Money

Background

The dollars and sense of educating students, from state and local budgets to tax credits and school financing.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

January 18, 2013

Government Watchdog Recommends Tougher Bright Futures Requirements

Bright Futures money is being targeted again, this time by a government watchdog group that says the state should raise requirements for the merit-based scholarship program. The lottery revenues which fund the scholarships aren’t stretching as far as they used to. Lawmakers made changes to the Bright Futures program in recent years, as more college […]

January 17, 2013

Teachers Union Responds To Supreme Court’s Pension Ruling

Teachers and other state workers will have to continue contributing 3 percent of their salary to their retirement. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the pension law passed by the Legislature in 2011 will stand. Now, the state teachers union is blasting lawmakers for imposing what it calls a tax on working families. The […]

January 16, 2013

Florida School Districts Hope More Pay Will Mean Less Turnover

Two stories today look at how school districts are trying to entice staff to take hard-to-fill jobs. Lee County and Miami-Dade schools are considering the obvious solution: More money. In Lee, the school district has tapped a federal grant to pay teachers earning good reviews more money to work in schools with high turnover rates, […]

January 14, 2013

Additional Florida School Security Could Cost $100 Million

Two Florida Senate committees will discuss ideas to improve school safety and security in Tallahassee this week. It’s an issue that is suddenly considered a priority for lawmakers. Districts have been reviewing their security procedures since 26 people were killed – most of them students – inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last […]

January 9, 2013

Florida School Board Leader Supports More School Security, Opposes Arming Teachers

Reinforced entry gates. School resource officers in elementary schools. Teachers with guns. Politicians, pundits and school officials have tossed around ideas how to beef up security since the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut last month. The Florida Legislature will be asked to increase security funding for school districts when it convenes in March. Dr. […]

January 3, 2013

Federal Fiscal Deal Includes Tax Breaks For College

Lawmakers extended college tax breaks in the federal fiscal deal struck late Tuesday, but punted on long-term spending decisions such as federal education funding and financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants for low-income students. The New America Foundation’s Ed Money Watch blog has a nice breakdown of what was included in the so-called “fiscal […]

January 2, 2013

Half Of Florida’s Public Universities Make Kiplinger’s Best Value List

Kiplinger is starting 2013 with a list of “Best Values in Public Colleges.” The personal finance magazine put six Florida institutions in its Top 100 list. The Florida Board of Governors is touting the list, saying “access to an affordable higher education leads to brighter futures for hundreds of thousands of students. As they graduate […]

December 13, 2012

Bright Futures Recipients May Have To Stay In Florida After Graduation

A Florida lawmaker has filed a bill that would force most Bright Futures recipients to stay in Florida after graduation or pay back the scholarship money. Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, wants the bill to serve as an incentive to keep Florida’s top graduates in the state. House Bill 35 says a graduate must stay and […]

December 12, 2012

Why The Cost Of Florida Prepaid College Jumped 350 Percent In Six Years

The cost of a prepaid, 4-year university plan for a newborn in Florida has climbed more than 350 percent in the last six years. That’s what Gov. Rick Scott heard during a presentation Tuesday by the Florida Prepaid College Board. In 2006-07, the prepaid cost for 4-year university tuition and fees was $14,616. Now, it’s […]

December 5, 2012

Why Florida Universities Won’t Ask For Tuition Hikes This Year

In a rare show of unanimity, Florida’s university presidents say they won’t pursue a tuition increase this year if the state will give them more funding. The presidents came together at the Capitol Wednesday to announce the Aim Higher Campaign. “Fundamentally, the system is underfunded…compared to the rest of the country,” University of North Florida […]

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy

Oklahoma