Duval County Schools facing unprecedented budget crisis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- In light of the economic times, the Duval County School Board could be faced with a budget shortfall like never before. The School Board sent Action News the numbers, and it breaks down like this:

Revenue Shortfall: $60 million
Fixed Cost increases: $50 million
Class Size Amendment: $25 million
Total: $135 million
Use of Fund Balance: $10 million
Shortfall to District: $125 million

In light of these staggering numbers, Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals will host a series of community meetings to discuss Duval County’s current and upcoming financial situation. He’ll talk about available revenue and the district’s plan to meet its mission of providing all students with high quality educational opportunities. All of the following meetings will begin at 6 p.m.:

Thursday, March 11^th, Sandalwood High School
Thursday, March 16^th, Peterson Academies of Technnology
Thursday, March 18^th, Jean Ribault High School
Tuesday, March 23^th, Mandarin High School

The district says Florida ranks 50^th in the nation when compared to income in total revenue for public education, and it has the lowest administrative costs of any state. What it says it needs from the Legislature is flexibility in several areas. The district says it would like to either get rid of, or suspend, the class size amendment. It would also like to permit additional shifts of Capital Millage to Operating Revenue.

The Duval County School Board would also like to prioritize existing resources, such as reviewing the Bright Futures scholarship program, reprioritize the state budget and cap the growth of Corporate and McKay Vouchers.

Even in a budget crisis, the Duval County School Board has several success stories to tell. It holds a district-wide grade of a “B” for all public schools. The board says Duval County has experienced significant increases in FCAT performance. Gains in reading  are as high as 46% and gains in math as high as 71%. The board is also reporting gains in science of 38% and writing gains are 16%.

It also says the number of “A” schools has increased by 630%, from 10 in 1999 to 73 in 2009. The number of “B” schools has increased by 314% from 7 in 1999 to 29 in 2009.

The School Board also says the graduation rate is up. From 08-09, the graduation rate is up 3.2% from the 07-08 school year, and up 7.1% since 05-06.