FLORIDA STATE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES ADDS THEIR VOICE TO OPPOSITION OF CLASS SIZE AMENDMENT
TALLAHASSEE
– The Florida State University Board of Trustees
passed a resolution Friday in opposition to the Class
Size Amendment/Amendment 9. The thirteen members unanimously
agreed that they opposed Amendment 9 due to the negative
effect it could have on Florida and Florida’s schools.
“The class size amendment
will have a damaging effect on the state budget and the
state economy,” said Lee Hinkle, a member of the
Florida State Board of Trustees. ”Furthermore, it
will limit the flexibility of our system from the local
districts to the universities to coordinate additional
strategies to improve the quality of education for Florida’s
children.”
The Florida State University Board of
Trustees is vested with the authority to govern and set
policy for The Florida State University as necessary to
provide proper governance and improvement of the University
in accordance with law and rules of the Florida Board
of Education.
The Coalition to Protect Florida is dedicated
to creating awareness of the numerous harmful consequences
this amendment could have on the state. If passed, the
Amendment to Reduce Class Size could:
• Result in a significant decline
in teacher quality due to the large demand for new teachers;
• Reduce other critical education programs - special
education, arts, music, band and extracurricular activities;
• Eliminate raises for teachers for up to a decade;
• Require for the first time a state income tax
and/or sharp increases in property taxes; or
• Jeopardize state and local programs such as
health care, family services, law enforcement and programs
for the elderly.
The Coalition to Protect Florida
is comprised of a group of Floridians who are concerned
about the effects the Amendment to Reduce Class Size would
have on Florida. Leadership of the Coalition includes:
former U.S. Senator Connie Mack, Mayor of Tampa Dick Greco,
Florida Comptroller Bob Milligan and former Speaker of
the House John Thrasher serving as President of the Coalition.
The inevitable economic outcome of the Class Size Amendment
is that the burden would be passed on to average Floridians
in cutbacks of critical state services and a possible
huge increase in state taxes.
