SB 7030 & SB 2510: Florida Lawmakers Are Putting Your Child’s Future at Risk — And Admitting They Don’t Understand How Education Funding Works

They laughed through their ignorance — and now they’re rewriting how Florida schools are funded.

Florida’s public education system is under attack — not through headlines or viral moments, but through quiet, calculated budget cuts buried in bills like SB 7030 and SB 2510. Lawmakers are calling these “reforms,” but they’re dismantling the very programs that help kids succeed.

SB 7030, now heading to the Senate floor, is basically a copy of the earlier HB 5101. They cut 50% of the bonus funding for the programs that give public school students a fair shot:

• Advanced Placement (AP)

• International Baccalaureate (IB)

• Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)

• Dual Enrollment

• Career and Technical Education (CTE), including CAPE industry certifications

These aren’t extras. They are essential to helping students earn college credit, industry certifications, and scholarships — and without dedicated funding, they’ll disappear, especially in underfunded schools.

What makes this worse is the hypocrisy. Lawmakers scream that funding should "follow the student" — and have recently used that phrase to justify every cut, shift, and privatization scheme. But this budget does the opposite. It moves money into a complicated, outdated formula that even the people voting on it can’t explain.

Don’t take my word for it. In a recent hearing, Senator Danny Burgess, the chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, was asked a smart and informed question by Senator Rosalind Osgood. His response?

“There are maybe ten people in the entire state who truly understand the FEFP calculation system,” he said. “I’m not one of them… (laugh) so hopefully I’m an appropriate vehicle to explain and reassure what we’re trying to do—without necessarily holding the keys to the expertise.”

Let that sink in: the man sponsoring a bill that reshapes how every school in Florida is funded admitted — while laughing — that he doesn’t understand the system.

These bills also eliminate full-time equivalent (FTE) funding for students earning industry certifications and those enrolled in virtual summer instruction. They rewrite the CAPE certification list, threatening access to practical skills training in things like grant writing, digital tools, and data processing.

So what does this mean for real kids?

A rural student working toward an EMT certification may now see that program vanish. A Title I student relying on AP or AICE to earn Bright Futures could lose access to those courses. A student learning real-world job skills? Left with no program, no support, and no pathway forward.

Lawmakers say the money is “still there.” But without a clear, protected funding stream, schools can’t plan for these programs — and that means they’re the first to go. Wealthier districts and families will fill the gaps. Everyone else will lose out.

If Florida wants to call itself the “Education State,” our leaders need to prove it — by funding programs that work and supporting students who rely on them. Right now, they’re doing the opposite.

The Florida Legislature still has time to fix this. They can amend the budget. They can restore dedicated funding. They can stop pretending this is reform when it’s really just disinvestment.

Because once these programs are gone, the damage won’t stop at the classroom door. It will ripple through communities, families, and our future workforce.

Act now. Call or email the lawmakers listed below and tell them to stop these harmful cuts. Share this information with your school board, your neighbors, and your networks. Public pressure matters — and our students’ futures are worth the fight.

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Key Legislative Contacts on Education Funding

Tell them to amend this budget and restore dedicated funding:

Sen. Ed Hooper, District 21, (850) 487-5021, hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov
Rep. Lawrence McClure, District 68, (850) 717-5068, lawrence.mcclure@myfloridahouse.gov
Rep. Alex Andrade, District 2, (850) 717-5002, alex.andrade@myfloridahouse.gov
Sen. Jim Boyd, District 20, (850) 487-5020, boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jason Brodeur, District 10, (850) 487-5010, brodeur.jason.web@flsenate.gov
Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera, District 114, (850) 717-5114, demi.busatta@myfloridahouse.gov
Sen. Joe Gruters, District 22, (850) 487-5022, gruters.joe.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, District 28, (850) 487-5028, passidomo.kathleen.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jason Pizzo, District 37, (850) 487-5037, pizzo.jason.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Darryl Rouson, District 16, (850) 487-5016, rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov
Rep. Jason Shoaf, District 7, (850) 717-5007, jason.shoaf@myfloridahouse.gov
Rep. John Snyder, District 86, (850) 717-5086, john.snyder@myfloridahouse.gov
Rep. Allison Tant, District 9, (850) 717-5009, allison.tant@myfloridahouse.gov
Rep. Marie Paule Woodson, District 105, (850) 717-5105, mariepaul.woodson@myfloridahouse.gov

🔎 Find and contact your own Florida legislators here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/FindYourRepresentative
https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find