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Update #2
FASA Friday Facts for July 11, 2008
In this weeks FASA Friday Facts: News
Links, Welcome New FASA Members, FASA Goes Digital, Mike Tremor's BITS
and DITS, Connecting Good Ideas and Good People, Upcoming Events, Who
to Contact and our Featured FASA Sponsor, eChalk.
Good morning!
Summer is heating up in
Tallahassee and so is the battle over the proposed constitutional
amendments on November's ballot. Last week FASA joined a coalition of
organizations to file suit in Leon County Court to remove Amendment 5,
known as the 'tax swap', from the ballot. The basis of our suit is
that Amendment 5's language fails to clearly inform voters of its
chief purpose and misleads them into thinking that it is just about
school property taxes.
Coalition members that were named parties in the complaint include the
Florida School Boards Association; Florida Association of District
School Superintendents; Florida Association of School Administrators;
Florida Farm Bureau Federation; Florida Institute of Certified Public
Accountants; National Federation of Independent Business-Florida;
Associated Industries of Florida; Printing Association of Florida;
Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and Beverly Slough.
Although each group has different motivations for joining the effort,
seldom do you see such a broad coalition of business, agriculture and
health care groups supporting education on any issue. Economists
estimate Amendment 5 would create at least a $9 billion hole in
Florida's budget. FASA believes that if this amendment passes, the
state will be forced to make up the shortfall by dramatically
increasing other taxes and major cuts in service. After this year,
there's just nothing left to cut in our schools!
The fact is that Florida already spends less than almost any other
state on education. Amendment 5, when combined with other issues on
the ballot, will drive a stake through the heart of our public
schools. If the intent and language of this amendment was
clear, I simply do not believe the people of Florida would choose to
vote away their public schools.
That is the choice voters will be forced to make in November. The FASA
Board of Directors will confront this challenge directly at next
week's summer conference which will be devoted entirely to creating a
political action and communication campaign designed to Save Our
Schools this November!
If you're unable to attend the conference this year, you can still
help by taking our Constitutional Amendment Survey on line at the
"School Zone"
powered by K12 Insight.
To read a brief of the lawsuit filed last week
click this link.
To read the press release about the lawsuit
click
this link.
Have a great day and enjoy the remaining summer!
Jim Warford
To send Jim a personal
message:
jwarford@fasa.net
Update #1
JULY 2008 HASA BRIEFS
Dear HASA members:
The following are two issues that you need to be
informed about.
1. Florida’s December ballot will have three
amendments that will greatly effect, if they are approved by the
voters, public school education in Florida for manyyears to come. HASA
will be working with the Tampa Bay Area Coalition, FASA, the
Hillsborough Advocates of Public Education (HAPE) and other
educational groups to educate the public about these amendments. The
following very informative article was written by Jim Warford, FASA’s
Executive Director.
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On Monday this week, FASA President, Christi
Moss joined State Senator MikeHaridopolos of Indialantic, Wayne
Blanton, Executive Director of the SchoolBoards Association,
along with business, health care and civic organizations in a
news conference to announce beginning of a campaign to fight the
"tax swap" amendment on Florida's ballot this November.
Haridopolos is considered one of the Legislature's top budget
experts and is in line to be Senate President in 2010-2012.
Monday's press conference called for a series of
10 public debates on Amendment 5 which was put on the ballot by
the Tax and Budget Reform Commission. Amendment 5 would wipe out
the required county property tax levy for schools resulting in
the loss of $9-$10 billion dollars in school funding while
directing future legislators to somehow make up the difference.
Senator Haridopolos said, "We consider this a
simple bait-and-switch ... and under the guise of property tax
relief we think in a lot of ways this is a wolf in sheep's
clothing," Haridopolos said. "This plan would make politicians,
two and a half to three years from now, figure out what to do.
We've got enough problems in Florida, the last thing we need are
self-made problems and we consider this to be nothing more than
a Robin Hood in reverse."
FASA's position is that Amendment 5 will create
a funding nightmare for Florida schools. It would require both
multibillion-dollar tax increases and drastic cuts in state
spending to make up the difference. Amendment 5 is a $9-billion
gamble for education. If it passes, we will go from what is
already a terrible funding situation to a true disaster for
Florida's children.
Former Senate President John McKay, said former
House Speaker Allen Bense might join with him in debating
Haridopolos and other opponents of the amendment. Bense chaired
the Tax and Budget Reform Commission, which put the amendment on
the ballot. McKay said he thought the amendment has an
"excellent" chance of passing in November. "I think our chances
are quite good," said McKay.
When combined with the Taxation and Budget
Commission's proposed Amendment's 7 and 9, these three changes
our state's constitution do nothing less than drive a stake in
the heart of Florida's public schools. The clear intent of these
three amendments is to reduce public school funding while at the
same time send public tax dollars to private religious schools.
To get more information about the Taxation and
Budget Commission or to read the exact wording of Amendment's 5,
7 and 9, go to:
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/initiativelist.asp?year=2008.
November's election is shaping up to be one of truly historic
importance at both the national and state level. There is
certain to be a record turnout. For Florida school leaders the
issues have never been more important. Please don't vote away
your public schools.
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2. At HASA’s urging, on June 10, 2008, Superintendent
MaryEllen Elia recommended and the School Board approved the adoption
of an Alternative Certification Program for all school district
administrators, supervisors, and managers. This program will be
administered by Mr. Chuck Fleming the Director of Staff Development.
The following are some preliminary points of information which will be
further developed as the program is implemented during the 2008 – 2009
school year.
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A pilot program will be
announced and a couple of courses will be available for the Fall of
2008 – 09.
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Prior to the beginning of
the 2008 – 09 school year, an announcement in the Administrative
Bulletin will state the particulars on how to sign up for the series
of courses.
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Mr. Chuck Fleming, the
Director of Staff development, will serve as the point of contact
regarding questions or information.
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District level
administrators, supervisors, and managers interested in taking
advantage of the alternative route in lieu of a degree in
Educational Leadership should contact Sally Colhouer in the Staff
Development Office and complete a Letter of Intent prior to
September 1, 2008.
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