Florida schools spent years cutting budgets as they dealt with the Great Recession and real estate collapse. But Gov. Rick Scott is proposing a budget which would set a record for school spending. Scott wants to spend an additional half billion dollars on K-12 schools next year.
It's the third consecutive year Scott has asked lawmakers to add more money for schools, but the increase is about half what Scott has previously sought. The proposal would spend $8.4 million on training for principals and assistant principals.
Another earmark would provide training and technical help for teachers switching to Florida's Common Core math and language arts standards. Scott will release his full budget proposal Wednesday. Lawmakers will write the state spending plan when they meet in March and expect a $1.2 billion surplus.