You may have never heard of Roberto Martinez but he has a lot to say about public education in Florida. Mr. Martinez is a member of the Florida Board of Education. A Georgetown Law graduate, he also holds a Masters in Accounting and a B.S. in Economics from the prestigious Wharton School of Business at…
This week, Kathleen Oropeza and Linda Kobert visited Bradenton to attend a meeting of parent representatives from local schools. Their group, headed by Christine Sket, has decided to join forces with FundEducationNow.org. About 40 parents in the Manatee school district formally merged with the group during the district’s Joint Parent Organization quarterly meeting on Tuesday.…
The White House released a report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week. The study shows that the money saved 250,000 education jobs this year. 9% of Florida’s education budget is being propped up this year by Federal money. However, the crisis has not been averted. States nationwide are experiencing severe budget shortfalls…
Leaders of three organizations — the University of Miami, the Miami Business Forum and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce — contend an investment in young children can help fuel Florida’s economic revival. Research shows that for every dollar that is invested in the best early childhood education programs, there is a $3 to $18…
Governor Crist’s budget director sent a memo this week to all agency chiefs, including Education Commissioner Eric Smith, because budget requests were due on Thursday October 15th. The memo reminds them that the state faces a $2.6 billion deficit for critical needs next year. It then goes on to state “we anticipate no requested increases…
Lawton “Bud” Chiles, son of the late Governor Chiles, is retracing his father’s 600 mile walk around Florida to raise awareness for children’s issues. This weekend, his walk took him through Okaloosa County in the panhandle where he visited a pre-K facility and learned how a decline in state funding has put a burden on…
We at FundEducationNow.org have been traveling around the state talking about the economic importance of investing in a world-class education system. As a state, we have sent a clear and consistent message that we do not put a high value on education or on anything child-related. We consistently rank in the bottom quartile of states…
On Tuesday, Amy Baker from the Office of Economic and Demographic Research gave her forecast to the Senate Budget Committee. The news was grim. Florida is facing a budget shortfall of $2.6 billion to its critical needs. State governments are required by law to produce balanced budgets so new cuts will have to be made…
In a letter dated October 5th, Commissioner Eric Smith warns school superintendents across the state that Florida is facing major deficits for critical needs including education. In his memo, he warns that deficits could be nearly 23%. It is unclear if the legislature has the stomach to find any new sources of revenue but it…