The state of Florida is in the process of attempting to cut the funds for any advanced placement, dual enrollment, international baccalaureate, early graduation, advanced international certificate of education, industry certification programs, and college-level high school classes offered at public schools. This will not fully cut the funding, but it will severely impact the school district, teachers, and students involved. This legislation directly affects this school district as they begin to work through the budget for the 2025-2026 school year. Per an email sent out by Superintendent Michael Burke, “a cut of this magnitude could mean a significant funding loss for our School District–especially at the high school level–potentially limiting student access to these valuable programs.”
House Bill 5101 is meant to revise budgets for the kindergarten through 12th grade Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) funding. Also expressed in Senate Bill 2510, if accepted, the revisions would cut funding by 50% for programs such as AP, IB, AICE, dual enrollment, and early graduation. “Orange County Public Schools alone estimates it would lose nearly $17 million, while the Palm Beach County school district said it could lose about $32 million.” Stephanie Vanos, an Orange County School Board member, stated to the Orlando Sentinel “There’s no way we could continue the breadth of advanced studies courses that we are currently offering without the funding.” Schools would not be able to provide students with the proper amount of support from the teachers if they do not have the funding to help them. The teachers will lose money in the bonuses they receive from these programs when students pass. Superintendent Burke has made it known that he is “committed to doing everything I can to support our students, our employees, and the services our families count on.”
Senate Bill 2510 will specifically adjust the amount of money schools receive for students who complete the advanced coursework, changing the funding model from a full reimbursement to half. House Bill 5101 reinforces these cuts by reallocating how state money is distributed in the FEFP, specifying how much a teacher or school makes depending on what grade the students receive on the tests. Together these combined bills threaten to reduce access to rigorous coursework, possibly eliminating some courses entirely, as well as put a strain on the hardworking teachers who already have to balance such heavy workloads.
“The proposal lacks merit because the lawmakers did not seem to do a thorough examination of the issue; the proposal, as represented in the article, comes across as someone’s bright idea to cut money from the budget, which occurs to me as blind adherence to a political agenda,” said Mrs. Steinberg, an AP and AICE English teacher at West Boca. She went on to say, “While I agree with eliminating wasteful spending, we need to study where and how any suspected waste is happening before we slash our way through a budget, especially concerning our children’s education.” Students are also speaking out about the personal toll the passing of these bills will have on them. “Education is supposed to be a human right and now it’s being taken away. We are going backward in time,” said one West Boca student. As the legislative session continues and the vote commences on April 9th, students, educators, and families are urged to stay informed, speak out, and advocate for equitable funding, ensuring that schools across Florida can continue to provide advanced educational opportunities.
