Fla. Lawmakers at Odds Over Tax Plan for Schools

Florida's first Republican-dominated legislature in 122 years got off to a fast start this month, with education high on the agenda.

Both Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles and GOP leaders are calling for higher academic standards, safer schools, and more classrooms. But an anti-tax sentiment among Republican lawmakers could impede passage of the governor's multi-million-dollar wish list for schools.

"The legislature is doing all it can to take the spotlight off money," said Pat Tornillo, the president of the Florida Education Association-United, the...