If passed, this would make for record education spending in Florida.

Kathleen McGrory and Amy Sherman of the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau write:

Gov. Rick Scott proposes record high education spending in Florida

TALLAHASSEE — After promising to boost education spending to a record high, Gov. Rick Scott on Monday released a plan to spend $7,176 per student in 2015-16.

His proposed figure is $261 more than what’s currently being spent, and $50 more than the all-time high set in 2007-08.

“Because our budget is going up, now we have the highest per-pupil funding for K-12 education in the history of this state,” Scott said, drawing applause at Atlantic Technical College in Coconut Creek.

If adjusted for inflation, Scott’s proposed figure falls about $640 short of the high watermark, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index inflation calculator. Still, it was enough to win praise from some of the governor’s toughest critics.

“We appreciate that he is honoring a promise he made on the campaign trail,” Florida Education Association vice president Joanne McCall said.

Scott wants to boost the entire K-12 education budget from $18.9 billion to $19.75 billion, he said Monday. A little more than $11 billion would come from state coffers. The rest would be funded by property taxes.


 
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