One can see that major changes have taken place and I believe that with a little study the taxpayer can understand the reasoning for this law. PL 874 is an easily administered program--one with a low cost overhead. any part of PL 874 would adversely affect to a great extent the educa tional programs provided for students in the Montgomery Public School System, Montgomery, Alabama. jmm Thomas A. Bobo Assistant Superintendent TESTIMONY BEFORE THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BY WALLACE S. ODOM ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR FINANCE & BUSINESS AFFAIRS 215 WEST GARDEN STREET POST OFFICE BOX 1470 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA 32503 ON JUNE 29, 1977 AT WASHINGTON, D. C. TOPIC: "IMPACT AID FUNDING OF THE "B" CHILDREN" TO THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Carl D. Perkins (Kentucky) (Chairman) Ike F. Andrews (North Carolina) Michael T. Blouin (Iowa) Paul Simon (Illinois) Leo C. Zeferetti (New York) George Miller (California) Austin J. Murphy (Pennsylvania) Joseph A. LeFante (New Jersey) Baltasar Corrada (Puerto Rico) John Buchanan (Alabama) Larry Pressler (South Dakota) William F. Goodling (Pennsylvania) Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, I am Wallace S. Odom, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Affairs with The School Board of Escambia County, Florida. You may be assured that I consider it both an honor and privilege to address the Committee today concerning the future federal funding of impact aid to what is commonly referred to as the "B" children category (Section 3-B) under Public Law 874. As indicated to you during my testimony on equalization, Escambia County is located in the northwestern part of the state at the very western tip of the Florida panhandle, and is bordered to the north and west by the State of Alabama, and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico. Pensacola is our major city. Our population of some 225,000 persons makes us the 10th largest of the 67 counties in Florida. Each county is one school district. Our county school system has over 48,000 full time equivalent students. There is in our county (our school district) 420,480 acres of land. According to our county tax appraiser 91 miles is waterfront property, of which 35 miles fronts the Gulf of Mexico, and 55-3/4 miles fronts Pensacola Bay, Escambia Bay and the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. Considering only waterfront property the Federal Government owns 41-3/4 miles, of which 16-1/2 miles fronts the Gulf of Mexico, and 25-1/4 miles fronts Pensacola Bay and the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. Since the United States Navy moved into our county long before there was any appreciable population growth, the Federal Government naturally established ownership for itself of the very best waterfront land--the "cream of the crop." The beaches in this part of the state extending from Pensacola to Panama City--a distance of over 100 miles--are known as "The Miracle Strip", so named to describe the beauty of its sugar-white sand. These beaches are not second rate; they are "Grade A Prime". It has often been said by world travelers that they are the most beautiful in the world. If this is true why haven't the beaches in, this area developed on a similar plain to those in South Florida? A map showing how much of this land in Northwest Florida is owned by the Federal Government should provide the answer. Even so there are 9,752 students in our county (20% of our total student population) upon which we earn impact aid funds. Of this number 777 are classed as "A" children for which we are compensated $468,000 by the Federal Government, while 8,974 are "B" children for which we are paid $1,537,000. We earn another $290,000 under the "hold harmless" provision of Public Law 874. The total amount for which we are to be paid under the 1977 appropriation is almost $2.3 million. Should the Congress fail to fund the "B" children, it is my understanding we would lose not only the $1,537,000 of the "B's", but almost all of the $290,000 hold harmless funding. If this is permitted to happen, Mr. Chairman, it would have a devastating effect upon our school system. As you can see by Appendix "A" there are only 5 school districts (out of the 67 total school districts) in Florida having a lower revenue rate per student than ours. Our students and teachers don't deserve this treatment. It would literally wreak us in our attempt to provide the education our children deserve. The effect would be: overcrowded classrooms, fewer teachers, custodians, maintenance personnel, counselors, equipment, supplies, buses, etc., and less education. On a statewide basis you will find that only 26 of the 67 counties in Florida draw impact aid funds which in total amounts to $23.1 million. Of this amount $8.4 million is for the "A's", $12.6 million for "B's", and $2.1 million hold harmless. The effect, insofar as revenue per student in each school district is concerned, can be seen by viewing Appendix "B". Further, by examining Appendix "c" it is obvious that those school districts having the highest concentration of impact aid students are, on balance, the poorest school districts in revenue per student. To delete the "B" funding would, most definitely, compound the problem to a critical level without any hope of relief, while widening even further the disparity gap of equalization. The "B" funding consists of two general categories: military "B's" and civilian "B's". In Escambia County we have a total of 8,974 "B's", of which 3,857 are military "B's" and 5,117 civilian "B's". Our arguments in justification for the funding for both military and civilian "B's" was clearly presented in a recent response I made to the editor of the Pensacola NewsJournal on March 28, 1977. A copy of this communication is enclosed. Mr. Chairman, I urge the Committee to take the time to read the seven page document. I am confident that it presents fairly all the important aspects of "B" funding. |