Invitation to a Red Wedding

The 2020-21 budget is finally on the Governor’s desk. On Monday he warned: “There’ll be a lot of red,” he said, referring to the metaphorical red pen used to cut budgets. “It’s kind of the veto equivalent of the Red Wedding from ‘Game of Thrones.'”

Does that mean the new $500 million Teacher Salary Increase Allocation is at risk? When asked, DeSantis said “Teacher raises are important. I said I’m going to veto some things in my budget. I’m not going to veto everything in my budget.”

Florida TaxWatch, a government watchdog group who publishes an annual “Budget Turkeys report,” released a second report this week titled “Bringing Florida’s Budget Back From Covid-19.” In it, TaxWatch declares the current Covid crisis as “one of the worst economic recessions in history,” resulting in “unprecedented fiscal challenges and budget shortfalls that have made business-as-usual in state government unsustainable.” Their report “presents immediately actionable ideas in the event that a significant budget deficit occurs in FY2020-21.” One such “idea” is to postpone teacher pay increases…

The problem with “saving” $500 million by delaying teacher raises until 2021-22, is that most of the $500 million needed for the salary increases was found during a “budget exercise” which resulted in:

• $284.5 Million Best and Brightest Teacher/Principal Allocation ELIMINATED
• $4 million Declining Enrollment Supplement ELIMINATED
• $3 million Virtual Education ELIMINATED
• $12 million REDUCTION in the Digital Classroom Allocation
• SMALLER increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA) of only $40/student, compared to $75 last year (which would have required $258 million more, or $74 million more if the budget had contained the Governor’s requested BSA increase of $50/student).

In other words, most, if not all, of the $500 million allocated for teacher salaries was not created with new funding to districts but  represents funds which were shifted around from other education budget categories. To eliminate the salary categorical now, would mean a significant cut to education funding just when the expenses of re-opening schools during a pandemic are piling up.

HB641, which also sits on the Governor’s desk, contains the language for the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation and the repeal of the “Best and Brightest” teacher/principal bonus program. For years, teachers had asked for raises, not continued bonus programs. HB641 outlines how each school district and charter school is required to use their portion of the allocation  to increase the minimum base salary for a full-time classroom teacher. The bill, also, forbids the reduction of the salary increases in subsequent years.

In the midst of “unprecedented fiscal challenges and budget shortfalls that have made business-as-usual in state government unsustainable,” is it wise for the State to be setting teacher salaries in stone? Will future pandemic-induced budget reductions force districts, forbidden by law from enacting salary reductions, to lay off teachers? The thought is concerning…

Can the Governor postpone Teacher Salaries without a special session? Should he proceed with them as written, when passing them into law may force teacher layoffs in the future? While postponing the salary allocation might “save” the State $500 million, the districts will be left with budget holes. Could the Governor authorize flexible spending within the Education budget, allowing the $500 million re-appropriated for teacher salaries to be used to offset the added expense of re-opening schools during a pandemic this year?

While DeSantis sharpens his veto pen, preparing us for a blood bath, we wonder: In the midst of this global crisis, can we count on the State “to make adequate provision for the education” of our children? Or will, like in Game of Thrones, political games prevail?