Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into a law a new state budget despite criticism that it shortchanges the state's public schools.

The nearly $89 billion budget was sent by state legislators to Scott earlier this week.

Before he signed the bill, Scott vetoed $64 million that he said included projects that weren't needed or circumvented the budget process.

Scott signed the budget amid an outcry from school superintendents.

While lawmakers boosted overall school funding, most of the money is tied to a school safety bill signed into law by Scott. That bill includes money for mental health programs and hiring additional school resource officers.

Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning said it was wrong to increase money for school safety at the expense of educating students.

Orange County Public Schools released a statement in response to the state budget, which they noted how little funding is allocated toward other needs besides security and mental health:

"We appreciate funding for security and mental health, but are disappointed that so little is available for other important needs," wrote the district. "We believe our children deserve more than 47 cents per student to support high-quality academics and our hard-working teachers deserve raises."


The Associated Press contributed to this story.