Legislature Reaches Agreement on Education Capital Budget Funding

Charter Schools will get $300 per student and Public Schools $28 per student

Late Sunday afternoon the House and Senate Budget Conference Chairmen reached an agreement on Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO). The totals are detailed below. Follow this link to video: http://goo.gl/wfBldH

The Senate agreed to the House’s funding. The House proposed that the 640 charter schools (or 251,082 students) will $75,000,000 PECO funds, and the 3,629 public schools (or 2,587,554 students) would also get $75,000,000 in PECO funds. If you break this down per student that is $298 per student going to Charter Schools and $28 per student going to Public Schools. Originally the Senate’s version of the budget did not include any PECO funds going to charter schools but today the Senate agreed to the House’s funding.

What may make matters worse is that this week the Senate will take up several “train bills” which include forcing school districts to share the 1.5 mills in locally collected Capital Outlay funds. The Florida House has already approved a bill requiring school districts to share the 1.5 mills. This was an issue that Rep. Erik Fresen, the chairman of Florida House Education Appropriations subcommittee argued in a controversial report his subcommittee released. (see previous blog, Rep. Fresen battles with superintendents over construction costs)

Rep. Fresen’s interest in forcing more capital funds to charter schools has been questioned because of Rep. Fresen’s close ties to charter schools including being a land consultant for Civica, an architecture firm with a specialty in building charter schools and his brother-in-law and sister are executives for Academica one of the largest charter school management companies in Florida.

FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY – MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, RENOVATION, AND REMODELING

Funds in Specific Appropriation shall be allocated as follows:

Charter Schools ……………………………………….. 75,000,000

Public Schools …………………………………………. 75,000,000

Florida College System ………………………………. 36,155,369

State University System …………………………….. 61 ,804,669

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