Home of Miami-Palmetto Senior High School, ranked in the top 100 public schools in the country by Newsweek Magazine, the Village of Pinecrest has long recognized how important the quality of the public schools are in bringing people to live here.  Since the Village incorporated in 1996, they have given $10,000 grants to each of the five public schools in the Village each year.  These grants were used for beautification and technology and had been a boost to the school's budgets in a state that places low emphasis on the amount of funding it provides the public schools. 

In their upcoming September 11 Village Council meeting, the council will hold the first of two public hearings on their proposed budget, which does not include the $50,000 for the individual school grants.  The second public hearing will be on September 18th.

Since the Florida Legislature passed a tax reform bill during their last session, the Village must reduce its millage rates for FY 2007-2008 by 9%.  Obviously they need to make cuts somewhere and schools and parks are going to be affected as a result.  Maybe parents of school children can donate their small property tax savings, a couple of hundred dollars in many cases, to the schools' Parent Teacher Associations to help make up the shortfall.   Schools are an important consideration when purchasing a property, even among those who do not have school age children as they realize the importance quality schools play in resale value.