JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Lawmakers in Washington only have 24 more days to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff." If they can't find a compromise, our local school districts face drastic cuts in funding.
Action News has learned millions of dollars will disappear from our local school districts if a deal is not reached. That's troubling news for Angela Vigil.
"It is scary because I have three children in public school and this is going to affect their entire education," said Vigil.
Action News did some digging and found out that if a deal isn't reached by Jan. 1, $173 million will be cut from Florida's education programs.
According to school leaders in St. Johns County, more than one million will be cut every year for ten years. That includes $280,000 slashed from Title 1 which provides free and reduced lunch to students who live in low-income housing. At risk is also more than $500,000 from special education.
Clay County schools crunched the numbers. They report a loss of $1.08 million per year, that's 9 percent of their overall budget.
The Duval County School District faces a $5.7 million dip in federal funding every year over the next ten years.
"It's going to affect those not only in low-performing schools but at-risk students throughout our district," said Duval County Superintendent, Nikolai Vitti. "A lot of those extra dollars went to fund new and different programs and strategies that seem to have been effective."
While time is ticking in D.C., Vigil demands that lawmakers in Washington get past its deadlock. "Find a compromise and don't stop until solved the problem."
