Schools with the least to get less

Florida may get less federal money than expected to help high-poverty schools in the coming year because the federal government found that state spending on schools decreased during Gov. Jeb Bush's first budget.

Under a complex formula used by the U.S. Department of Education, Florida effectively is being penalized for a slight drop in per pupil spending in the 1999-2000 budget year. At stake are millions of dollars in the federal Title I program, which provides money to high-poverty schools.

Florida stood out nationally that year, with school spending dropping by 1.05 percent while the national average was up 5.66 percent, according to federal figures. Florida was the only state with a decrease in per pupil expenditures that year.