$920 million endorsed for schools

Gainesville Sun - September 21, 2001
By CARRIE MILLER
Sun staff writer

JACKSONVILLE -- The post-hijackings chill on Florida's tourism-dependent economy is further constricting an already tight state budget, Education Secretary Jim Horne told the Florida Board of Education on Thursday.

But that won't necessarily translate into fewer dollars for public education in 2002-2003, Horne told the board, which voted without discussion Thursday to recommend a $920.3 million "K-20" construction and maintenance budget for that school year.

"I don't think it's time now to be panicking and looking at doom and gloom scenarios," Horne said, while acknowledging that "our airports aren't full, our hotels aren't full and much of our economy is driven by tourism."

In greater danger of being cut are existing-year budgets for state agencies, including universities. State agencies were asked this week to come up with detailed plans for how they would cut 5 percent from this year's budget and to send them to the Florida Senate and House by Sept. 30. Gov. Jeb Bush announced Thursday that he plans to call a special session to deal with an expected budget shortfall.

"In the past, we've done these budget-cutting exercises, but we haven't put any real detail to them," Horne said. "Now, we're going through it in a more meaningful way.

"Let's be honest, we're in troubled times right now," he said. "There's no substitute for being prepared."

Among the $209.7 million in university construction projects recommended by the board on Thursday are $30 million in University of Florida projects, including the first $13.6 million of a $28.7 million renovation and addition to Library West, and the first $9.9 million of a $12.6 million addition to Holland Law Library.

The board recommended that Alachua County public schools receive $2.55 million in maintenance money and $1.39 million in new construction money from the Public Education Capital Outlay fund.

The board's recommendation now goes to the Cabinet, which retains constitutional authority over education until Jan. 1, 2003. The Legislature must then approve the recommendations.

Because the PECO fund represents 2.5 percent of gross receipts from Floridians' telecommunications and utility bills, it is more reliable than other state revenues, which are heavily dependent on sales taxes. With high fuel prices driving up consumers' utility bills, there was $200 million more PECO money available this year, said Board of Education Budget Director Larry Wood.

Also in the $920 million PECO budget was $36.2 million for charter school construction and $51.3 million for special K-12 construction projects, including four new high schools and three new elementary schools not in Alachua County.

Also on Thursday, the board began discussing how it will conduct strategic planning and instructed Horne to recommend an outside consultant to the board as soon as possible.

Board member Charles Garcia told board Chairman Phil Handy he was under the impression that a consultant would be in place by Thursday's meeting. After listening to staff representatives from K-12, community colleges and the State University System describe their strategic planning process, Garcia said he was "singularly unimpressed."

He said the board should be working with a professional strategic planning consultant and "not amateurs."

"If I want to go to the moon, I'm going to go find an astronaut," Garcia said, "I'm not going to hire a bus driver."

Today, the board will get updates on the ongoing rewrite of the Florida School Code and the planned reorganization of the Department of Education.

Carrie Miller can be reached at 338-3103 or carrie.miller@gainesvillesun.com.

See September 21, 2001 issue of Gainesville Sun for original article.