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The Governor is making education spending promises early, but as Matt Galka tells us, some are calling the re-election tactic too little, too late.

Florida’s Governor hammered home the state’s historic education funding all year.

“Record funding for K-12, record funding for colleges, record funding for universities,” said Gov. Rick Scott in May.

While the spending was up 575 million from last year – the knock was that it didn’t exceed per-pupil funding highs from the previous administration.

Sen. Dwight Bullard/(D) Miami-Dade

“We have not gotten back to our historical highs of over 7,000 per student,” said Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-Miami-Dade) after a Democrats press conference in March.

Rick Scott promised to change that Thursday. He vowed to increase per-pupil spending to a historic level…if he’s re-elected, The Governor’s plan surpasses the all time high per student funding of 07-08 by about $50.

The Florida Education Association isn’t buying the election year move.

“If education was a priority for the Governor, our first order of business when we came into office wouldn’t have been cutting education by $1.3 billion dollars,” said FEA Vice President Joanne McCall.

The proposal is $232 more per student compared to this school year.  School boards will take the money.

“Better late than never, we applaud the Governor for putting it on the front burner, I believe the Governor has listened to his constituents as he’s traveled this state, and they consistently say that education funding has been the number one issue,” said Florida School Board Association Executive Director Wayne Blanton.

The previous all time high was $7,126 per student. The Governor plans to put that number at $7,176. The Florida School Board Association said if Scott is not re-elected, they will encourage a new Governor to make the same proposal.