Page 2 - 2019 BPS NEWS

BPS Legislative Priorities
By Matt Reed
Brevard Public Schools has appealed to its legislative delegation -- and will continue to lobby for – new funding that would support teachers, improve skills training for students and improve the school-grading system.
The school board and the district’s lobbyists in Tallahassee, Capital City Consulting, also will press for continued funding of school resource officers in Brevard schools.
The board publicly approved the following legislative priorities in December and met with state representatives and senators from the Space Coast on Jan. 15. The legislative session starts in March.
BUDGET PRIORITIES
Increase Base Student allocation
Provide at least an inflationary increase in basic per-student funding at schools across Florida, as the state Department of Education has proposed. Last year, Brevard saw only a 47-cent increase to base per-student spending as most new revenue was directed to school-security improvements.
Safe Schools/Resource Officers
Sustain or increase funding for districts to employ full-time resource officers for every school.
Funding to Study Model Transportation Program
Brevard Public Schools seeks to serve as a Florida model program in which full and accurate funding for trans- portation would be coupled with new efficiencies to be identified by a proposed study. Besides making more operating dollars available for instruction, the efficiencies could allow the district to offer lower-cost transportation contracts to charter schools and expanded service to BPS industry-certification programs.
Today, Florida’s school-funding formula covers about half the actual cost of busing for school districts, causing
a deficit in Brevard of $8 million-$10 million a year that must be covered with operating funds that could otherwise support instructional costs.
BPS APPROPRIATIONS
Welding Program – Astronaut High
BPS seeks a $1 million appropriation to add a welding program in North Brevard, supporting a priority for local employers and filling one of the gaps identified by BPS’ industry-alignment audit.
This appropriation is sponsored by state Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, who respresents Northern Brevard.
Cocoa High Construction-Training Program
This $200,000 state K-12 education appropriation would buy all the tools and construction equipment necessary to train career-and-technical education students for construction trades at Cocoa Jr./Sr. High School. For its part, BPS is paying the costs for the renovated facility, curriculum and teaching staff. Local contractors already have created internship and apprenticeship programs
for students in this program.
This appropriation is sponsored by state Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Cocoa, who represents Central Brevard.
POLICY REQUESTS
Pay-Scale Flexibility
BPS supports HB 77, by Rep. Plasencia, which would give school boards flexibility on performance-pay scales and could, in turn, reduce student assessment exams created solely to measure teachers. The bill would:
• Give school districts flexibility to again consider advanced degrees or National Board Certification in setting salary schedules;
• Authorize — rather than require — school boards to adopt pay-for-performance schedules.
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BPS NEWS is a publication of Brevard Public Schools.
Superintendent
Mark Mullins, Ph.D.
School Board Members
Misty Belford, District 1 Cheryl McDougall, District 2 Tina Descovich, District 3 Matthew Susin, District 4 Katye Campbell, District 5
Published by the Division of Government and Community Relations
Assistant Superintendent: Matt Reed Editor: Nicki Hensley
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