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The association for administrators, district superintendents, principals, assistant principals, supervisors and those who support the public schools of Florida. |
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MESSAGE FROM FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JIM WARFORDOriginally published Friday, February 12, 2010.  This week in Tallahassee, Dr. Juhan Mixon and I attended a special meeting called by Senate K12 Appropriations Chair, Senator Steve Wise. The meeting included DOE Commissioner Eric Smith, FSBA, FADSS, along with top staff from the Governor's office and DOE. FASA appreciates Senator Wise's continuing willingness to bring our state's education stakeholders to the table for informal discussions about the many challenges we face again this during the upcoming legislative session. But I warn you, the news coming out of this meeting is not for the faint of heart. We began with briefing on the budget and state revenue. It's down. Tax roles continue to decline further by about 9.5%. Lottery income is down. This means the legislature will have fewer dollars to work with this year. At the same time, the crisis in Haiti has added 1,400 students to our school to date and... that number is growing at the rate of about 200 students a day! Many of these children have major gaps in their formal education, before the earthquake. They are not prepared, nor have they been equipped for success in Florida's high-stakes educational system. Because the legislature has been shifting the burden of school funding to local property owners, there are growing inequities among school districts. Believe it or not, Sumter has now achieved the unique distinction of being the only Florida county to receive ZERO state net FEFP support for public schools, with virtually all funding coming from local taxpayers! And then there is FRS. It is certain that during this budget crisis we will see an unprecedented attack on our state's retirement system. While in better shape than most all other states, FRS faces a current liability of over $15 billion and must come up with at least $250 million just to keep pace. There will certainly be legislation introduced again this year that will seek to limit or eliminate FRS completely for future employees. I get many calls and emails on this issue, so let me be clear. If you are currently vested in FRS, or in DROP, none of these changes will impact you. You have a vested property right in the system that the state cannot choose to ignore. What will be at stake is the future of our system and the kind of benefits your children and grandchildren will find. I'd like to recognize the efforts of Larry Carmichael and the Florida Retired Educators Association, FREA, for their continued vigilance on this issue. FREA is focused like a laser on protecting your retirement. Larry is a capable and knowledgeable leader in this fight and one more example of how your professional associations are working for you. Have a great day! Jim Warford To send Jim a message click here. Previous Messages from the Executive Director
September 3, 2010
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