik: Run, Elise, run,' Jeffries told reporters on Thursday in the Capitol. The remarks are an early indication that New York Democrats like the odds of keeping control of the governor's mansion — currently occupied by Kathy Hochul (D), who is seeking reelection — if Stefanik is her challenger. Hours earlier, Stefanik had clashed with Hochul during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee staged to examine the controversial immigration policies of a handful of states run by Democrats — a topic that helped propel President Trump into the White House. Stefanik, who is weighing a run for the New York governor's mansion next year, is not a member of the Oversight panel. But GOP leaders granted her a waiver to appear at the hearing, where she sparred fiercely with Hochul over New York's status as a sanctuary state. Ticking off a series of violent crimes in New York committed by those living in the country illegally, Stefanik accused the governor of championing policies that have compromised public safety. 'They're horrific crimes that are committed on your watch. You signed this executive order on your first day in office,' she said. 'We deserve a governor who stands up for New Yorkers, who doesn't put illegals first but actually puts New Yorkers first.' Hochul shot back, accusing Stefanik of peacocking before the cameras to score political points against a potential opponent in next year's governor's race. 'Rather than going after the viral moment, I suggest you look at the facts,' Hochul said. 'Your representation of the facts is absolutely false.' Stefanik, 40, was first elected to the House in 2014, earning an early reputation as a moderate Republican and bipartisan dealmaker. That began to change when Trump won the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. Afterwards, Stefanik shifted to the right to become a fierce partisan — and one of Trump's staunchest congressional defenders. When former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) was removed as chair of the House Republican Conference for challenging Trump's false claims of a stolen election, it was Stefanik who replaced her in leadership. Earlier in the year, Trump had nominated Stefanik to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The nomination was withdrawn in March, however, over concerns about how the vacancy would affect the Republicans' legislative plans under a slim House majority. The reversal temporarily left Stefanik without a seat at the leadership table, though she has since been named chairwoman of House Republican leadership, prompting speculation that she will jump into the governor's race in 2026.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Utah Republican proposes sale of more than 2 million acres of US lands
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 2 million acres of federal lands would be sold or transferred to states or other entities under a budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, reviving a longtime ambition of Western conservatives to cede lands to local control after a similar proposal failed in the House. Lee, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, included a mandate for the sales in a draft provision of the GOP's sweeping tax cut package released Wednesday. Sharp disagreement over such sales has laid bare a split among Republicans who support wholesale transfers of federal property to spur development and generate revenue, and other lawmakers who are staunchly opposed. A spokesperson for Montana Sen. Steve Daines said Thursday that he opposes public land sales and was reviewing the proposal. Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as interior secretary in President Donald Trump's first term and led the effort to strip land sales out of the House version, said he remained a 'hard no' on any legislation that includes large-scale sales. Most public lands are in Western states. In some such as Utah and Nevada, the government controls the vast majority of lands, protecting them from potential exploitation but hindering growth. Lee's proposal does not specify what properties would be sold. It directs the secretaries of interior and agriculture to sell or transfer at least 0.5% and up to 0.75% of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management holdings. That equals at least 2.2 million acres (890,000 hectares) and up to 3.3 million acres (1.3 million hectares) The Republican said in a video released by his office that the sales would not include national parks, national monuments or wilderness. They would instead target 'isolated parcels" that could be used for housing or infrastructure, he said. 'Washington has proven time and again it can't manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands,' Lee said. Conservation groups reacted with outrage, saying it would set a precedent to fast-track the handover of cherished lands to developers. "Shoving the sale of public lands back into the budget reconciliation bill, all to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, is a betrayal of future generations and folks on both sides of the aisle," said Michael Carroll with The Wilderness Society. Housing advocates have cautioned that federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing. Some of the parcels up for sale in Utah and Nevada under the House proposal were far from developed areas. Republican officials in Utah last year filed a lawsuit last seeking to take over huge swathes of federal land in the state, but they were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Twelve other states backed Utah's bid.
