The chaos surrounding the implementation of final yr’s “Parental Rights in Education” regulation hit a brand new fever pitch this previous week.
Manatee County’s faculty district is covering bookshelves. In Sarasota, they’re freezing book donations for worry of accepting one thing too radical. And academics are under threat of a felony in the event that they don’t comply.
Now, as I’ve written before, I don’t share a lot of the panic and mania surrounding this laws that many Democrats do. Calling it the “Don’t Say Gay” invoice is a misnomer; it doesn’t go that far. And college students and colleges do want some guidelines about what’s and isn’t acceptable for kids.
But is that this regulation truly giving that steerage? In all the examples above — in addition to a narrative reported final yr of a faculty threatening to nix a Hanukkah presentation earlier than backing off — the regulation, as of now, appears to easily be offering solely confusion.
For activists who suppose colleges are flooded with sexually inappropriate materials (I’m unsure what colleges they went to!), they’re in all probability advantageous with the confusion as long as they’re getting what they need. Better to err on the facet of eradicating or banning an excessive amount of, fairly than let this supposed tidal wave of filth attain their poor youngsters’s eyes and ears.
But I can not stress how nuts this seems to the relaxation of us. That contains folks like me, who, as I stated, usually are not instantly against some tighter restrictions on what’s and isn’t allowed in colleges.
Those restrictions, nevertheless, do must be clear. And the fundamental downside with this invoice, from the starting, was not that it was an outwardly hateful piece of laws, as the most strident critics claimed. It was that the measure was too obscure, resulting in unexpected penalties and, by extension, opening the door for these extra excessive critiques.
No doubt these activists supporting the laws are going to again it till the finish, as a result of their facet received and that’s all that issues in politics lately. But if anybody is definitely involved about establishing efficient laws and governing correctly, and profitable over doubters or these in the center, lawmakers really want to supply extra readability as to what’s and isn’t allowed right here or give extra funding to permit native faculty districts to wade by way of the regulation’s vagueness.
Otherwise, the regulation’s proponents are inviting extra issues and criticism about widespread ebook banning.
Now, it’s on to our weekly sport of winners and losers.
Winners
Honorable point out: Teachers. Confusion about the parental rights invoice apart, academics did get at the very least some welcome news this week on the pay entrance.
Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a legislative proposal so as to add one other $200 million towards pay raises aimed toward bringing the beginning trainer wage in the state to $48,000.
The news comes after reporting this month that trainer vacancies remain sky high, regardless of prior pay raises and different efforts at bringing extra educators to Florida (ahem, I don’t suppose the chaos on the ebook and curricula points helps).
Now, this proposed laws just isn’t with out some caveats. DeSantis is floating a provision to cease union dues from being robotically deducted from trainer paychecks. Efforts to take action in the previous have earned rebukes from Democrats. But with the GOP now holding a supermajority in each chambers, Democrats don’t have a lot of a say in the matter.
The laws additionally provides extra restrictive time period limits for School Board members, going from 12 years at the moment down to eight.
Democrats have argued the laws is a mere try at a political win, and received’t truly substantively have an effect on trainer recruitment.
It stays to be seen whether or not these competing provisions do extra hurt than good for attracting extra folks to the discipline. But at the very least on the paycheck entrance, academics seem like getting a win in the upcoming Legislative Session.
Almost (however not fairly) largest winner: SW Florida voters. Southwest Florida residents acquired some welcome news this week, as Secretary of State Cord Byrd empowered Lee County Supervisors of Election Tommy Doyle to make it easier for residents to vote in native elections in March.
The area remains to be recovering from Hurricane Ian, making it tough for some in Estero and Sanibel to indicate up in-person for the upcoming election.
Current regulation restricts vote-by-mail ballots from being despatched to a brand new or non-permanent handle. But Byrd’s edict permits Doyle to disregard these restrictions and ship ballots out to wherever residents could also be residing whereas they seek for new properties.
“Displaced residents of Lee County Florida have experienced long-term effects as a result of Hurricane Ian,” Byrd stated, saying the transfer. “In an effort to help the voters in Lee County, the Department of State wants to ensure that we make the necessary accommodations to give voters who have been displaced an adequate opportunity to cast their ballot.”
That’s welcome news for the nonetheless reeling area. Both Estero and Sanibel will maintain elections on March 7, with a number of elected positions up for grabs.
The largest winner: Lake O. It took 18 years and $1.5 billion, however staff have accomplished renovations of the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the event this previous week.
“This construction project has been a monumental undertaking that started in 2005. Corps team members and construction contractors, as well as the supporting staff from Federal, Tribal and State agencies, have dedicated a significant part of their careers to this project, and I thank them for their efforts,” said Col. James Booth, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander.
“The Herbert Hoover Dike has never been in better shape than it is right now. That is great news for the lakeside communities. The Brighton Reservation and the cities of Clewiston, South Bay, Belle Glade, Pahokee, Okeechobee, and Moore Haven are safer and more protected than they have ever been. These communities are why we restored the dike. Because of our collective efforts, Herbert Hoover Dike is now better suited to protect lakeside communities for many years to come.”
The dike helps handle water stream and stop flooding exterior of Lake O. Prior to the repairs being accomplished, engineers at instances needed to hold water ranges down, for worry that a big quantity of rainfall may put stress on the dike and trigger a collapse.
With repairs accomplished, the Army Corps can have extra flexibility to maintain the lake at larger ranges as the Corps strikes to a brand new Lake O regulation schedule. Having extra water in the lake helps guarantee water is obtainable for communities who use the water supply even in a interval of drought.
Losers
Dishonorable point out: Rocky Hanna. Earlier this month, Hanna introduced his intention to run for a third term as Leon County Superintendent. This previous week, it was revealed he could also be the topic of a state investigation.
What for? Well, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is looking into whether or not his “personal views” are affecting his job efficiency.
According to Tallahassee Reports, the probe stems in half from an e-mail Hanna not too long ago despatched workers, seemingly thumbing a nostril at state efforts to observe faculty actions extra intently.
“I will always have your back!” Hanna wrote.
“Continue to teach the standards just as you have always done and do not worry for one minute about naysayers political and others who are trying to mislead people and control what you can and cannot say in your classroom. If someone wants to come after you they will have to go through us and our attorneys.”
Of course, there may be backstory right here too. Hanna is one of a dozen Superintendents who defied the state’s ban on masks mandates throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
While these different Superintendents are appointed — and probably eliminated by — the School Board, Hanna is elected. That means he can lose his job if voters throw him out, or if the Governor steps in and removes him.
The proven fact that the FDOE is trying into Hanna actually isn’t a superb signal for his tenure. But Hanna reportedly acquired a letter acknowledging the investigation on Dec. 22. He introduced his resolution to run after that, making it clear he’s meaning to combat going ahead.
Almost (however not fairly) largest loser: Curt Anderson. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s fundamental guide was doubtless salivating at a possible 2024 presidential run. But news this week put a critical damper on that chance.
Scott had publicly stated he meant to run for re-election in the Senate, even when his actions chairing the National Republican Senate Committee and difficult Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled Scott has bigger aspirations.
But Thursday, Scott made it official, telling NBC News he would pursue a second Senate time period.
Sure, Scott’s re-election run will guarantee Anderson and other familiar names have a gradual gig this upcoming cycle. But Anderson may have constructed a pair of seashore homes with the cash he would have made off a presidential run. Now, he’ll have to attend till 2028 — or later.
The largest loser: Vickie Cartwright. Well, on the brilliant facet, at the very least Cartwright’s wild experience as Broward Superintendent is over.
Cartwright agreed this previous week to depart as chief of Broward’s faculty district. That’s after a DeSantis-appointed majority fired Cartwright on its final day in management, just for the newly elected School Board to rescind that firing. Then, after additional criticism for the state, Cartwright was again rumored to get the ax, earlier than she lastly stepped apart.
Superintendents in the state have been falling left and proper in this period of education reform. And whereas Broward’s faculty district deserves a lot of criticism — primarily associated to the 2018 Parkland capturing — that primarily preceded Cartwright’s tenure.
Ah, however she did institute a masks mandate in defiance of the DeSantis administration. That put a goal on her again, one the Governor’s allies have been all too prepared to fireplace upon.
I’m positive it was only a coincidence that, as the School Board readied Tuesday to vote on whether or not Cartwright ought to go, the FDOE dropped a letter Monday night asserting Cartwright was not complying with requested faculty security information from the state. Certainly that timing was not a deliberate effort to sap assist from Cartwright the night earlier than the ultimate vote.
Cartwright was meant to be the reformist following the rocky finish of former Superintendent Robert Runcie’s tenure. Now, that activity will go to another person, who needs to be effectively conscious that, similar to in Leon County, Tallahassee will probably be watching their work intently.
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