Coalition Special Session on Budget Cuts Update

							                 Coalition Special Session on Budget Cuts Update


       On Wednesday August, 29, 2007, the Coalition lobbyists met with House Policy and Budget
Council staff to discuss the budget cut recommendations approved by the Coalition at their August
13, 2007 meeting. In addition, many districts had individual meetings with local delegation
members to share the Coalition recommendations. We are pleased to report that many of these
recommendations were included in the House and Senate proposals released today. In the House
Policy and Budget Council’s meeting held today, their education proposal included:

          Delaying MAP payout until the 2008-2009 school year. ($147.5m)

          Restoring $125 million of the $383 million in cuts to the FEFP with nonrecurring funds.
           Categoricals are not cut.

          Allowing flexibility of spending within the Instructional Materials and Reading
           Categoricals (including allowing a one year delay in the instructional materials adoption
           cycle).

          Allowing a one year waiver of the Class Size Reduction Penalty requiring transfer of
           CSR operating to capital outlay for noncompliance.

While the total amounts of K-12 education cuts are identical between the House and Senate
proposals, there are differences in how the cuts are made. The Senate proposal also includes the
delay of paying MAP until 2008 school year. The differences include:

          Taking a smaller cut from the FEFP and restoring with nonrecurring dollars.

          Cutting CSR, Instructional Material and Transportation categoricals and restoring
           portions of these cuts with nonrecurring dollars.

          Making cuts in Non-FEFP funding (where many special projects are funded) and
           restoring with non-recurring dollars.

          Allowing flexibility within the Instructional Material, Reading and ESE Guaranteed
           categoricals, with parameters for showing transfers are spent on classroom instructional
           activities.

          Limited Class Size Reduction Penalty Waiver to allow for the transfer penalty amount to
           be reduced by the same percentage as the categorical is reduced.



Submitted by: Darvin Boothe, Seminole County
              Wendy Dodge, Polk County
              Scott Howat, Orange County
              Tim Huth, Volusia County
              Connie Milito, Hillsborough County
              Juhan Mixon, Brevard, Manatee, Marion, and Osceola Counties