Florida lawmakers cry foul over rising property taxes paying for increased education spending

TALLAHASSEE — When Gov. Rick Scott rolls out his budget proposal Monday, he’ll talk about spending more money on schools, but some fellow Republicans say he’s not telling taxpayers the whole truth. A spike in school spending will have to come from higher property taxes on businesses and homeowners in Florida, and that has Republican…

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Florida Republicans again look at closing state’s massive public pension system to new members

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republicans once again are taking aim at the Florida Retirement System, arguing taxpayers can save billions of dollars by closing the huge public employee pension program to new members and offering them a 401k-style investment plan. The proposal, which is expected to be offered by House members in the coming legislative session,…

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Stuck with huge bills for Internet service that barely works, Calhoun County schools have missed out on the digital revolution.

Here in the tiny town of Vardaman, everything moves slowly. Especially the Internet at the local high school. The trouble begins early each morning. Teachers sweet-talk their computers while trying to load the school’s online attendance system. A few get lucky. The rest shake their heads, write the names of absent children on a sheet…

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Florida ‘schools of choice’ numbers soar in a year, prompting call for clearer definitions

Florida school districts dramatically increased their use of a loophole in the state’s class size law last year, according to newly released Department of Education data that’s bolstering lawmakers’ call for changes to the rule. By the numbers, districts identified 56 percent more of their schools as “schools of choice” in 2014-15 than a year…

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