The early end to this year’s legislative session, without an approved budget, has put Florida school district leaders on edge.
Even in normal circumstances, school boards often struggle to craft spending plans largely dictated by state funding formulas. This year, they face the task without any hard numbers as a starting point.
“It’s exceedingly difficult,” Pinellas school superintendent Mike Grego said. “We’re not a for-profit company with excess reserves” to rely upon.
School districts begin their fiscal year July 1, although they don’t have to adopt a budget until September. That means they regularly operate each fall on tentative plans, using money carried over from the previous year.
