Put kids first for a change, with teachers a close second

When the 2020 session of the Florida Legislature begins Tuesday, all state lawmakers will proudly proclaim themselves as “friends of education.” Hey, it sounds great in a Rotary Club speech in an election year. But watch what they do, not what they say.

For many legislators, the next 60 days will be a case study in contradiction. Education is the largest part of the state budget and consistently ranks at or near the top of Floridians’ priorities, but our children and educators in the K-12 system never get the attention or the money they deserve.

By any yardstick — from per-pupil spending to teacher pay to graduation rates — Florida is an embarrassment. The Republicans who run Tallahassee have short-changed our schools for too long while they siphon money to private schools or to charter schools with too little accountability, while they use our schools as pawns to score cheap political points.

Thankfully, Gov. Ron DeSantis has drawn attention to Florida’s shameful record of underpaying teachers, who struggle with high-stakes testing, increasing workloads and growing numbers of students with mental health issues. Of course, it took a serious shortage of teachers to force his hand.

Yet, DeSantis has still not addressed questions about his plan to raise starting teachers’ salaries to $47,500 a year. What about experienced teachers who make less? Or starting teachers in the Keys who make more? What about underpaid bus drivers and cafeteria workers?

The public deserves answers. We call on the Legislature to adopt a pay plan as generous as DeSantis’ proposal, yet tailored to the needs of all 67 districts, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

On several other high-profile K-12 education issues, here are our recommendations:

■ Every legislator should read the latest report of a statewide grand jury investigating school safety as a follow-up to the Parkland massacre. The report castigates districts for lax attitudes about safety and questions whether campuses are safer now than before Feb. 14, 2018. One sign that they may not be are bills (SB 70 and HB 23) requiring panic alarms in schools. While they’re at it, lawmakers should require the state to report how many teachers carry guns in classrooms. It’s outrageous the state doesn’t track this.

■ Lawmakers should make a historic investment in the mental health of children and dedicate a commitment to Bryce Gowdy, the Deerfield Beach High student who committed suicide over the holidays when he stood in the path of an oncoming train. The 17-year-old football star was destined for greatness at Georgia Tech, where he was awarded a football scholarship. But he agonized over leaving behind his mother and two siblings struggling with homelessness and financial problems. Before his sad death, his mother said he described being trapped by doors and mirrors.

■ Weeks after taking office, DeSantis issued an executive order ending Common Core teaching standards seen by conservatives as a heavy-handed federal mandate. Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran sent recommendations to the governor, but they are secret. Changes are welcome if they reduce reliance on high-stakes testing and emphasize civics education.

■ Pass SB 486, by state Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island. Junk the unsuccessful “best and brightest” bonuses, and do not adopt DeSantis’ replacement scheme. Bonuses are gimmicks that lack credibility. Put all new money into salaries.

■ Here they go again. In the latest episode of Tallahassee Knows Best, lawmakers want to impose term limits of eight or 12 years on nearly 500 school board members in every count, subject to voter approval (SB 1216, SB 1480 and HB 157). Let voters decide the fate of board members, not an arbitrary timeline in the Constitution. Besides, aren’t Tallahassee politicians fed up that we amend the Constitution so much?

■ Don’t insult our intelligence with bills that require that students be taught “an objective study of the Bible” (SB 746, HB 341). The Bible is an important work of history and religion, but leave it to the church or home.

On Monday, the day before session begins, thousands will converge in the capital to rally support for public education with marchers wearing “red for ed” clothing. The Take On Tallahassee rally was organized by a statewide teachers’ union, the Florida Education Association. The FEA has called for $2.4 billion more in the K-12 system this year, more than twice as much as DeSantis’ offer.

One of those who will march is Guila Matarasso, a hospitality teacher at Monarch High in Coconut Creek, who sees public education at a crisis point.

“That crisis is personal to me,” Matarasso said in a letter to the

“It’s about the sweet child who can’t get extra help due to lack of teachers and aides. It’s about the bright student who breaks down on high-stakes standardized tests and may be held back a grade. It’s about the talented co-worker who can’t afford to stay in the profession she loves.”