2017-R-41 RESOLUTION NO. 2017-R-41
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF EDGEWATER,
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA, CALLING FOR THE
FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO AMEND STATE LAW TO
HALT THE TRANSFER OF EDUCATION FUNDING
FROM POORER SCHOOLS DISTRICTS TO WEALTHIER
SCHOOL DISTRICTS UNDER THE DISTRICT COST
DIFFERENTIAL MULTIPLIER WITHIN THE FLORIDA
EDUCATION FINANCE PROGRAM FORMULA;
REPEALING RESOLUTIONS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH;
PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND APPLICABILITY
AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) was created by the Florida
Legislature in 1973 to provide an equitable base level of educational resources for public school
districts; and
WHEREAS, the FEFP formula includes four(4) multipliers, one of which is the District
Cost Differential(DCD); and
WHEREAS, the DCD is a personnel cost adjustment intended to account for variation
among districts in the cost of wages and salaries for school personnel, which account for more
than 80%or more of district operating costs and required by §1011.62(2), Florida Statutes; and
WHEREAS, the DCD calculation depends on Florida Price Level Index (FPLI), which
has been maintained by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research
(Bureau) since 2000 under the direction of the Florida Department of Education(DOE);and
WHEREAS, in 2003, the legislature ordered a review of the accuracy and
appropriateness of FPLI used to calculate the DCD in the 2003-2004 General Appropriations
Act, chapter 2003-397, Laws of Florida; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, the method to calculate the FPLI was substantially changed by
DOE,without direction by statute or peer review by economic experts; and
WHEREAS, many school districts have lost tens of millions of dollars in funding since
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the 2004 DCD change; and
WHEREAS, the taxpayers of Volusia County have lost $140,522,685 in State education
funding since the 2004 DCD change, which has been redistributed to wealthier school districts;
and
WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2017-2018, Volusia County taxpayers will receive only $0.96
for every tax dollar sent to Tallahassee for public education; and
WHEREAS, the State has failed to order a review of the accuracy and appropriateness of
FPLI used to calculate the DCD despite its tremendous inequities and fiscal impacts on poorer
school districts; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Edgewater is not opposed to the State
supplementing funding to other districts but does not support reduction of potential funding from
poorer school districts to wealthier school districts; and
WHEREAS, the notion that poorer school districts are subsidizing wealthier school
districts under the guise of the DCD is flawed, inequitable and must end.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
Edgewater, Florida:
Section 1. Findings. The findings set forth above in the whereas clauses are hereby
adopted and incorporated herein by reference into this resolution.
Section 2. Requested Action. The City Council of the City of Edgewater, Volusia
County, Florida, respectfully calls on the Florida Legislature to amend State Law to halt the
transfer of education funding of poorer school districts to wealthier school districts under the
DCD multiplier within the Florida Education Finance Program Formula as follows:
2017-R-41 2
A. Amend section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, to hold school districts harmless under the
DCD in the following manner:
1011.62. Funds for operation of schools
If the annual allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each district for
operation of schools is not determined in the annual appropriations act or the substantive
bill implementing the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as follows:
(2) Determination of district cost differentials. - The Commission of Education shall annually
compute for each district the current year's district cost differential. The district cost
differential shall be calculated by adding each district's price level index as published in
the Florida Price Level Index for the most recent 3 years and dividing the resulting sum
by 3. The result for each district shall be multiplied by 0.008 and to the resulting product
shall be added 0.200; the sum thus obtained shall be the cost differential for that district
for that year. No district shall have a district cost differential of less than 1.
B. Propose the amendment of Article IX, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution by joint
resolution of each house of the legislature in accordance with Article XI, section 1 to add the
following:
No school district shall receive less education funding from the State than collected within that
district each year for that purpose.
Section 3. All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby
repealed.
Section 4. If any portion of this resolution is for any reason held or declared to be
unconstitutional, inoperative, or void, such holding shall not affect the remaining portions of this
resolution. If this resolution or any provisions thereof shall be held to be inapplicable to any
person, property, or circumstances, such holding shall not affect its applicability to any other
person, property, or circumstance.
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Section 5. This resolution shall take effect upon adoption.
After Motion to approve by C 0.c,57 L�= ?.y � with
Second by , the vote on this
Resolution was as follows:
AYE NAY
Mayor Mike Ignasiak N
Councilwoman Christine Power N
Councilwoman Amy Vogt
Councilman Dan Blazi
Councilman Gary Conroy �+
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 13th day of November, 2017.
ATTEST: CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF EDGEWATER, FLORIDA
L.! By: k-)6eL' Ao 4C1Z
Robin L. Matusick Michael Ignasiak
City Clerk/Paralegal Mayor
For the use and reliance only by the City of Approved by the City Council of the City of
Edgewater. Florida. Approved as to form and Edgewater at a meeting held on this 13th day
legality by: Aaron R. Wolfe, Esquire of November, 2017 under Agenda Item No.
City Attorney 8 (a .
Doran, Wolfe, Sims&Ciocchetti (,
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