Friday, February 22, 2013

Governor’s Recommended 2013-2014 Budget May Not Cut it

A-1 SUPERINTENDENT’S INFORMATIONAL REPORTS TO THE BOARD ON SELECTED TOPICS

Governor’s Recommended 2013-2014 Budget May Not Cut It

Governor Rick Scott is proposing a $1.2 billion increase in funding for K-12 public schools. There is no extra tax constraint attached to the governor's new budget. The budget accounts for 22,000 new students and is broken in to two categories: teachers' salaries and technology.  Governor Scott appropriates 480 million dollars to provide classroom teachers with a salary increase of $2,500, including benefits covering FICA and Florida Retirement Service. Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) will receive 57 million dollars to provide the teachers raises and the FRS associated with the Social Security and FICA.  This is subject to collective bargaining. The second category, technology, Governor Scott appropriates 100 million dollars to acquire devices and improve broadband to improve the digital infrastructure.
Governor Scott specifically allocates 122 million dollars to M-DCPS; 109 million dollars to the Florida Educator Finance Program (FEFP) and 13 million dollars through the technology grant. The money comes with instructions and expenditure requirements. The Governor appropriates 17 million dollars for school recognition funds and M-DCPS will receive approximately 7 million dollars; of that money will go to schools that maintain a letter grade of an "A" or increases increase to a “B” or higher, in form of performance bonus. Also, in the teacher salaries category M-DCPS would receive 2 million dollars for supply gift certificates. The supply gift certificates will replace the Teacher Led Program, which was given to teachers as a part of their checks, will now be given in the form of a gift certificate. In addition, in the teacher salaries category is teacher pension; M-DCPS will receive 23 million dollars to mitigate the employer’s increase of FRS contribution. This leaves the M-DCPS with 6 million dollars to address insurance concerns and other benefits for other classes of employees other than teachers.
Superintendent Carvalho stated he welcomes this "bold turn around that the governor has had in regards to education funding" and expresses his concern regarding the Governor's budget and whether it will cause financial problems in the future or come with "tightly wrapped strings" that will not help with teachers health care cost, security and maintenance of facilities, etc.  Superintendent Carvalho points out that Miami-Dade County has a larger year-to-year increase in regards to health care than anywhere else in the country. Superintendent Carvalho stated salary and health care go hand in hand and they play off each other.
School Board Member Raquel Regalado, asked what has happened to Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds that usually assist in the maintenance of the schools so that MDCPS does not have to revert to 222 bond funds to maintain the schools when there is already a fund that does this (PECO)? The response from the board was that PECO Funds are limited due to the expansion of charter schools. In addition, the 222 bond funds cannot be utilized to maintain schools but rather upgrade schools.  My interpretation of this is that 222 Funds cannot be used to change a light bulb in the school but it can be used to replace the entire light fixture. PECO funds are supposed to be utilized for maintenance. The superintendent stated he wants more details as to how the money can be used and is requesting more flexibility in regards to spending of the governors designated funds and he attends to go to Tallahassee to advocate for more flexibility in the usage of the governors recommended budget. 
Governor Rick Scott's decision to increase funding for K-12 public schools by $1.2 billion is in sharp contrast to his previous decisions in regards to education funding.  In 2011, Governor Scott cut the K-12 budget by $1.75 billion, which cut per-student spending by $703. Governor Scott also, in the very same year, revamped the state's pension system by requiring all public employees enrolled in the state retirement system to contribute 3% to their retirement and took a clear stance against public schools and in favor of charter schools. Furthermore, prior to Rick Scott’s term as governor, public schools received as much as $500 million in PECO funds, but by 2012 only about $55 million was available to public schools, because lawmakers (Governor Scott having a guiding role) decided to give a majority of it to charter schools. Governor Rick Scott's current approval rating hangs in the low thirties and has never reached above the mid forties in his three years as governor, therefore, it is hard to not see Governor Scott's new desire to "invest" in "public" education as a political stance to boost his approval rating in preparation for his 2014 campaign efforts.
Posse Foundation, INC. . . . Not a Bad Idea

Posse is a college access and youth leadership development programs. Founded in 1989, because of one student who said, “I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me.” That simple idea of sending a group of students to college together to act as a support system for one another was the founding concept behind Posse. Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—Posses—of 10 students. Posse partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships.

The Posse Foundation has three goals: To expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds, help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds, ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.
Superintendent Carvalho advocated for the program to come to Miami, and he read the names of the students who are recipients of the Posse Scholarship.
The concept of having a Posse as support system is a simple yet innovative concept I see working because too often students get lost in the newness and fast pace of college life and find themselves alone in the process but this program will help alleviate that problem. There needs to be something written about cultural diversity and how this may assist in this.

D-22 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATE AND 2012-2013 COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS (revised)
In a brief consensus vote the board voted on teachers’ raises, which were previously negotiated. Also, the district’s release of $14 million in federal Race To The Top performance pay, which this year will be distributed in lesser amounts - $7,000 max, compared to $25,000 last year - and to more teachers. Which teachers will receive payouts for their work last school year, and the value of those payments, remains under negotiation.
Principals, assistant principals, secretaries and district officials, including the cabinet of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, will receive 2.25 percent pay increases, slightly less than the 2.77 average increase for teachers. Raises will be retroactive to the Dec. 21, according to the district.
This vote was relatively quick and unanimous, Carvalho will not get a pay raise, however, Carlos Curbelo board member said last week during committee meetings, “You’re (Superintendent Carvalho) not included, but that’s probably something we should think about." It is my expectation that a raise for the superintendent may be in the future.