The Office of the Governor has released information showing that Governor’s K-12 budget proposal for the upcoming year funded the base student allocation at $4,356.40, an increase of $152.45. The Florida Senate’s K-12 initial budget proposal funded the base student allocation at $4,158.75, a decrease of $45.20, and the Florida House of Representative’s K-12 initial budget proposal funded the base student allocation at $4,279.15, an increase of $75.20.
Governor Scott has dramatically increased K-12 Spending in Florida:
- For the 3rd year in a row, per-pupil funding is at a record high, $7,408 per-pupil.
- This year, Florida’s schools operating budget, the FEFP, received an increase of $484 million. This budget, in addition to the funding included in SB 7026, provides hundreds of millions of dollars and the flexibility to make each school safer.
- Since Governor Scott took office, state funding for Florida’s K-12 public schools has increased by $3.2 billion or 37 percent. During the same period of time, the local contribution to schools has risen at a slower pace – increasing by nearly $1.3 billion or 16.5 percent. Student enrollment has only grown seven percent in the same amount of time.
- Since Governor Scott took office, total funding for the Florida Education Finance Program has grown $4.5 billion, or 27 percent. Student enrollment has only grown seven percent in the same amount of time.
- Since Governor Scott took office, the amount of the base-student allocation has grown $725.20, or 21 percent. Student enrollment has only grown seven percent in the same amount of time.
“In this year’s budget, K-12 public schools are provided hundreds of millions of dollars and the flexibility needed to make each school safer while still increasing Florida’s per-pupil funding to a record high. The Governor has been clear – the number one priority right now is making our schools safer, and he’s glad that the Legislature provided funding for that specific reason.” – McKinley Lewis, Governor Scott’s Deputy Communications Director