Lawmakers reach deal on school money

Florida legislators have a deal over how much more money will go to the state’s public schools. House and Senate budget writers on Sunday agreed to boost school funding by $458 million. That will result in a one-percent increase in the amount of how much money is spent per student. Under the deal Florida will spend $7,178 a year per student. But in a major shift, legislators agreed to only use state tax dollars to pay for the increase. The decision by legislators to use state money for the increase means that property tax rates charged by school districts will go down slightly this fall.