Chairman seeks classroom spending requirement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, wants to set a minimum requirement for money flowing to public-school classrooms.

Diaz on Monday filed a bill (SB 360) that would require school districts to spend at least 80 percent of the money they receive through the state's main funding formula on classroom costs.

Those costs would include such things as salaries and bonuses for teachers, materials for teachers and students and technology for students.

The bill would apply to money that districts receive through the Florida Education Finance Program, the formula commonly known as the FEFP. It is filed for the 2020 legislative session, which starts Jan. 14.