It's the Economy

A Tallahassee delegation rolled through Bonita Springs recently touting its "Roadmap to Florida's Future," an effort launched by Gov. Jeb Bush to create an economic development strategy. The message at this event, which was one leg of a statewide tour, belabored the obvious: Florida needs to diversify its economy by becoming "a global leader in knowledge-based jobs, leading edge technology and competitive enterprises in traditional and new businesses in the 21st century." Local economic development people have been saying this for a long time.

During the discussion period, local participants-whose input will be used in the master plan, due on the governor's desk in January-recommended that the roadmappers include a provision to improve the quality of our schools. A tall order, but one essential to Bush's program.

Florida's education spending is an embarrassment, and our students score below the national average in some critical areas. Consider these statistics, provided by local school officials. Out of the 50 states, Florida ranks 38th in per-pupil spending, 46th in percent of government spending devoted to education and 49th in education funding per citizen. Florida also finishes 39th in combined SAT scores and 45th for its high school graduation rates.

Those numbers make Southwest Florida, and the rest of the state for that matter, a hard sell. Imagine someone using this in a promotional pitch: "Our schools may be underfunded and students may underperform, but we do have nice weather, palm trees and golf courses."

Many of us with children in Southwest Florida schools believe the kids are getting a good education, thanks to talented and dedicated teachers, staff and administrators. But from an outsider's perspective, particularly that of an executive contemplating a move of a company and its employees, Florida schools could be a deal-breaker..

Unless education takes the front seat, in a substantive way that goes beyond political rhetoric, the governor's map program won't fly-or reach its intended destination.

So what's to be done as population growth and the class-size amendment exacerbate the situation, particularly in Lee County? The answer must come in significant part from business, which has an interest in building a diverse economy, and which has the wherewithal to do what the legislature can't.

Companies already contribute time and money, in generous amounts, to our indispensable education foundations in Lee and Collier, as we report in this issue. But there are other ways businesses can come through.

Lee County School Superintendent James Browder is leaning toward one half-cent sales tax increase to fund up to $900 million needed for 41 schools to be built in the next nine years. Preliminary plans are to craft a sophisticated campaign and have it up for referendum in 2005. Browder, who is wisely taking his time on this, should be able to count on businesses to help fund the campaign and push the message into the community.

Another way CEOs and top businesspeople can make a difference is to seriously lean on our state elected officials to spend more money on our schools-now.

If it's apparent that Florida is making an effort to improve education, and is showing some progress, then perhaps we'll see more of those top-shelf industries checking us out on a real map.