Education has become one of the biggest battlegrounds in the cultural wars.
The Sunshine State is trying to topple the Left’s dominance.
Now, Florida is about to deal wokeness one setback in education that has Democrats nervous.
Ron DeSantis is running the Left out of government schools
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to reform his state’s educational system will be one of his lasting legacies.
He used a simple philosophy of educational freedom that took power out of the hands of bureaucrats and returned it where it rightfully belonged with parents.
Florida ranks number one in the country for education according to U.S. News & World Report.
DeSantis has worked to return government schools to their mission of education, not indoctrination by banning Marxist propaganda like critical race theory and radical gender ideologies.
And he has weakened the power of teachers unions in the state by signing a law that requires them to be decertified if they do not have enough support among teachers.
The Florida Governor has flexed his political muscle by wading into local school board races.
School board races are normally overlooked but they have vast power over things like curriculum and books.
DeSantis endorsed candidates running for school board races in Florida for the first time in the 2022 Midterm Elections.
The candidates he supported in that election won in 25 out of the 30 races.
Parents rights group Moms for Liberty, a DeSantis ally, also played a role in supporting conservative school board candidates that year.
DeSantis’ backed school board candidates take control of Jacksonville’s board
DeSantis squared off with Democrats and their teachers union allies in local school board races that were held during the state’s August Primary.
He endorsed 23 candidates across the state.
“I’m happy to endorse this slate of school board candidates who have pledged to serve with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency,” DeSantis wrote on X. “We want the best for our children and I’m confident all 23 candidates will build upon the success we’ve had here in Florida.”
Duval County, the home of Jacksonville, flipped to conservative control after the election when two of the three DeSantis-endorsed school board candidates won.
Democrats attacked the DeSantis-backed candidates as being “dangerous” for public education.
DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern celebrated the significance of the win in Duval County.
“There were A LOT of uphill battles in historically blue districts today, but you don’t shift the culture by only supporting winnable races,” Redfern wrote on X. “Flipping the Duval County School Board is a win for students and parents in a historically blue county.”
There were A LOT of uphill battles in historically blue districts today, but you don’t shift the culture by only supporting winnable races.
Flipping the Duval County School Board is a win for students and parents in a historically blue county. https://t.co/xGzE9GlFnz
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) August 21, 2024
Conservatives could have an easier time winning school board races in the future.
Currently they are nonpartisan, but a constitutional amendment could be placed on the ballot in 2026 that would make them partisan races.
In increasingly Republican Florida that could help get more conservatives elected.
Ron DeSantis is cementing his legacy of education reform and parents’ rights by helping to elect school board candidates.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
