Florida’s New Education Bill Limits Construction Spending

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Governor Rick Scott signed an education bill last month that puts additional limits on local school districts’ construction spending. The bill extends construction-spending caps per student from only state-funded projects to locally funded ones as well.

The new law is intended to “prevent irrational decisions” in regard to construction planning, State Representative Erik Fresen told the Orlando Sentinel.

The caps are currently set at approximately $21,615 per student for an elementary school, $23,341 for a middle school and $30,318 for a high school, according to the Orlando Sentinel. When the new law takes effect in 2017, however, districts could lose funding and face additional oversight if they spend more than the new cap amounts, which will be determined by a state group.

The limits will apply to all revenue moving forward, and would limit local citizens from approving sales taxes intended to help build new campuses. This could greatly affect Orange County Public Schools, which welcomed an additional 5,000 students this year and plans to open 13 new campuses over the next five years, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Currently, Florida school districts are allowed to obtain exceptions from the state when unexpected costs arise.

Despite concerns from several school districts, the final bill is actually not as strict as earlier versions, which would have also limited the cost of purchasing land and off-site improvements, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Some of the bill’s sponsors also sought to shift construction dollars from traditional public schools to charter schools, but that was dropped in the latest version.

The new law also coincides with a House report that stated 67 school districts in the state spent about $1.2 billion more than they should have on school construction from 2006 to 2014.