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Public urges Okaloosa board to track state proposals that could cut AP, IB funding; superintendent cites $28 million scholarship impact
Summary
At the April Okaloosa County School Board meeting a resident urged the board to oppose state proposals that would cut supplemental funding for specialized programs; Superintendent Marcus Chambers said districts are advocating and estimated a $28 million local impact from family empowerment scholarships.
A resident told the Okaloosa County School Board on April 28 that proposed state legislation could sharply reduce funding for specialized secondary programs and asked whether the district has calculated its local impact.
Sarah Graham of Mary Esther said House Bill 5101 and “state bill 2510,” as she called them, would cut funds that support Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and career-and-professional programs and asked whether the district had prepared a fiscal estimate and notified parents.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers responded that one of the supplemental funding tiers that supports AP, IB and ACE programming has been cut roughly in half in the proposals and that district officials are actively engaging legislators and lobbyists. “We have taken a different approach where we’ve spoken with our legislators, and we’ve spoken with representatives who are also advocating on our behalf,” Chambers said.
Chambers told the board the family empowerment scholarship proposal would shift funds away from public-school budgets; he estimated the scholarship program’s current impact on Okaloosa County at about $28,000,000. “That is something that we are absolutely paying attention to because that does impact our budget,” he said.
Board members and district staff told Graham the situation remains in flux while bills move through the legislative process and that district lobbyists have received financial-impact information on some items. One board member described the district’s approach as advocacy-focused and said local pushback has been underway.
Why it matters: AP and IB funding and the growth of state scholarship programs affect program availability, staffing and course support at local high schools. If state policy reduces supplemental payments that districts use to run specialized courses, district leaders said they will need to consider budget adjustments while continuing local advocacy.
The board did not vote on policy or take formal action at the meeting. Chambers said the district intends to continue discussing details with parents, legislators and staff and to include any fiscal impacts in the budget process as the legislative session proceeds.
