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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO RESTORE SCHOOL READINESS FUNDING TO THE EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF MIAMI-DADE/MONROE THAT RECENTLY HAS BEEN REDUCED AS A RESULT OF A NEW STATEWIDE FUNDING FORMULA; IDENTIFYING THIS ISSUE AS A CRITICAL COUNTY PRIORITY FOR THE 2013 SESSION

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WHEREAS, on June 25, 2012, Florida�s Office of Early Learning released a new School Readiness funding allocation formula for fiscal year 2012-13; and
WHEREAS, the new formula attempts to achieve equity for all 67 Florida counties by redistributing the existing state School Readiness allocation; and
WHEREAS, the statewide impact varies from county to county, but the overall School Readiness budget reduction as a result of this redistribution for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties is $3.7 million for fiscal year 2012-2013, with $3,564,477 for Miami-Dade County and the remainder for Monroe County; and
WHEREAS, the impact of this $3.7 million funding reduction from the state is that approximately 1,000 children will not have access to School Readiness programs and services in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties are slated to lose a total of $22,334,067 over the next six years in funding for School Readiness programs; and
WHEREAS, the reductions over the next six-year period represent approximately 20�percent of the total School Readiness funding for Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, which will impact a total of approximately 6,000 children who will not have access to services; and
WHEREAS, in addition, 11,281 children between birth and eight years of age that are currently on the Miami-Dade/Monroe waiting list will not have a chance of receiving School Readiness services; and
WHEREAS, in previous years, the Florida Legislature, Florida�s Office of Early Learning and Early Learning Coalitions had agreed that the equity formula should only be applied to new dollars, but in December, 2011, Florida�s Auditor General released Report No.�2012-061, which found that Florida�s Office of Early Learning had been required effective July 1, 2010 to establish a formula for allocating among Early Learning Coalitions all federal and state funds for children participating in School Readiness Programs based on "equity for each county�; and
WHEREAS, based on the implementation of this new formula by the Office of Early Learning, funding will be shifted to other Early Learning Coalitions around Florida, creating a funding impact to the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe of $3.7 million in the current fiscal year and more than $22 million over the next six years, which includes an overall share of an $8,523,450 reduction of non-recurring dollars to the state�s overall School Readiness allocation; and
WHEREAS, this Board would request that the Florida Legislature revise the �equity funding formula� to restore $3.7 million for fiscal year 2012-13, currently impacting 1,000 children who could be receiving School Readiness programs and services and restore the overall slated reduction of $22 million in School Readiness funding over the next six years, which is estimated to impact approximately 6,000 children currently receiving services and over 11,281 on the waiting list who will not stand a chance of receiving services,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to restore School Readiness funding to the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe that recently has been reduced as a result of a new statewide funding formula.
Section 2. Identifies the issue set forth in section 1 above as a critical County priority for the 2013 state legislative session.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of this Board to send a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation and the Director of Florida�s Office of Early Learning.
Section 4. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation and action set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2013 State Legislative Package as a critical County priority when it is presented to the Board.