Florida

"The Obama administration last week gave Gov. Rick Scott one of the two waivers he's requested for managing Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the very poor. The waiver affects long-term care for 87,000 low-income seniors and disabled people who now receive nursing home or in-home care under Medicaid. Given that Medicaid consumes about $21 billion of the state's $74 billion budget and that long-term care accounts for about 18 percent of Medicaid's budget we all have a stake in the efficient management of the program's long-term care services for our most frail citizens."

"Deputy Superintendent George Kosmac suggested several changes for the board to consider -- including shifting some students to get a better mix of low-income children in the five schools, as measured by the percentage qualifying for federally subsidized meals."

"The committees also were asked to balance the number of low-income and affluent kids among the schools. How did that turn out for the North Phase? Somewhere between a vague attempt and none at all. Under the proposals, upscale Heathrow and Wilson elementary schools would continue to have a fraction of low-income students compared with high-poverty schools such as Wicklow or Winter Springs elementaries."

"The committee wrestled with balancing enrollments while also considering demographic makeup of the schools. But committee members balked at equalizing the percentage of students from low-income families at each school, saying too many students would have to be shifted to equalize the extremes of 77 percent poverty at Spring Lake versus 21 percent at Sabal Point. All of the recommended plans maintain that divide and even increased the percentage of low-income students at Spring Lake."

"Local governments now can offer an additional homestead exemption to qualified low-income seniors age 65 and older who have, for at least 25 years, owned their permanent residence that is now worth less than $250,000. In order to take effect in 2013, local governments had to approve the exemption by last Friday. But in a 4-1 vote, Dunedin city commissioners rejected the exemption for now, saying they want to gather more information during summer budget talks on how the tax break would impact city revenues."

"Seminole school-district officials have backed away from realigning elementary-school attendance zones based on equalizing the number of low-income students at each school. Complaints from members of committees redrawing attendance zones, as well as parents concerned that their children would be forced to switch schools, prompted district officials to "clarify" how the percentage of low-income students should figure into the mix."