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Senate includes roughly $39.8 million in education package; House omits it as conference committee looms
Summary
A legislative liaison told the Gadsden County School Board the Florida Senate budget includes $39,772,790 for the district in its package while the House budget does not; lawmakers will reconcile differences in a conference committee and the board was told a final number is not yet set.
A legislative liaison to the school board told members that the Florida Senate’s budget includes $39,772,790 for the district while the state House’s budget does not contain the same appropriation.
The liaison said the next step is a conference committee, where appointed members from the House and Senate will reconcile line items. That process will determine the final amount that reaches the governor’s desk.
Board members heard the update during the meeting’s early business. The liaison said the Senate figure—repeated in committee briefings and emails the liaison said they send to board members—remains subject to change through the conference process. The liaison also noted the House and Senate sometimes yield to different positions as negotiations proceed.
The liaison mentioned another separate funding request in the House: Tallahassee State College asked for $5,600,000 to expand its Quincy location. That request was in the House budget but not in the Senate budget. When a board member asked whether the college’s request would affect the district’s request, the liaison replied that it would have “none at all.”
The liaison summarized the calendar and veto timeline: if the legislature passes a budget while still in session, the governor has seven days to review and act; if after adjournment, the governor has 15 days. The liaison added that, because the session was moving quickly, an early budget passage was possible.
Board members asked procedural questions and the liaison said they would keep the board apprised by email and updates as the conference committee proceeds.
No formal board action was recorded on the funding update during this meeting. The amount reported in the Senate budget may change in conference and would require final legislative approval and gubernatorial action before funding is released.
