Deal benefits Scott, legislative leaders.

Last week Gov. Rick Scott unveiled the budget deal that set the table for the three-day special session of the Florida Legislature scheduled to begin today in Tallahassee. It’s a bad deal, both in substance and how it came about.

It would give public schools more operating cash next year, but poke a hole long-term in funds for construction and maintenance.

It would give the governor an $85 million slush fund for economic development.

It would come at the expense of state colleges and many worthy local projects.

The deal would serve the political interests of Scott, Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard ♦ Corcoran. Each can claim victory, even as the state loses.

If the deal survives intact during this week’s special session, Negron will be able to say the extra $215 million for public ♦ schools is more like what the Senate proposed than the tightfisted House. He also will keep his priorities — a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, and more money for universities.

Scott will be able to say he won back $76 million for tourism promotion and $85 million for economic development, his top priorities. The economic development money is targeted for infrastructure and work-force training. But consider, the Florida Department of Transportation already funds projects under a disciplined five-year schedule. And state colleges already provide work-force training for targeted industries.

So why does Florida need another bureaucracy to do similar work under the Department of Economic Opportunity? Can you say “slush fund”?

Still, the biggest problem with this secret deal is that Corcoran also will hold on to his priority — House Bill 7069, the massive education package that school superintendents, school boards, the teachers union and parents groups want Scott to veto. How bad is HB 7069? Palm Beach County School Superintendent Robert Avossa told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, “It’s the single largest piece of legislation to dismantle public education that I’ve ever seen.”

For the first time, charter schools would get a share of property tax revenue that school districts use for construction and maintenance. It would give for-profit charter companies public money for buildings the public would not own.

Under HB 7069, charter companies would get $140 million to build what Corcoran calls “schools of hope” near low-performing traditional public schools. Yet private companies have expressed no interest in the untested program, and there would be no guarantee of charters taking all the students.

In return, Scott, Negron and Corcoran want traditional public schools to be content with roughly another $125 per student for operating expenses. Though that’s better than the $24 increase in the budget currently proposed, the money is just for one year and won’t offset the loss of capital money.

Scott “found” the money for the secret deal by vetoing $410 million in local projects, including many meant for economic development. And state colleges, always on the lookout to help new industries train skilled workers, saw their budgets cut by $30.2 million.

On Tuesday, Senate leaders called on the House to modify the deal to override some of Scott’s vetoes of spending for universities and restore $100 million of $200 million cut from hospitals. While those changes could improve the deal, it appeared doubtful that House leaders would go along.

As he touted the agreement last week, Scott said, “Everybody wins here.” Sure, if you define “everybody” as Rick Scott, Joe Negron and Richard Corcoran.