Class Size Limits: A Fading Voter Win

0:00Over 20 years ago, a Miami-Date state senator named Kendrick Meek saw 38 kids crammed into his daughter's third grade class and knew. Something had to change. Floridians were fed up with packed classrooms, so he pushed a petition that put class-size limits on the ballot. Voters approved it in 2002, mandating cuts of two students per year until caps hit in 2010, 18 for pre-kindergarten, through third grade, 22 for 4 through 8 and 25 for high school. That promise rang up nearly $58 billion so far, way more than the 27 billion governor Jeb Bush first predicted. Early on, the state fell short on funding, and nearly half the districts missed even the first year reductions. Parents and voters pushed back hard when lawmakers tried tweaking the rules. Like a 2010 ballot measure for school-wide averages that got shot down, lawmakers kept chipping away anyway, adding loopholes for new enrollments, redefining core classes,

1:00and letting districts label schools as choice. Options to dodge per class counts. Fast forward to recent years, penalties got slashed in 2017 with water use of averages then wiped out completely for the two. 1023 24 school year. In Hillsboro County, over 40 schools topped limits the past two years, and even with fines gone, preliminary data shows 42 still. Exceeding caps this year. Districts are easing off strict compliance now, betting on averages to keep things smooth, but that original voter win from Meeks Fight feels farther. Away is crowds linger in too many rooms. Tampa Bay News Today, powered by AI Bringing You What Matters. I'm Corey with The Story.