Florida Senate looking at class size change

The Florida Senate, which steadily has resisted any attempt to overturn or soften state class-size restrictions, is looking more ready to deal.

With a $2.6 billion budget shortfall looming and stricter classroom limits poised to kick in, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, filed legislation recently asking voters to repeal the 2002 amendment.

"The school districts have been begging me to change this thing," Bennett told the News Service of Florida. "They say
you're killing us. We have to have some flexibility in the classroom.'"

The Highlands County School District is among those districts seeking help with implementing the class size initiative.

In its draft of 2009 Legislative priorities, the district seeks full funding for the cost of meeting the class size requirements and flexibility in how penalties are assessed for not meeting the class-by-class limits.

At the start of the school year, Superintendent Wally Cox said once class size is fully implemented, flexibility will be limited at schools.

A popular class at the secondary level that may have 28 or 29 students now will have to be limited to 25 students next year, he said. Seniors would get priority for a seat in the class then juniors, etc.

"We are going to have to deny some kids and parents who want some things unless you have another 25 more who want that class," Cox said.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville has pledged to introduce legislation similar to that endorsed last year by the House, intended at keeping the standard mostly at a school-average basis and eliminating a tougher, per-classroom requirement set to kick-in in 2010-11.

Earlier this year, the Senate refused to even hear House legislation aimed at loosening the class-size standard. The Senate also famously defeated an attempt to water-down the standard in 2006 by former Gov. Jeb Bush, with the legislation failing on a 20-20 vote.

But there are signs Senate resistance is weakening, as the state's tide of fiscal red ink mounts. By avoiding the full phase-in of the class-size measure, Republican leaders say they could save millions of dollars.

Bennett's legislation (SJR 738) would ask voters to repeal the class-size measure outright.

While 60 percent of voters would have to support the amendment for it to become law, Bennett also faces a tall order getting the measure to a ballot. The Senate and House would each have to approve the proposal by a three-fifths majority.

Republican lawmakers insist the class-size measure needs re-tooling.

"Part of it is funding, but some of it is that trying to deal with this at the classroom level is unworkable," said Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who said recently that he will refile the legislation rebuffed by the Senate in the spring.

Weatherford's proposal would keep the class-size requirements at a school-average basis but allow individual classes to top these averages by three students in kindergarten through third grade and by five in other grades.

The 2002 amendment caps classes at 18 students for kindergarten through third-grade, 22 in fourth- through eighth-grade and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased-in, but would be imposed at the classroom level beginning next fall.