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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…
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…
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…
Orlando Sentinel http://bit.ly/pXNXR Threat of school cuts sent Orlando mom into action Leslie Postal Sentinel Staff Writer August 2, 2009 Sunday Spotlight Kathleen Oropeza Birthplace: Atlanta Resides: Orlando Occupation: Stay-at-home mom, active in PTA and school advisory council at Blankner School, one of the founders of Fundeducationnow.org Family: Husband, Keith; sons Nicholas, 9, and Alexander, As economic news…
Editorial, Miami Herald Thurs. July 16, 2009 Gov. Charlie Crist keeps hailing the federal stimulus package as a magic job-saver — on Wednesday he pointed to $2 billion of the money helping 26,000 teachers stay employed in Florida. The governor’s pronouncement came a day after President Barack Obama pledged $12 billion for the nation’s community…