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Thursday, March 25, 2010

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Chris Clark

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Florida Senate passes SJR 2 to “Right Size” Class Size

Proposal Places Amendment to Update Class Size Before Florida Voters

Tallahassee – Today the Florida Senate voted to give local parents and educators limited flexibility in implementing state class size mandates.  Senate Joint Resolution 2, sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) maintains the class size limits approved by voters in 2002 and allows those limits to continue to be calculated on a school average, as is now the case.

"Since 2002, the people have Florida have invested $16 billion to reduce class sizes.  Nearly six thousand new classrooms have been built and 21,000 more teachers have been hired.  This bill will maintain all of those gains," according to Senator Gaetz.  "What we want to avoid is the forced busing, rezoning, and disruption in student learning that school districts tell us would occur if our local schools are forced to adhere to inflexible, per class caps."

The bill, which passed the Senate by 26 to 12 with Republican and Democratic support, keeps in place the limit of 18 students in K-3 classes, 22 students in grades 4-8, and 25 students in high school core classes.  By allowing calculation of class sizes at a school average, a third grade class could have 19 students so long as another third grade class in the same school enrolled no more than 17 students.  The bill places limits on averaging to prevent any K-3 classroom from having more than 3 more students or 4-12 classroom from having any more than 5 additional students.

The 2002 mandate scheduled to be fully implemented in the 2010-2011 school year would force classes to be split and a new teacher to be hired if the 19th third grader, 23rd seventh grader or 26th high school student enrolled in a neighborhood school.  School officials have testified that would severely disrupt the learning environment and create substantial added cost at a time when local school budgets are already stretched.

Representative Will Weatherford is sponsoring the House companion to SJR 2.  If approved by 3/5's of the Legislature, the proposal would go to Florida voters at the November, 2010, general election.  Sixty percent of voters must approve any constitutional modification.

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“Jobs for Florida” Passes Senate Unanimously

 Revitalizes businesses, encourages job creation, and strengthens Florida’s economy

Tallahassee – Today, the Senate unanimously passed “Jobs for Florida”, an economic development package to strengthen Florida’s economy and encourage job growth.  Senate Bill 1752 is sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville), Senator Jeremy Ring (D-Margate) and members of the Senate Select Committee on Florida’s Economy, which Gaetz chairs. 

“’Jobs for Florida’ is a bold series of actions designed to remove disincentives that impede job creation and make our state more competitive with our neighbors,” said Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach).  “This legislation was the product of a bipartisan commitment to improving the odds for Florida businesses and families.”

“Jobs for Florida” is the product of hearings held in Tallahassee and around the state to listen to Floridians engaged in job creation as well as ideas gathered at a jobs summit hosted by Senate President-designate Mike Haridopolos and Speaker-designate Dean Cannon.  The Select Committee also conducted a “gap analysis” of effective job development policies in other states compared to Florida.

“This is not a ‘government jobs program,’” Chairman Gaetz said.  “Government only creates government jobs.  Our ports, defense-related industries, space and film industries, and marine and aerospace industries will now be able to compete far more effectively to keep and attract high-paying, permanent jobs in the private sector.”

"Florida's long-term success is dependent upon growing existing industry, attracting outside businesses and encouraging entrepreneurship to thrive,”  said Senator Ring, the Select Committee’s vice chair.  "This bill is an important first step to building the strong knowledge-based and diverse economy our state needs to bring high-wage jobs to Florida.”

Senate Bill 1752 revitalizes key industries and improves the job creation environment in the state by:

• Removing tax disincentives that drive boat and aircraft purchases and maintenance out of the state
• Creating a tax credit for small and large businesses that hire unemployed Floridians
• Accelerating tax credits for capital-intensive industries in return for adding new, high-paying jobs
• Improving competitiveness of Florida ports by granting tax credits in return for job creation
• Commercializing research done in Florida universities and by Florida companies through a combination of state and federal grants
• Doubling the state’s film incentive to include digital media companies producing long-term jobs in Florida
• Supporting the space industry with financing for new and expanded space-related businesses, re-training workers now engaged in the Shuttle program and funding flexibility for Space Florida
• Disposing of state-owned, non-conservation lands with proceeds used for job creation and economic development
• Incenting Florida-based manufacturers to invest in machinery and equipment over the next two years
• Re-authorizing the Qualified Target Industry Incentive to link tax refunds with the number of jobs created, wages paid and location of businesses
• Establishing the State University Research Commercialization Grant Program, a source of seed capital to take to market products developed by publically sponsored research
• Requiring greater transparency and “return on investment” results in the use of economic development funds
• Improving the ability of local governments to receive delegated authority from the state to avoid duplicative and triplicative regulatory reviews of the same project
• Helping first-time home buyers by extending the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program

The Senate Select Committee on Florida’s Economy was created by President Atwater to propose legislation that will create incentives and eliminate impediments to economic recovery and growth.  It also works to identify and develop policies that will cause government to function more simply, more transparently, less expensively and more effectively.

Representative Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) is sponsoring a similar bill in the House of Representatives.   

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For more information about this or any other issue, please contact Senator Don Gaetz, by e-mail at gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov, by letter, 4300 Legendary Drive, Suite 230, Destin, FL 32541or call 1-866-450-4DON toll free from anywhere in Florida.