JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Teachers and others opposing cuts to the state education budget proposed by Gov. Rick Scott are rallying at Metropolitan Park this evening.
Save Duval Schools and the Duval County Council of PTAs organized the event, which started at 5 p.m. There was a big turnout which included parents, teachers and Duval County school officials.
People took to the stage to argue against the potential budget cuts, saying it would harm the public school system.
Earlier this month when Scott released his budget proposal, education advocates lashed out.
In Duval County alone, Executive Director of Save Duval Schools Colleen Wood estimated 90 million will be cut from the public school budget to make up for Scott's proposed budget cuts. "It's important as a community that we decide what our priorities are," Wood said earlier this month.
Scott has defended the budget, saying that cutting taxes is priority number one. "We can't spend more than we take in, we can't," he said.
His budget proposal contained more than $4 billion in budget cuts, $1.4 billion of that being property taxes, which largely fund public school education.
Wood contends that the governor's cuts would take teachers out of the classrooms, and harm children in the long run, but the governor insists the cuts are worth it. "It's a budget designed to reduce state spending, lower taxes, and hold your government accountable," Scott said.
First Coast News