State Has Four Years to Ease Classroom Crunch

When the class size amendment is fully implemented, kindergarten through third grade classes will house no more 18 children. In fourth- through eighth-grade, the maximum is 22 students and only 25 students in high school classes.

But getting to those lower class sizes in four years will be costly. Florida Education Commissioner John Winn laments that class size requirements dominate the overall budget.

WINN: Year after year, almost half of the entire budget increase - we're talking workforce, community colleges and everything - has to do with continuing to implement the class size amendment.

The state Board of Education approved nearly $3 billion to fund 7,000 new classrooms - but it offered no suggestions on where to find the additional money.