FEA President Andy Ford held a news conference today on the Capitol steps. He was surrounded by supporters holding umbrellas. Here is a summary of what he said:
FEA to lawmakers: Use “rainy day” fund to dampen the impact of Category 5 threat to public education
Florida Education Association President Andy Ford urged lawmakers Tuesday to spare public education from a gathering storm of anticipated budget cuts that would deepen cuts already made at Florida’s public schools and would lead to further layoffs of teachers and other education support professionals, the closing of some schools, the further curtailing of important programs, even the loss of school resource officers and crossing guards.
“Florida has a system of reserves that we use in times of emergency,” Ford said during a news conference outside the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. “One of these vehicles is even called the state ‘rainy day’ fund. You can dip into this fund when you have an emergency because you’ve saved it for a rainy day. Well, it’s a full gullywasher in so many parts of our state.”
Ford’s call for using reserves is backed up by a recent national report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report, written by Elizabeth C. McNichol and titled “Is It Raining Yet?”, says that now is the appropriate time to tap the ‘rainy day’ reserve funds that states have set aside for just such a contingency.
The report also cautions states not to head down the path Florida lawmakers appear to have chosen.
“States concerned that the downturn could be deep and prolonged should not respond by hoarding their reserves,” the report said, adding that spending cuts worsen a downturn and tapping into a reserve fund helps stimulate a state’s economy.
The FEA president noted that Floridians are facing a broad economic downturn and the state may already be in a recession. Working families are struggling, he said, and the cuts to education would intensify those woes. He said that he wanted legislative leaders to know that the $1 billion in additional budget cuts to public education, as well as the basic economic challenges faced by citizens, have created a powerful storm that imperils the economic livelihood of working families across our state.
Ford said funding cuts at this time would have a severe impact on public schools, which are underfunded during the best of times. He noted that this year’s budget was pared twice after it was enacted by the Legislature and that the further cuts considered now would be a disaster.
“Education is an investment in our future and a paramount duty of the state,” Ford said. “Budget cuts of more than a billion dollars to all levels of education threaten that investment – and the development of knowledge and skills of our children.”
Call these legislative leaders today, and urge them to use our rainy day fund now!
Senate President Ken Pruitt (850) 487-5088
Senator Lisa Carlton (850) 487-5081
Speaker Marco Rubio (850) 488-1450
Representative Ray Sansom (850) 488-1170
1 comment:
Good point, though sometimes it's hard to arrive to definite conclusions
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