“It’s been our theme from the very beginning that we’re going to laser-target those students in the high-need areas,” said Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., a Hialeah Republican who chairs the House’s education budget subcommittee.
The details of how to spend the $400 million remain up in the air. Initially, House leaders had set aside almost $214 million for the “Best and Brightest” bonus program for teachers, anticipating a surge of new awards after expanding which teachers are eligible and expanding the program to cover principals as well.
Another $200 million would go to the “schools of hope” program, which is meant to encourage charter schools to open in areas where traditional public schools have struggled academically.
But all $414 million is now combined into one line item that will be divvied up based on details the two chambers are still discussing. Senate leaders hope to make some of the “schools of hope” money available to traditional public schools for wraparound services, like health care and after-school programs.
