Democrats in race for governor don’t realize school choice is a winning issue | Opinion
A one-size-fits-all education system does not work for every child, and parents appreciate having educational options. Someone should remind candidates Charlie Crist and Karla Hernandez-Mats of that.
For two decades, Florida has led the nation in educational options for students and families. The state has worked to ensure that funding follows Florida students, not institutions. And it has strengthened policies to aid children’s unique abilities.
As a result, students in the Sunshine State are currently doing better academically than their counterparts across country. The high school graduation rate barely surpassed 50% before the turn of the 20th century and now is reaching 90%. Nurturing parental rights and school choice resulted in academic gains and made Florida a leader in education, now ranking third in the nation.
This has required bold action from legislators and public officials. Since taking office, Gov. DeSantis and partners in the Legislature, including Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., went to work to protect and grow Florida’s school-choice system. Their efforts have been bolstered by demand from parents tired of the status quo and rallying behind expansions of school choice.
To make the state globally competitive and economically viable, the governor knows that more options, not fewer, will help students thrive and develop in a broadening, high-skilled workforce. DeSantis has signed laws expanding educational options for low-income families and students with unique abilities, while prioritizing military, foster, and adopted children.
On Nov. 8, voters should know that empowering the wrong leaders can be detrimental to future generations.
Crist, the former governor and one-time supporter of school choice, chose Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of the Miami-Dade teachers union and an officer of the state union, the Florida Education Association (FEA), as his running mate in the race for governor. In 2013, the FEA unsuccessfully sued to shut down Florida’s tax-credit scholarship program and evict 80,000 low-income, mostly minority children from their chosen schools.
What message does Crist think this move sends to the majority of Florida parents who want educational freedom — including those parents in his own party?
Newsflash: Florida has the third-largest Latino and English Language Learner student population in the United States, and Hernandez-Mats is the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation American. She talks about how her father taught her the importance of advocating for her rights early on. Yet, she is firmly against the rights of parents to give their children access to tailored education and the American Dream. Hernandez-Mats herself has said that both charter schools and private schools “shouldn’t be funded with public tax dollars.”
Hernandez-Mats’ storied background is also contains comments equating concerned parents to “serial killers” and advocating for extended school closures that disproportionately affected low-income Latino students during the pandemic.
In past elections, many of the 180,000 underprivileged students and families who participate in Florida’s school choice programs paid attention to the political figures championing education, and they likely will again. Crist and Hernandez-Mats ought to see that false promises and an anti-parent agenda will cost them votes.
Hernandez-Mats should rethink her opposition to school choice. Her betrayal of Latino and low-income families of color is not a good look, especially in a state where the numbers, from parent demand to academic outcomes, don’t lie.
The Crist/Hernandez-Mats ticket should realize this is not about politics; it’s about children and families. As it has before, school choice will ring in the victor this election season.
Valeria Gurr is director of external affairs relations for the American Federation for Children.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 12:11 AM.