At least three Democratic state legislators have joined all four Democrats running for governor and an array of public education advocates, including the state’s teachers' union, in calling for a special session to address Florida’s education budget before Fiscal Year 2019 begins on July 1.
Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Kendall, announced Wednesday that she supports the requests of Reps. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, and Nicholas Duran, D-Miami, for lawmakers to return to Tallahassee to refashion the Department of Education’s budget.
“Tallahassee has failed our public school system by refusing to provide adequate funding for students and mishandling the protection of our students and teachers,” Taddeo stated in a Twitter post.
“I join my colleagues in calling for a special legislative session to solve these education issues so that our students can learn in safe and nurturing schools,” she said.
The South Florida Democratic lawmakers, along with the Florida Teachers Union, Florida Education Association and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents maintain the $26 billion education budget adopted within the massive omnibus package, House Bill 7055, during the 2018 legislative session does not adequately fund needs.
They also claim the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, quickly crafted and approved in the wake of the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, is imposing unanticipated complications on school districts across the state.
Legislators added $101.5 million to the Florida Education Finance Program's (FEFP), boosting the annual per-student allocation to more than $7,400 in HB 7055.
But critics maintain only 47 cents of that increase is dedicated to school operations with more than 54 cents diverted into specific allocations, including components of the Stoneman Douglas Act.
The $400 million school safety measure appropriates $99 million for school hardening, $97.5 million for additional school safety officers, $69 million for school-based mental health care services and $67 million for a program to non-teacher volunteers to serve as armed school marshals on school property.
The Florida State Board of Education on Wednesday approved the appointment of Damien Kelly to be the director of the newly created Office of School Safety, which will coordinate the program.
The most controversial component of the Stoneman Douglas Act is allowing vetted and trained school staff volunteers to carry firearms in schools.
A discretionary measure, many school boards have said they will opt out of the program, although most have not issued formal decisions, which they are required to do by July 1.
In March, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) issued a statement that many districts will not be able to staff at least one armed person at each school, which the law mandates, even if they wanted to.
FADSS also said the funding formula benefits smaller districts while deflating the allocation for larger ones. With more than 54 cents of the $101.50 increase dedicated to specific allocations, they said the budget unfairly ties districts’ hands.
Last week, Jones and Duran issued statements calling for a special session to address the DERP overall and to “untie” the 54 cents from dedicated allocations.
Jones said schools are being forced to “hemorrhage qualified educators and the resources necessary to function at the most basic level” to pay for mandated costs that should go to school operations.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Orlando businessman Chris King and former Congresswoman Gwen Graham have all issued statements supporting a special session.
“If we fail to secure this special session this year, I will push for one next year as governor,” Gillum said.
“A 47 cent increase to Florida’s per-student education funding is embarrassing and a failure to our children,” Levine said. “As governor, I will make sure that the Legislature stays in session until they properly fund our public schools.”
Gov. Rick Scott, who is challenging incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson for the U.S. Senate, has not responded to the special session call, although he issued a statement after the session that there was enough money in the education budget to address all needs.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Lutz, and Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, have expressed no interest in a special session for education or anything else.
Both have previously rebuffed calls for special sessions to provide additional funding to the Florida Department of Correction to avoid a 40-percent cut in substance abuse and mental health re-entry services for inmates and parolees, and to reconcile a number of gaming-related issues.
To convene a special session, Scott can authorize it on his own, or Corcoran and Negron can jointly call lawmakers to Tallahassee.
For Florida lawmakers to initiate a special session, 20 percent of members (24 in the House, eight in the Senate) must get three-fifths of the legislature (72 in the House, 24 in the Senate) to agree.
