Saying Gov. Ron DeSantis painted a “rosy picture” of the state of Florida during his annual State of the State address, the Florida Education Association in a statement is reminding Floridians that the “state of public education” under the Governor’s administration “might be better characterized as a patch of thorns” for teachers and students.
“The Governor’s top-line promises can sound good, but there’s always a catch,” argued Florida Education Association (FEA) President Andrew Spar.
“Gov. DeSantis says he’s for teachers’ rights, then moves to take away their rights to teach honest lessons or join together to advocate for Florida’s students and our profession. He says on repeat that he’s for freedom, but we see a multitude of limitations on what teachers and professors can teach, what students can learn, what books they can read, and what courses our college students can take. It’s like a game of opposites, with students losing.”
Last year, DeSantis pushed through priority legislation banning certain education in classrooms and some workplaces that focused on race, through his “Stop WOKE” Act, some of which is now on hold pending federal legal challenges.
This year, DeSantis’ priority higher education legislation targets colleges and universities and would block funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI), ban gender studies curriculum and bar lessons related to critical race theory, among other provisions.
The FEA said students deserve strong public schools, colleges and universities and pointed to a staffing crisis “that has gone from bad to worse under the Governor’s watch. That, the group explained, is leaving students without adequate access to professionally trained teachers and support staff who can meet their needs.
“We recently saw a very violent attack on a paraprofessional in Flagler County. In a recent conversation with this paraprofessional, she alluded to the lack of staff and lack of support for the student as two of the main contributing factors,” Spar said.
The FEA claims colleges and universities are “at risk of slipping” in national rankings, particularly those that consider academic freedom, and attributes the rationale for recent legislation to “scoring points on a national stage where the most corrosive and divisive style of politics is rewarded.”
The FEA is calling on Florida lawmakers to:
— Increase public education funding.
— Implement competitive pay for all school employees.
— Cut red tape that complicates teacher pay and penalizes experience.
— Treat teachers, professors and staff with respect as trained professionals.
— Protect students’ freedom to learn and teachers’ freedom to teach.
— Protect teachers’ rights to unionize.
DeSantis delivered his State of the State address Tuesday ahead of the start of the 2023 Legislative Session.
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