Middle and high school students in Polk County may have one less class period next year if proposed budget cuts pass.
School Board members say they need to slash $18 million from the district's current budget in order to protect teacher pay raises for the up-coming school year.
Hazel Sellers, chairwoman of the school board, says reducing the number of class periods per day could save Polk more than $7.2 million dollars.
"If you have to make major cuts you're going to have to make them in the classroom because that's where we have the money," Sellers says.
Right now the board is considering reducing high school schedules from seven periods to six and middle schools from eight periods to seven.
"The school day will still be the same length," Sellers says.
The county's teacher's union is the Polk Education Association, and it's headed by Marianne Capoziello. She says lawmakers bear much of the blame for the budget constraints.
"I hope this is a rallying cry to say it's time for us to demand from our state a well-funded education system... and to have our federal government stop playing games and come to some solutions for what's going to happen for our students," Capoziello said.
She believes classroom cuts at this point may be unavoidable.
"We've fought very hard to try to keep cuts away from the classroom. We've tried very hard to try to maintain a system, but at the end of the day you can't have a champagne system on a beer budget," she said.
Sellers says it's not just class schedule reductions on the table. She says nearly every department district wide has seen cuts to services and personnel to the tune of close to $10 million.
The school board will hold two public meetings to discuss the upcoming budget cuts. The first will take place at Harrison School for the Performing Arts in Lakeland Monday March, 11th at 6:30pm.
The second will take place at Ridge High School in Davenport Thursday March 14th at 6:30pm.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:13:51 GMT
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring. Numerous customers of Pompano Beach-based Nationwide Pools contacted 8
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring.
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Attorney William Grant is representing the family of Jamie Seeger. Grant says they want answers on why Seeger did not have protection as a confidential informant for the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. To the left of Grant is Wendy Moore, Seeger's mother
The family of a female confidential informant says, they want answers. Last July, Jamie Seeger was found shot to death in her car in Crystal River.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:13:51 GMT
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring. Numerous customers of Pompano Beach-based Nationwide Pools contacted 8
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring.
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Chrysler says it has resolved its differences with the government and will recall older Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs that could be at risk of a fuel tank fire. Earlier this month the company refused
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 1:09 PM EDT2013-06-18 17:09:00 GMT
Fewer U.S. adults are smoking, a new government report says. Last year, about 18 percent of adults participating in a national health survey described themselves as current smokers.
Fewer U.S. adults are smoking, a new government report says. Last year, about 18 percent of adults participating in a national health survey described themselves as current smokers.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 3:01 PM EDT2013-06-19 19:01:00 GMT
It seems getting down on one knee with a ring is taking a backseat to some very creative marriage proposals. In recent years, men have conceptualized and executed marriage proposals that have raised
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 5:50 PM EDT2013-06-18 21:50:46 GMT
Sheriff Al Nienhuis would like to verify that the Hernando County Sheriff's Office is currently working on one of hundreds of very ambiguous leads in the Jennifer Odom Homicide.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis would like to verify that the Hernando County Sheriff's Office is currently working on one of hundreds of very ambiguous leads in the Jennifer Odom Homicide.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:00 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:00:43 GMT
Forecasters say a tropical depression crossing Mexico's Bay of Campeche is expected to become a tropical storm before making landfall in that country's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz.
Forecasters say a tropical depression crossing Mexico's Bay of Campeche is expected to become a tropical storm before making landfall in that country's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:13:51 GMT
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring. Numerous customers of Pompano Beach-based Nationwide Pools contacted 8
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing a pool company that was the subject of an 8 On Your Side investigation this spring.
