The Economic Crisis: Public Services and Programs... Education, Emergency Services & Prison Systems... This is a large research project for school turned powerpoint for my final exam grade.
6. Our Future
• Investing in our youth’s education will ensure
our future economic health
• In the 35 largest cities, fewer than 50 % of 9th
graders complete high school
• In Florida, an average 66% of 9th graders
graduate high school
7. Florida Dept. of Education
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA)
• Staff Reductions
• Hiring Freezes
• Contracts that need to be renewed, will be
“reconsidered”
• Older materials being used for a year or two more
8. ARRA $$$ Not Certain
• Florida ranks 50th in the US when it comes to
educational spending
• Since funding for public education is among the
lowest of all states, it must apply for a waiver
• Will then give the ability to access the funds for
education of the stimulus legislation
• Resulting in Districts planning budgets as if not
receiving the money
9. Planning for the Storm
Miami Dade County Public Schools had
anticipated the current economic
situation, previously letting go of personnel
and planning for other types of funding
10. District Budget Cuts
MIAMI DADE COUNTY BROWARD COUNTY
• $27.8 million shortfall • $160 million shortfall
• Reduced central office • Cutting sports programs
salary and non-salary • Slashing individual school
expenditures budgets
• Including 440 positions • 900 people’s jobs are being
eliminated in the central eliminated next year
office • Some schools are having a
• Only allowing budgets for lack of basic supplies
most basic needs
11. District Budget Meetings
MIAMI DADE BROWARD
• Increase lunch price by $.50 per
meal ($3.7 million) • 2007-08 School and Department
• Change menu options to reduce Budget Reductions ($72.2
food costs million)
• Eliminate all General Fund • 2008-09 (up to March) School
Support for WLRN ($3.1 million) and Department Budget
• Reduction in work year for Reductions ($74.7 million)
School Police Force from 12 • Reduction in misc. costs ($27.2
months to 10 months ($2.1 million)
million)
• Increase class size limitations on
PE, gifted and alternative ed. • Still short $102 million for
($19.1 million) 2008-2009 current bills
• $11 mil. to Contingency Reserve
12. Districts’ Answers
BROWARD
MIAMI DADE • Implementing a 4-day week for high
schools
• “Not part of the plan nor • Reducing all employee calendars by a
will it ever be part of the single day per year
plan to reduce classroom • Reducing the Area offices from four
hours” to three
• Salaries of employees will • Potential employee layoffs that are
be the same, but a shift associated with the elimination of
between fiscal years of certain programs
two/three days avoiding
• Reduction in electricity
3,700 layoffs
consumption, area office support to
• Citi Postsecondary Success schools, overtime, maintenance, bus
Program route consolidations, and a central
office hiring freeze
13. ARRA Money???
Even if we think positively, how can sufficient change in
Education result after only two years???
14. Where does this leave us?
“The Future belongs to the nation that best
educates its citizens” –Obama
18. Introduction
• Numerous jobs lost within fire
departments across the
United States
• Broward and Miami-Dade
County have been faced with
layoffs, pay cuts and less
hours
19. Nationwide Firefighter Layoffs
• In Toledo, Ohio 17 firefighters were laid off in
the month of May.
• In Lehigh, Florida 30 firefighters were laid off
as of June 1st which was half of their staff, and
another round of lay offs are set to take place
on the 23rd of June.
• Fire Department would lose 46 firefighters, 1
administrative worker and another 25 vacant
firefighter positions in Orlando, Florida.
20. District Cuts and Layoffs
• County Commission considers laying off 177 employees
in Broward County.
• 48 patrol deputies, 5 BSO Fire Rescue crew
members, and 87 other positions that span from the
jails to the administration
• As a result of declining property values, county officials
expect to cut up to $160 million from a $3.6 billion
budget. They want Lamberti, whose budget equals
about half the general fund, to cut more than $50
million
• Remaining employees would also have to take a 2%
pay cut, which means days off with no pay.
21. Savings ???
• The Broward Sheriff Office said the
department will save $10 million of its $722
million budget with the job cuts
• All of their employees are needed drastically
22. Overtime
• Broward Sheriff's Fire-Rescue Capt. Andy
Berkowitz's base pay last year was
$97,901, but he also pulled down $87,888 in
overtime.
• Last year, the five Sheriff's Office units with
the highest average overtime per employee
were fire-rescue training, the anti-gang
unit, regional narcotics, organized crime and
regional air rescue.
23. Consequences
• Petty thefts, arsons, breaking and entering are
all crimes that are on the rise.
• Crime will increase at a faster pace because
criminals know deputies and fire fighters
aren't on the street.
26. Police Layoffs
• Budget cuts cause police officers to
lose jobs:
Britain
Germany
USA- Broward County, New
Jersey, Maplewood, Boston
• Sacrifices made to keep job:
Grants
Removal of street lights
Leave without pay
27. Crime Increase
• Reason for possible crime increase:
Job loss – desperation
• Police commissioner’s express concern over job cuts:
Possible crime increase
Less officers to fight rising crime rate
• Signs have shown that there has been an increase:.
31. Florida Prison Stats
According to the Florida Department of
Corrections, there is 98,192 current inmates in
the Florida prison system. There are also more
than 158,000 people on probation, which is
regulated by corrections.
32. The Growth of Spending
Idaho Texas Arkansas West Pennsylvania Colorado Florida
Virginia
416% 396% 353% 346% 340% 338% 237%
34. Prison Over Crowding
Florida one of the first states to retreat from
the mandatory sentences that have worsened
prison overcrowding and escalated prison
costs across the nation
37. In Conclusion
• Investing in Education will secure our future
economic health
• Emergency Services need to be secured to
protect us and come to our aide
• Prison system is necessary in order to house
those who chose to break the law
• Without the protection of public services, our
society will head down a very dark road
38. Florida ranks 47 in state and local taxes
Where will that leave us?