JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE: Jacksonville City Council voted 16-1 Tuesday in support of a resolution in support of advanced programs in Florida Public Schools.
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Jacksonville City Council is set to take a final vote Tuesday night in defense of full funding for advanced placement programs like AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate), and AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education).
Students like Kaden Young came out in force back in April to signal their support for a local resolution that called on state lawmakers to fully fund AP classes and career and technical education courses.
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The proposed budgets put forth by the Florida House and Senate both reduce bonus funds offered to schools when students pass the courses by 50 percent.
“It really hit home for a lot of people and they didn’t realize that these courses that they hold so dearly could be taken away,” Young said.
Council initially shot down a motion to hear the bill on an emergency basis, which sent it to committees for a full six-week bill cycle.
RELATED: Why Florida lawmakers want to slash AP funding and why education groups say the math doesn’t add up
At the time, it seemed the resolution wouldn’t be heard before lawmakers wrapped up session.
But since a state budget still has not been hammered out, there’s still an opportunity to take a stand.
“It did wind up being a mixed blessing,” Councilmember Matt Carlucci (R-Group 4 At-Large) said.
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Carlucci is the sponsor of the resolution, which now also calls on the school district to fully fund the courses in the event state lawmakers refuse to relent.
“They may ignore the resolution when it gets sent over there, but they won’t ignore the voices of these young students. Because these young students represent voters, future voters and future leaders,” Carlucci said.
And based on votes the resolution received as it went through committee, Young is optimistic council will vote to approve it and amplify the voices of students who fear losing opportunities to earn college credit while in high school.
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“We all feel really good about the spot we’re in right now. We feel as if, the Florida Legislature is extended by almost a month at this point, if we can use that month correctly, we can really get our message out very effectively and we’re excited to see where that takes us,” Young said.
State lawmakers have signaled they won’t be back in the State Capitol before June 2.
The House has even moved to extend session until June 30, which is just one day before the start of the next fiscal year.
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