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Consultant previews 2026 legislative session, warns of $6.6 billion long-range shortfall and outlines scholarship fixes
Summary
A governmental consultant told the Leon County School Board the 2026 legislative session, starting tomorrow, is likely to prioritize budget cuts amid a projected $6.6 billion shortfall and that Senate Bill 318 would tighten oversight of the state scholarship program.
Jessica Janiceiewicz, a governmental consultant with Rutledge, Essena, told the Leon County School Board on Jan. 12 that the 2026 legislative session — which begins the next day — is likely to be shaped by tight finances and political realignments. "By 'twenty eight-'twenty 9, it's a $6,600,000,000 shortfall," she said, citing the state's long-range financial outlook.
Janiceiewicz said the budget will be the session's dominant issue and that lawmakers will likely look for cuts rather than new taxes. She described the governor's recommended budget as a guide that separates scholarship funds from the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) and proposes a $100 increase in the base student allocation.
She identified a package of bills to watch. Senate Bill 318, carried by Sen. Gates, would overhaul elements of the scholarship program so "money follows the student," require student identification to track enrollments, tighten parental verification before state money is released, and change payment timing to reduce overpayments. Janiceiewicz said the Senate and the governor were aligned on removing the scholarship from the FEFP in the governor's recommendation.
Janiceiewicz also flagged Senate Bill 320 (a refiled education bill) and a host of other items — from proposed property-tax measures to congressional redistricting — that could affect the state's fiscal picture and complicate negotiations among the governor, the House speaker and the Senate president. She said local project requests the district submitted to the legislature include roughly $1.2 million for the Gretchen Eberhardt Playground and $2 million for Lively Technical College.
Board members asked timing questions; Janiceiewicz said she expects House and Senate education budget proposals to emerge around mid-February and said it was "more likely" that one property-tax proposal, rather than multiple competing measures, would reach the 2026 ballot.
The board will monitor the session as bills are filed and committees convene. The consultant said she will provide weekly updates as the Legislature begins its work.
