When Florida voters go to the polls next month, they will be deciding whether school board candidates should be listed as Republicans or Democrats on future ballots. While it may seem like a small administrative change, Democrats and education advocates are concerned about the potential implications for the state’s students and educators.
For the past 25 years, Florida’s school board races have been officially nonpartisan, following a decision by voters in 1998 to remove political affiliations from the ballot. However, with the rise of Moms for Liberty, a conservative organization focused on public schools, attacking public education has become a priority for Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. Critics argue that the true motivation behind labeling school board races as partisan is to further politicize these races in a state where Republicans are gaining a significant lead in new voter registrations.
“You’ll no longer see educators, school counselors, and parents,” said Jennifer Jenkins, the only registered Democrat on the Brevard County school board. “It’ll just be people engaging in this for political reasons.”
In Brevard County, Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2020, and DeSantis won by 28 percentage points in 2022. Of Florida’s nearly 14 million registered voters, 5.4 million are Republicans, 4.4 million are Democrats, and 3.5 million are unaffiliated. The Republican Party has shifted so far to the right that moderate Republican candidates may be discouraged from running for school board, as they may not have the support of their party.
If the amendment passes, it could result in the elimination of more moderate candidates, leaving only extreme candidates from either end of the political spectrum. This could lead to increased costs, less-qualified candidates, and a more polarized political landscape in school board races.
While Florida’s school board races are already highly partisan, having unaffiliated races allows for a range of candidates to run and serve as a check on extreme elements. If the amendment is approved, these candidates may disappear, resulting in less opposition to politically motivated agendas.
The amendment was introduced in the Florida House by Republican Rep. Spencer Roach and requires a 60% vote to pass. Critics argue that this amendment is another step towards DeSantis’ goal of reshaping the state’s public school system.
“You’ll no longer see educators, school counselors, and parents. It’ll just be people engaging in this for political reasons.” – Jennifer Jenkins, the lone Democrat on the Brevard County school board
DeSantis has supported legislation censoring teachers’ speech in the classroom and has been involved in the removal of books from school libraries. He has positioned himself as a candidate who can combat “woke indoctrination” in public schools. Florida has become a battleground for conservative culture wars, with Republican school board candidates targeting transgender students, spreading misinformation about schools being centers of indoctrination, and making baseless claims about LGBTQ+ and racial justice materials.
DeSantis’ efforts to align Florida’s schools with conservative ideology have had mixed results. While his endorsed candidates won many races in 2022, they faced losses in subsequent elections. The amendment would also disenfranchise millions of unaffiliated voters in Florida, as the state is a closed primary state.
“We would be shutting them out from a very important local decision,” Jenkins stated. School board races may seem insignificant, but they have a significant impact on the education system.
DeSantis and Republicans believe that making school board races partisan will provide voters with more information about the candidates. However, critics argue that this move will only deepen the toxic politicization of Florida’s schools.
“I’ve been through absolute hell in the last four years,” Jenkins said, citing rumors, death threats, and false accusations she has faced. “I can only see more of that happening as politics becomes more entwined in education.”