Florida public schools could face cuts up to 25% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The warning came from Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie on Tuesday, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“Disney is closed and they account for half of the 100 million visitors who come to the state of Florida,” he said. “They’ve furloughed 43,000 workers. The cruise industry is shut down. Hotel occupancy rates are in the single digits. There’s going to be a significant impact on education.”
Runcie said the economic impact could result in funding cuts of 20-25%. He made his comments at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Broward County School Board, which was conducted by videoconference because of social distancing guidelines, the newspaper noted.
He noted New York officials are predicting a cut of 50% in education funding. But he said New York funds schools at $23,000 per student, while Florida’s funding level is about $7,700 per student, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
“If New York cuts their schools by 50%, their funding will still be 50% higher than where we are in Florida now,” Runcie said. “Think about that."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the state’s schools will be closed through the end of the academic year. He said schools will continue with the distance learning models already in place, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.