Senate boosts schools by more than $1B

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Senate is proposing a nearly $1.2 billion increase in state spending on schools.

A Senate panel on Tuesday rolled out its initial school budget that includes the proposed increase. The Senate proposal to boost state support for schools would increase per-student funding by 3.1 percent.

Gov. Rick Scott warned that he would veto the 2012 state budget if lawmakers did not set aside a significant amount of money for public schools. The House is scheduled to vote on a budget later this week that would increase per-student funding by 2.27 percent.

Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs and chairman of the Senate education budget committee, wants to use some of the extra money to pay for intensive reading training for students attending low-performing schools.