$375,000.
That is how much Hagerty stands to lose if HB 5101 is approved.
HB 5101 was proposed by Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill was introduced at Florida’s House on March 26 and is currently on the floor for review. If approved, it will go into effect July 1.
HB 5101 is set to cut funding by half for programs such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment, CTE pathways and AICE/Cambridge courses. And the effects will be disastrous.
Florida schools are funded based on student enrollment. For every AP exam that a student passes, an additional 0.16 of a student’s worth of funding is added to the school’s enrollment the following year. The funding from other tests will also be cut in half: IB exams, certification testing and students who receive an AP Capstone or IB diploma. The new bill proposes the additional student value to be 0.08, half of the current weight on AP and IB testing alone. DE weight is set to decrease from 0.08 to 0.04 and CTE Industry Certification from 0.2 to 0.1.
In a typical academic year, Hagerty receives about $750,000 from AP testing. An average student takes three to five AP exams in high school, and if they pass three of them, a total of 0.48 students would be added for the purpose of funding. That does not include the funding from countless industry certifications, DE classes and AP capstone or IB diplomas.
This money serves to pay for students’ AP exams, computers, textbooks and more. This year, testing money also paid for the College and Career Counselor position, an important position to fill with an increasingly competitive college admission process and to help educate students about financial aid options for student’s post graduate plans.
Unfortunately, the funding purge does not end at college-readiness programs; a reduction in the state’s Full Time Equivalent program, the state funding method based on the student enrollment and the educational services provided for the students, is also at risk. The cuts would be implemented as a 50% decrease in FTE funding for certain classes, which could mean another $55,000 loss for Hagerty’s budget. In addition to the budget cuts, the enrollment decreases from students taking more online courses, makes the financial picture even darker.
With such an extreme loss in funding, it is only natural to wonder about the future of integral programs if this bill passes. Will students have to start paying for their own AP exams? Will Dual Enrollment opportunities no longer be available? Will the College and Career room have to close despite a successful year?
Last year, Florida was ranked first in education for the second year in a row. However, the state also ranked third lowest in SAT scores. There are conflicting reports on how good the state’s education is, but whatever people believe, one thing is clear: budget cuts will only harm schools and Florida’s educational ranking in all categories.
