Latest news with #GeneralAppropriationsAct
GMA Network
26-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DepEd: Classroom shortage still at 165,000
'We're now at around 165,000 [classroom shortage] and growing kasi hindi na kakayanin nung current budget to meet the ano eh… It would take us 30 years, probably, if we work with the current budget,' Angara told reporters. Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday said the classroom backlog nationwide still stands at 165,000—a problem expected to have once again an impact when the incoming school year starts. Three weeks before School Year 2025-2026 opens on June 16, Angara admitted that some public schools may again need to implement shifting of classes—some double, others triple, even—due to the lack of classrooms. 'We're now at around 165,000 [classroom shortage] and growing kasi hindi na kakayanin nung current budget to meet the ano eh… It would take us 30 years, probably, if we work with the current budget,' Angara told reporters. (We're now at around 165,000 classroom shortage and growing because the current budget will not be able to meet the need to construct these. It would take us 30 years, probably, if we work with the current budget.) 'Buong bansa kasi ang kakulangan eh especially in populated areas like Region 4-A and NCR, grabe 'yung… All the cities actually all over the country, mataas ang backlog,' he added. (The classroom shortage is all over the country, especially in populated areas like Region 4-A and NCR, it's serious... The classroom backlog in all the cities in the country is high. There are hundreds of thousands per city.) School Year 2025-2026 is set to open on June 16, 2025 and end on March 31, 2026. Angara underscored the need to provide a strong internet connection in key areas so that 'independent learners,' particularly incoming senior high school students, may be able to study at home, just like in other countries. Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), P28 billion was appropriated in DepEd's budget for the basic education facilities, which includes P7.18 billion for the construction of new kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school buildings. It also includes a P6.13 billion budget for the rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and improvement of the school buildings under the 'Repair All Policy." 'Para 'yung mga kailangan talagang nasa loob ng classroom, kailangan kausap talaga ang mga teachers, 'yun 'yung mga Nursery, Grade 1, Kindergarten dahil 'yun palang ang natututo at kailangan matuto magbasa, kailangan matuto magsalita. 'Yan talaga kailangan nasa loob ng classroom,' he explained. (This is so learners who really need to be in classrooms and learn directly from teachers—those in Nursery, Kindergarten, and Grade 1—will be able to occupy the classrooms instead.) Angara on Monday afternoon attended the launch of Generation Hope—a partnership of several brands with DepEd to help address the urgent need of building more public school classrooms in the country. The DepEd chief emphasized that such a partnership would help hasten the classroom construction and also help DepEd in meeting its deficits, considering the incoming school year. 'Malaking bagay 'to kasi nga diba nabawasan kami ng budget nitong 2025 so ito, makakatulong do'n sa kakulangan natin sa classrooms. 'Yung ibang programa ng DepEd, mabigyan ng focus tapos may katulong tayo dito,' he said. (This is a big help because our budget for 2025 was cut, so this will help address our lack of classrooms. The DepEd can focus on its other programs, and we will be assisted in classroom construction.) –NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
19-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DBM OKs creation of 16,000 new teaching positions for 2025
Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved the creation of 16,000 new teaching positions in public schools for School Year 2025–2026. In a press release, the DBM said it is in line with President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr.'s directive to strengthen the education sector and ensure sufficient manpower in public schools. The new teaching positions form the first tranche of the 20,000 positions targeted for creation this year, the DBM said. 'The DBM's approval of the 16,000 new teaching positions is in adherence to our President's directive to strengthen our country's education system. This move is also in support of the Department of Education's efforts to boost the teaching workforce across Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High School, Senior High School, and the Alternative Learning System,' Pangandaman said in a press release. The approved new positions include the following: 15,343 Teacher I posts (Salary Grade 11) 157 Special Science Teachers (Salary Grade 13) 500 Special Education (SPED) Teachers (Salary Grade 14) The DBM said that for added flexibility, the Senior High School teaching positions will be created at the division level. This will allow School Division Superintendents to transfer or reassign them to where they're most needed. The P4.194 billion needed to fund the new items will come from the Department of Education's built-in appropriations under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, which was specifically earmarked for hiring new school personnel. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida House proposes largest sales tax cut in state history
Related video: Gov. DeSantis holds a press conferences in Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida House of Representatives is proposing the largest cut to sales tax in state history, from 6% to 5.25%. House Speaker Daniel Perez announced the proposal during a speech about the state budget to the House Chamber on Wednesday. The budget, formally called the General Appropriations Act, will be published on Friday, Perez said. 'Members, the proposed House GAA will be historic,' Perez said. 'Our budget will not only be lower than the Governor's proposed budget, it will also be lower than the budget passed by the Legislature last term.' The proposed budget from Gov. DeSantis comes in at $115.6 billion and an FAQ published by his office says this would be a $3 billion reduction from the 2024-25 budget. Perez said the state has a spending problem and that the permanent .75% cut will save Floridians almost $5 billion per year. The current 6% sales tax has been in place since 1988, and if this cut is approved, Perez said it will make Florida the only state to have permanently reduced its sales tax. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Under new bill, Election Law Center at Florida State aims for long-term state support
Florida State University's Election Law Center – aimed to improve the integrity of elections – is one step closer to ensuring its future. The Senate Committee on Education Postsecondary met at the Florida Capitol Monday afternoon and cleared a measure (SB 892) to officially create the center, housed in FSU's College of Law, in state statutes. That will better enable it to receive recurring state funding, according to state Sen. Corey Simon, the Tallahassee Republican who sponsored the bill. The Florida Legislature awarded the center a nonrecurring appropriation of $1 million in 2023, but receiving recurring funds from the state's yearly spending plan will help the program remain in existence indefinitely. "The bill provides that the center will be funded through appropriations in the General Appropriations Act, charitable donations and grants, and other university funds," a staff analysis says. Further, putting it in state law "will also bolster its ability to attract top-tier talent in election law, election administration and statistical and quantitative analysis,' said Simon, an FSU alumnus, during the brief Monday meeting. It's not yet clear how much the center will get; lawmakers have yet to tackle the annual budget bill. The state's fiscal year runs July 1-June 30. The FSU Election Law Center – spearheaded by law professor Michael Morley – conducts nonpartisan research to provide evidence-based analyses of issues in election laws, which govern the way elections are conducted. Through the initiative, faculty and students work with election administrators, legislators and policymakers to improve election laws, regulations and procedures with the goals of creating better voting opportunities and strengthening public confidence in electoral outcomes. In addition, the center helps FSU law students understand how to enhance the public's understanding of the electoral system. It also offers the student learners scholarships, externships and research fellowships to support careers in election law – a field that includes topics such as political spending, voting rights, ballot propositions, redistricting, gerrymandering and campaign finance. During the committee's meeting Monday, second-year law student, or "2L," Jack Rowan expressed his 'strong' support of the bill ahead of the vote, touching on the work the center has done in providing training sessions and hosting conferences. Rowan referred to a two-day conference hosted earlier this month ahead of the 25th anniversary of Bush v. Gore, where key players of one of the most consequential election cases in U.S. history as well as leading academics on election law came together on campus to talk about the case and the election. "The Election Law Center has already done fantastic work at FSU (College of) Law,' said Rowan, a Jacksonville native who graduated fall 2022 with a bachelor's degree in political science, also from FSU. 'I hope it will continue to do that.' Simon's measure has two more committees to clear before it can be considered by the full Senate. A House companion (HB 1055) also was assigned to three committees but has not yet had a hearing. Tarah Jean is a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at tjean@ and follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Legislation on FSU Election Law Center would ensure its future
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House, Senate leaders launch into session focused on insurance, agriculture
Lawmakers convene in a joint session in the Florida House of Representatives chamber to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis deliver the State of the State address on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Kicking off a new era when legislative leaders are expected to exercise more independence from Gov. Ron DeSantis than in recent years, Florida's two Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday outlined priorities for the annual 60-day session. Although they're pursuing different agendas, Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez both touched on the availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance. Conversely, DeSantis said in his State of the State speech that the state's homeowner's insurance market is stable, touting changes made by the Legislature in 2022 and 2023 and stressing the need to fund a state program for homeowners who harden their homes against hurricanes. Perez said the House would subpoena insurance company executives in light of a Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times story about a state-commissioned report showing that Florida insurers pleaded poverty while transferring billions of dollars to out-of-state affiliates. 'A couple of years ago, the insurance industry came to the Legislature and said [that] without sweeping reforms companies could not compete in Florida. We have since learned of the reports in existence at the time but not disclosed to the Legislature that may suggest some insurance companies were using accounting tricks to hide substantial profits while telling us they were in a crisis. Shock,' Perez said sarcastically. He said he will empower the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee to place witnesses under oath, issue subpoenas, and hire outside legal counsel. His remarks were met with a spate of applause. Albritton also used his speech to address homeowner's insurance saying, 'We'll hold insurance companies accountable for the rates they charge and the services they provide when disaster strikes. They aren't going to manipulate the system. And neither is any other industry. Not on my watch.' The Florida Legislature meets annually to conduct the state's business, although lately the work has spilled over into special sessions, including one held only recently to assist in the Trump administration's efforts at mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. While lawmakers will consider hundreds of proposals while in the capital city, they are only required to pass one piece of legislation: the General Appropriations Act, or state budget. Perez insisted he has no plan to impose his personal political priorities on the House, but he did stress the need to address homeowners' insurance, fiscal responsibility, and curbing government spending. 'We are the guardians of the taxpayers. We have rightly pushed back on local governments for allowing the growth in property taxes … while congratulating ourselves for giving easy-to-fund nonrecurring tax holidays,' he said. Albritton made clear his personal interest was agriculture, including protection of Florida's citrus industry, which has been in decline because of blight and competition with land developers. 'I was born and bred in Florida citrus, and this vital industry is not going down on my watch,' Albritton said. 'To those growers who are left in the business, hear me when I say, you are not forgotten, you are not alone, and I'm running to this fight.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Among his other priorities were efficiency, echoing calls from the Trump administration and its DOGE initiative. 'It's not enough to know government is completing a task or providing a service, we need to know if that service is being provided well, which means we need to have new, innovative ways to measure performance,' Albritton said, mentioning a focus on information technology. 'Despite everyone's best efforts, we can't seem to get it quite right,' Albritton said. 'There is no doubt in my mind, it's time for IT to be a Cabinet-level agency.' The House has a subcommittee focused on technology policy and budgeting. In the weeks leading to the 2025 session, the panel heard IT presentations from the state agencies that are requesting funding in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget to continue their efforts. Albritton also highlighted the initiative he's dubbed the 'Rural Renaissance,' which would create an office dedicated to rural communities and provide grants to counties with declining population. The package would fund infrastructure projects, focus on housing accessibility, and incentivize teachers, doctors, and nurses to practice in rural areas. The price tag is $197.4 million. Perez encouraged members to work with each other on legislation and not to be myopic and focused only on their own bills. 'Lean in and offer help, because that's how I'm going to be spending my time over the next 60 days,' he said. 'How do we make good bills great? How do we get great bills across the finish line and turned into laws together? We can produce policies that will matter to the real lives of the people of Florida. We are the House of Representatives. We are the tellers of the truth.' Leaders from both chambers took time to acknowledge Sen. Geraldine Thompson's sudden death following complications from knee surgery, with Albritton breaking into tears. The Senate, he said, would honor Sen. Thompson next week. Albritton began his remarks by paying respects to his 'dear friend' and called Thompson's passing a 'profound loss for the Senate.' 'I'm sure when Geri went home, she heard the words, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant,'' Albritton said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
