When you vote on November 5 of this year, along with the host of candidates for the Florida Cabinet, the U.S. Congress, the Florida Legislature and a bunch of local offices, there will also be 10 “ballot initiatives” that, if passed, will amend Florida’s Constitution. There are four ways these Constitutional Ballot Initiatives can make it to the ballot – 1) The Florida Legislature can propose it; 2) the Constitutional Revision Commission (which meets every 20 years) can propose it; 3) the Legislature can call for a Constitutional Convention (which has never happened); or, 4) the citizens of Florida can sign enough petitions to get an initiative on the ballot.

Depending on your views – what you believe, what is important to you and yours – you may support or oppose a particular cause. Just be sure that you are armed with as much information as possible before making that decision in the voting booth. Last week we profiled #3 and #4 of the ballot initiatives; this week we are featuring #8 and #9, and we will continue to feature the others in the following weeks. We hope this is informative and welcome any questions.

The following will appear on your voting ballot on November 5:

8. Voluntary Universal Pre-Kindergarten Education. (Sponsored by Pre-K Committee of Parents for Readiness Education for our Kids and to be placed on ballot via citizen initiative)

This amendment provides that every four year-old child in Florida shall, by constitutional mandate, be offered “a high quality pre-kindergarten learning opportunity by the state” no later than the 2005 school year. This amendment also mandates that it shall be free for all Florida four-year-olds without taking away funds used for existing education, health and development programs. According to the various studies and estimates, the plan will cost around $625 the first year and will rise in annual cost to over $760 million by 2015. Some groups have estimated cost to be much higher. Because this amendment prohibits local funding or diversion of other education spending, it requires the Florida Legislature to look to the taxpayers for additional funding. If you support the constitutionally mandated offering of “pre-K” programs – vote “yes.” If you oppose constitutionally mandated offering of “pre-K” programs – vote “no.”

9. Florida’s Amendment to Reduce Class Size.
(Sponsored by Coalition to Reduce Class Size and to be placed on ballot via citizen initiative.)

This amendment requires the Legislature to fund sufficient additional classrooms to reduce classroom sizes of students in public school classes for various grade levels by the 2010 school year, and prohibits passing the cost on to local school districts. Official estimates have put the cost of this amendment between $20 and $27.5 billion over the next eight years plus an additional $2.5 billion annually thereafter. If this amendment passes, the Florida Legislature will be forced to either significantly raise taxes or radically cut education, transportation, social service “safety net,” parks, recreation, and other “quality-of-life” programs. Each penny of Florida sales tax raises about $2.6 billion in revenue. If this amendment passes, the 2003 Florida Legislature faces a $5 billion deficit out of only $21 billion in discretionary funding dollars for the 2003-04 year. If you support constitutionally mandated classroom size – vote “yes.” If you oppose constitutionally mandated classroom size – vote “no.” For more information on the Chamber’s stance against this ominous amendment, read the following article:

Source: Florida Friday