When talking about education policy, lawmakers can confound Floridians by arguing two opposing sides of the same issue, depending on which suits their purposes. In last week's newsletter, we reviewed some examples of what one observer deemed "ideology of convenience." But sometimes, lawmakers simply call it as they see it — like it or not. Perhaps the most notable example came on the penultimate day of session, during House discussion of the proposed education budget. Roll the tape.
— Jeffrey S. Solochek, jsolochek@tampabay.com |
| Those who hold the power make the rules |
Rep. Susan Valdes, a Tampa Democrat, had questions about the decisions Republican legislative leaders had made about spending millions of dollars coming from the federal government. The plans, Valdes said, did not reflect the intent of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.
"Why are you doing that?" she asked Rep. Randy Fine, chairman of the House PreK-12 Appropriations subcommittee.
"Because we can," responded Fine, a Brevard County Republican.
Those three words, which quickly went viral, in many ways encapsulated much of what happened in Florida education policy — and other key issues — during the 2021 legislative session that ended last week.
The Republican majority pushed through controversial bills on state-funded private school vouchers, parent control, transgender student rights, charter schools and other topics they and many of their constituents deemed important, even as opponents fought them tooth and nail.
Fine said he was just calling it like he saw it.
"I'm shocked, to be honest, with the reaction to 'Because we can.' It's the most obvious thing," he said. "When Barack Obama said, 'Elections have consequences,' no one got hot and bothered over that."
Florida's GOP majority doesn't agree with Biden's approach, Fine said, contending the stimulus package unnecessarily borrows millions of dollars from children's future for "alleged COVID relief" that the state doesn't need, as its schools have been open all year.
And it wasn't Republican dominance over Democrats that he was talking about, either, Fine added. "It was about the state of Florida vis a vis the federal government."
The "radical left" took his words to Valdes — whom he called a "good friend" — out of context, he contended.
He said the majority took needed steps to reassert the rights of parents in their dealings with "government schools," to place the responsibility for children's education where it belongs. He listed three actions — Establishing a "parents' bill of rights" in law, expanding vouchers and "protecting girls" with the transgender student-athlete legislation.
Of course, those are some of the decisions that critics point to as the "because we can" philosophy run amok.
"It was operating with impunity and doing whatever they wanted without intellectual honesty or evidence-based support," declared Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat and one of the most liberal House members. "It was drunk on power pursuing of a neoconservative agenda because they can."
It would be unfair to ignore the fact that some things the majority could not do. A proposal to alter the Bright Futures scholarship, for instance, generated a fierce backlash from students and parents of all political persuasions, which quickly snuffed out that GOP Senate leadership attempt.
Going forward, it appears that the majority party will continue to push as hard and as far as it can to get more of its agenda in place.
The day after Fine's comment, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee all but blessed the perspective.
"Chair Fine," Rep. Jay Trumbull said as he introduced the budget bill for a final vote, "your ability to navigate through the PreK-12 budget with style, panache and verbal dexterity that's uniquely yours is really wonderful to watch."
After that video clip went viral, expect more people to be watching. |
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The Pasco County school district came under fire for sharing student data with law enforcement. Facing a federal inquiry, the district and Sheriff's Office scaled back their program.
Gov. DeSantis declared Florida's health emergency essentially over. His executive order suspending local mask mandates did not impact schools, though — much to the dismay of some parents.
Hillsborough County School Board members have a financial fire to put out. Analysts have been warning of the potential consequences for months. The board is looking to federal funds to help fix the problem. That could allow it to focus on the superintendent's performance, which hasn't pleased many of late.
A Hernando County lawmaker wanted to steer the school district back to an elected superintendent. Another member of the delegation killed the bill, saying it had no local consensus.
Stay in the know. Get your local and state education news with the Tampa Bay Times online. |
Dress code complaints keep growing. A Nassau County middle school student clashed with her teachers over their enforcement of what she called a sexist policy, WJXT reports. A similar debate is taking place in St. Johns County schools, the St. Augustine Record reports.
In search of equitable treatment. One Putnam County community protected its school from closure. Residents of a neighboring area that wasn't so lucky worried about the effects on Black students, WUFT reports.
About that private school that warned its employees not to get vaccinated ... It's a hub for conspiracy theories and misinformation, the Miami Herald reports.
Corporal punishment is legal in Florida schools. It's not authorized in Hendry County, though, where a principal is under investigation for paddling a six-year-old, the NY Times reports. The child's mother at first feared speaking up because of her own immigration status, WINK reports.
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