Floridians must support stronger public schools
The New Year is upon us. What will 2022 hold for our public schools?
I know we were all hopeful that 2021 was going to be the end of COVID-19 and that the important task of educating our children would return to normal. However, the start of school in August was anything but normal.
When you think about it, kids in second grade have yet to have a complete “normal” school year. They ended their kindergarten year learning virtually, their first-grade year was full of disruptions, and this year they started second grade with battles over masks as COVID-19 cases spiked, even among school-aged children.
We also cannot ignore the number of families who lost loved ones during this pandemic and the emotional toll that takes on each of us and the children of our communities.
But the challenges we have faced over the past year were not just related to COVID-19. We have seen an enormous amount of political rancor at school board meetings and in our schoolhouses. These types of bad behaviors by adults set a poor example for students and impact the learning environment.
Just as schools were getting ready to break for the holidays, we saw a series of threats being made on social media platforms such as TikTok.
The threats were serious enough for districts to add more security and for law-enforcement agencies to put out warnings, investigate and arrest several students. I cannot help but wonder if these actions by students are a symptom of the inappropriate behaviors we have seen from grown-ups.
What we do know is, the education of our children is paramount for their success, the success of our communities and the success of democracy. America’s greatness is not driven by bad behavior, rather it is driven by our long-standing status as the leader of the free world. Other countries marvel and wonder at how America is able to develop so many entrepreneurs, so many problem solvers and creative thinkers. We know the answer. Strong local public schools are fundamental to this nation’s success.
Yet as we enter 2022, we really do need to look at what we are doing to keep our public schools as the strong, vibrant learning centers they are. We are faced with teacher and staff shortages of a magnitude not seen in recent decades. At the same time, fewer new educators are entering the profession.
After years of high-stakes testing that was sold as the best way to improve student learning, we still have far too many students, especially those who live in poverty, struggling to read by third grade. Educators from all over our state know that things must change because public schools are at an important crossroads. Let’s face it: If our public schools fail, we lose an entire generation along with our democratic way of life.
In 2022, we must change course. We need everyone working together as we address the serious work of educating our children. First, we must target new funding for public schools to providing more resources, teachers, paraprofessionals and programs to students who live in poverty, and we must start those investments with early childhood and continue them into the K-12 years. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. The governor’s decision to end the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) is a perfect opportunity to address the needs of struggling students in a real and impactful way.
Second, we must increase pay and address pay inequities for teachers and staff in our public schools. It is insane to think that there are more than 20 rules and laws that dictate teacher pay, and it is plain wrong that a teacher with 20 to 30 years of experience is making less in salary than teachers with the same experience did 10 years ago. We cannot bonus our way to great teachers and staff; we must revise policies and make a real investment.
Finally, we must see that those who work in our public schools get the respect they deserve. These experienced and highly trained individuals work with our students and families every day.
I am hoping that 2022 will be a great year for public education, and I am hopeful that together — teachers, staff administrators, school boards, parents, lawmakers and the governor — we will address the real and fundamental challenges our students face.