Less than two weeks before voters decide whether to approve slot machines in the county, an attempt
to get Broward School Board chairwoman Stephanie Kraft on the pro-slots team -- or to at least tone
down her anti-slots rhetoric -- has come up empty so far.
The Broward Teachers Union, which held a pro-slots rally at its Tamarac headquarters Wednesday
afternoon, invited Kraft and the head of the pro-slots political action committee to a morning meeting
to reach a truce.
Although not a highly visible politician, Kraft is one of the most effective foes of the slots campaign
because she represents the School Board, which is supposed to benefit the most from the slots taxes.
Kraft's opposition is based in part on the failure of the parimutuel industry to reach a specific deal with
the school district as it has with Broward and Miami-Dade counties and several cities.
She has been using her School Board e-mail account to lobby constituents, pointing out what she sees
as potential problems with allowing five racetracks and two jai-alai frontons to offer slots in Broward
and Miami-Dade.
''I want an agreement, and they aren't willing to give it to us,'' Kraft said.
Kraft said Wednesday there was a chance that the parimutuels, headed by Dan Adkins of the
Hollywood Greyhound Track, could offer the School Board a deal before its March 1 meeting -- its last
before the vote.
But Adkins said that at this point the pro-slots coalition can't offer anything other than the promise to
work in Tallahassee to get Broward schools as much slots money as possible. Although voters must
still pass the measure on March 8, legislative committees already are working on bills to regulate
slot-machine operations and how they would be taxed.
''We respect their concerns, and we have sent them a letter telling them we would work on their
legislative concerns,'' Adkins said. ``We understand their desire, they would like to get some sort of
guarantee. The only guarantee that they have is that if this doesn't pass, they get nothing.''
Kraft urged her colleagues on the board three weeks ago to pass a resolution withholding support for
slots because Broward schools are not guaranteed any money. Board members criticized the
parimutuels, but ultimately backed off Kraft's resolution, urging only that the Legislature make sure
Broward receives its fair share of slots revenue.
Kraft said the parimutuel industry has said the School Board should put its faith in a bill sponsored by
state Sen. Steve Geller, D-Hallandale Beach, which would give Broward and Miami-Dade $75 per
student from slot-machine revenue. The rest would be divided among Florida's 67 districts, with
Broward and Miami-Dade also receiving part of that money.
State officials have estimated that slots could generate $500 million annually for education statewide.
Kraft said she doesn't believe Geller's bill will pass.
''They think that bill will go somewhere,'' Kraft said. ``I don't.''
BTU president Pat Santeramo asked Kraft and Adkins to meet, hoping to build support for the vote.
''I want a conversation about how we can generate more money for public education,'' Santeramo said.