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Suncoast Pasco News
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Bankrupt Idea
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Published: October 15, 2008
The people behind the 2000 referendum on amending the Florida constitution to place limits on the number of students in public school thought they had a clever way to force the Legislature to spend more money on public education. We've always thought changing the constitution is a bad way to make public policy, but eight years ago voters approved the class size limits.
A lot, however, has happened in the eight years since then. That lists includes 9/11, the Iraq War, the tax revolt in Florida sparked by soaring property values and the loss of even more tax revenue from the subsequent collapse of the Florida house-building and real estate sectors and the current nationwide financial turmoil.
Public education officials around Florida now say neither school districts nor the state have the money to implement the class size amendment. Pasco School Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said last week class size limits could "bankrupt" the state.
The class limits were supposed to take effect this school year, but the Legislature delayed them for a year. Now many public school officials want a second one-year reprieve and a review of the whole class size limit amendment issue.
Given the current stark economic realities, we hope both wishes come true. We also hope Floridians learn a lesson from all of this.
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