Gov. Scott vows not to cut education funding

Minutes after meeting with teachers union representatives for the first time since taking office, Gov. Rick Scott announced tonight that he will not support any cuts in education funding in the next budget.

Scott's office issued a press release that included the new edict shortly after he finished a press conference standing side-by-side with Florida Education Association president Andy Ford. That would be the teachers union that opposed his bid for governor and has several lawsuits pending against the state. Ford and other teachers union leaders had a two-hour dinner with Scott at the governor's mansion, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for next week.

Scott has spent the week on an educational listening tour, meeting in small groups with teachers, parents and students. He said the school visits were about listening and helping him shape his policy for the spring legislative session, but the statement released at 9:42 p.m. tonight puts a clear line in the sand when it comes to funding.

“In our dinner tonight, I told the FEA that as we continue to develop our education agenda we are going to at a minimum sustain current state funding for education in the next budget and depending on the state’s economic outlook, aim to increase education funding where we can improve student outcomes," the governor said in the news release.

In office for 20 months, Scott had never sat down with teachers union officials before. He was busy focusing on other things, he said tonight. Ford said he didn't expect the governor's call but was encouraged by the opportunity to work with him.

"Tonight was a good first step of having some dialogue that probably should've happened a long time ago," he said.

Here is the governor's full statement:

“In our dinner tonight, I told the FEA that as we continue to develop our education agenda we are going to at a minimum sustain current state funding for education in the next budget and depending on the state’s economic outlook, aim to increase education funding where we can improve student outcomes.

 

“Our goal is to better prepare students for college and careers and our policies in the next budget and the next legislative session will be designed around that.

 

“We look forward to working more with these leaders here today – and all the parents, students, teachers, business community members and other educators throughout the state - in the weeks and months ahead as we finalize our education policy.”

 

Comments

[joe blow]

don't believe Lord Voldemort's false promises.

[whasup]

Hmmm ... wonder what Scott's tea partisan supporters think about him cozying up to the teacher union bosses.

Smells like re-election politics of the old style, not a new way to fix the state's problems.

[Eleazar Balboa]

Elementary and high schools are receiving less state funding than last year in at least 37 states, and in at least 30 states school funding now ...

[Eleazar Balboa]

Under-fives, 16 to 19-year-olds and building programmes will suffer as spending is slashed by 14.4% over next four years.

Don,
http://yesshop.yolasite.com/blog.php

[R.Berthaut]

Scott's spent so much of his own money buying the governorship that he's loath to lose it. He's even compromising his anti-state paid or subsidized public education republican principles to get re-elected. And once ensconced again, he'll have amnesia.

[John N Florida]

Voldemort is only doing this in hopes that the voters will return his 'puppets' to the legislature this fall.
If we want change IN Tallahassee we have to change who GOES to Tallahassee.
Scott can't sign it if Haridopolos, et al, can't pass it.

[Mel L.]

I will believe this when I seet it. Governor Rick Scott has always targeted education for budget cuts. That has been his stand for as long as I can remember.