South Florida’s school districts brace for funding hit

Between losing federal dollars and a proposed hit to statewide education spending, South Florida school districts will be forced to make tough cuts next year, both superintendents said this week. Colleges, too, won’t get the funding they expected.

BY CARLI TEPROFF, MICHAEL VASQUEZ AND KATHLEEN McGRORY

It’s the worst possible scenario, say South Florida’s schools officials. At the same time millions in federal stimulus dollars are running out, the governor’s budget calls for the state to slash education spending by 10 percent.

“The levees will burst as they did in Hurricane Katrina,’’ said Broward Superintendent Jim Notter. “We will have a disaster on our hands.’’

Of the $4.6 billion in cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott, more than $3.3 billion – or 71 percent – apply to education. ...


“A $214 million cut is the beginning of the demise of our public school system,” said Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

The leaders of both school districts said this week that would mean jobs and programs going back on the chopping block.

“If this condition does not change dramatically,’’ said Carvalho, “we will be joining the pack of many districts before us that have started to [fire teachers].”

Of Miami-Dade’s $4 billion budget, more than 80 percent goes to salaries. Of Broward’s $1.9 billion budget, it’s about 85 percent. ...

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