Education Is Partisan…And It Should Be
BY SAM FIELDS
Last week Governor Rick Scott appointed Republicans Donna Korn and Katie P. Leach to the Broward County School Board.
Shortly after her appointment, Korn looked at a solid Democratic Broward and next year’s election. Then she told the media that “education is a non-partisan issue.”
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
I can’t think of too many issues that are more partisan and frankly should be. Just about everyone cares about our children’s education. But there are honest differences that fall along party lines.
When the subject of education comes up, Democrats and Republicans differ on everything from curricula to taxes to the rights of students.
Florida’s Constitution forbids partisan designations on a School Board ballot. That does not change the profound differences between Republican and Democratic positions one iota.
Republicans strongly support moving our education tax dollars to private schools including religious ones. Democrats oppose it.
Republicans largely oppose sex education. Democrats favor it.
Many Republicans support prayer–especially Christian prayer–in school. Most Democrats oppose this.
Questions of applying the Bill of Rights– free speech or “search and seizure” issues — to public schools generally fall along the same partisan lines. Democratic favor it versus Republican who oppose it.
It is Republicans that oppose teaching “godless” evolution and favor teaching creationism. It is more likely to be Democrats that prefer science classes to teach science.
Did I forget to mention teaching about The Civil War and the role of minorities, women, gun rights, gays or a hundred and one other topics in American history? Republicans and Democrats have basic differences.
No discussion of partisan politics in Florida education would be complete without comparing Republicans and Democrats on the class size provisions of the Florida Constitution. The GOP has been doing everything it can to eviscerate the idea of smaller class size. The Democrats, virtually to a person, oppose increasing class size
Then, of course, there are the teachers.
All across the land GOP has concluded that those responsible for our education problems are the evildoer public school teachers. According to the GOP narrative, teachers corrupt our children while luxuriating on salaries that would make a hedge fund operator drool.
Now I know some of you are hopping mad that I am just stereotyping people and that there are “D’s” and “R’s” who don’t follow the party line on all the issues. I agree.
After all there are some anti-abortion Dems and pro-choice Reps. But they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The party platforms follow the differences I drew.
That’s why on Election Day, designating a candidate Republican or Democrat will tell the voters more than the thousands spent on consultants and ads.
Knowing the candidate is a Republican tells me a hell of a lot more than a picture of the candidate in a third grade classroom pretending she actually cares.
August 30th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
buddy Goldwater would laugh at you and turn over in his grave, im not sure who labeled these social zombies as concervative but they did a diservice to the term. just as our last president , the war monger and deficit procurer, was never a true republican. i wish these trolydites would form there own party and call it for what it is the christian taliban. i feel better now, and i know you as a member of the press loves to brand all conservatives with the same brush
of idealogical rabidness would have an easier time. there are still traditional republicans who abhor and fear these idealogical miscreants. on the left and the right.
August 30th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
and anyone who gives a hot about my grammer and spelling tough…..
August 30th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
buddy my apologies i didnt realize it was sam and not you, figures
August 30th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Broward County has this all backwards. We should have an elected superintendent and an appointed school board. Until then it will be political in the wrong sense. My way it becomes political in an accountability sense. Students learn better in the environment I’m describing. Change it. Put it on the ballot and change it.
August 30th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
I can’t agree with Smart Move – he (or she) is suggesting the model that has made the Sheriff’s Office so dysfunctional.
August 30th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Hi Buddy. Any person that Gov.Scott appoints I would question. Did you see the State Supreme Court killed his deregulations for small business etc. Here rules etc have been established, and he thinks he can just do whatever he wants. Yes State Court told him to take a walk. Next the Courts will rule his drug testing unconstitional as well. I mean I don’t know these two appointees, but I’m sure the Gov. has his OWN agenda, per usual. Just like the Jim Crow laws that him and the Barbie doll(Ag-Pam Biondi-put up, or shut up(regarding my voting rights) made law not to long ago, but yet the Att. Gen. already finds herself in hot water when she let the two Ast. Atts. go. I mean this administration are like slick snake oil sales man. (70 mill, might have bought Scott the Gov, mansion, but nothing else. Bigot w/ money. Appoint who ever you want dude.
August 30th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Sam,
Although I disagree with many of your particulars, I do agree with your main premise of having political designations on the ballot. In fact, I think it would be a good idea to do the same with the elected judges. I would also like to make it so judge candidates could not hide behind Bar Assoc rules and never answer a single question of relevance during the campaign.
It is also telling, how a blog article about education has “Disenchanted” as the first three comments. Disenchanted and education seem to be mutually exclusive. This whole blog is starting to be over run with reactionary lefty loony Luddites.
August 30th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
All this HYPE is about the DEMOCRATS vs REPUBLICANS and it has to STOP!!!
They’re both crazy if they “think” they can take over the County in Politics.
It happened in the mid 70’s and it’s happening again.
NO, the School Board should be
“NON-PARTISAN” and it needs to stay that way.
Why does EVERYONE “think” they know everything? GEEZ!!!
GET OVER IT YOU NUMBSCKULLS!!!
August 30th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
ok until the last sentence…there are a lot of serious righties who care…not as many as the ought to be
August 31st, 2011 at 7:25 am
Our Democrat dominated school board has done such a great job with the education of our students for the last 30 or so years, well we should just make sure that we keep those “enlightened” Dems running things.
Sam is correct. Those Republicans are sooo backwards.
Keep up the good work!
August 31st, 2011 at 7:55 am
Dem and GOP pols attitude toward public schools is drawn from their constituencies. You don’t need a PhD. in political science to know that Republicans are richer and whiter than Dems. They are more likely to have kids in private school.
Start with the Bush’s. I don’t think that a single member of the family in four generations has spent one day in a public k-12.
Furthermore, with all its shortcomings, the Broward school system equals or betters the state average scores. I can’t think of another large urban system anywhere in the country that can say that.
August 31st, 2011 at 8:23 am
Keeping Democrats in power are relevant to Sam Fields’ law firm. Its lobbyists have gotten rich off of Democratic office holders.
Would Sam Fields vote for Bev Gallagher over Donna Korn? One is a Democratic thief and the other a respected Republican businesswoman.
Gallagher made lobbyists rich, so we know which side Sam Fields is on.
He is right about partisan School Board member. It has been all Democrats who took money and throw away money on lobbyists and unneeded construction. It is time to try something else.
August 31st, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Let’s not forget the democrats who send their kids to private school also. I can think of local and national leaders all the way up to the current president.
August 31st, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Dislike the Bush Family one and all… but Geo W’s twin daughters did attend Austin High School, a public school. Bet they got the best teachers and royal treatment however. George P., son of Jeb spent a year teaching at Homestead High… couldn’t take it. Left after one year. He would not be getting Merit Pay for sure!