A former member of the Florida school boards education committee resigned Monday after he spoke out against a proposed education funding bill.
The resignation came hours after the Senate voted to pass a $1.9 billion budget for the state Department of Education, which includes $3.2 billion in new funding for schools, and a $2.2 million increase for state programs.
In a statement, the board said:We will continue to work with the Florida legislature to implement the Governor’s priorities for our state, including our new education funding priorities.
In the statement, former State Representative Scott Adams, R-Orlando, called the bill “another example of how we are unable to provide quality education for all Floridians.”
Adams has also called for a $300 million reduction in state spending on Medicaid and a decrease in the state’s debt.
He has also said he supports school vouchers, which would allow families with children in the school system to attend private schools.
Adams said in a statement Monday he resigned to “take a stand” and fight the proposed bills, which include:A $300,000 cut in the State Budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year and the 2018 state budget for all subsequent years.
The elimination of $150 million from the Department of Human Services budget for programs supporting children in foster care.
And a $150,000 reduction in the Florida Department of Financial Institutions budget for a range of programs that assist low-income Floridian families.
The cuts would apply to programs funded by the Florida Children’s Foundation, the Department for Economic Development, the Florida Development Fund and the Department on Aging.
Adams, who served on the state education committees for five years, said in his resignation letter that the state should have been able to provide more support for public schools.
He said the legislation does not provide sufficient funding to the states public schools.
“We have been forced to take action,” Adams wrote.
“We cannot afford to allow the state to continue to put more resources into schools than they are currently capable of.”
Adams’ resignation came after Florida Democrats voted to reject the proposed funding bills and a bipartisan deal that would have cut the state budget by $3 billion.
The governor is also facing a recall election this November after it was revealed that he signed into law the measure that increased the state minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 an hour, but failed to add an increase for tipped workers.
