Public education is a pillar of democracy. Don’t let Florida’s Amendment 1 subvert it.

Guest Column, The Florida Times Union, Sept. 19, 2024

As reported in the Times-Union Aug. 21, both major political parties funded school board candidates in Duval County. One party spokesman proclaimed that the results were a culmination of “…a six-year strategy” to remake the school board.

In 1999, Floridians voted to make school board elections nonpartisan because education was considered sacrosanct. This November on our ballot, Amendment 1 seeks to overturn this long-standing tradition.

If this amendment passes, school boards will become even worse political battlegrounds, where partisan members may support the agenda of the party over the local needs of the community. It also means that fewer Floridians will have the opportunity to vote on their local school board members, because those elections will likely become part of Florida’s closed primary system.

With our historical commitment to the benefits of learning, the American Association of University Women takes a strong interest in public education. As expressed in our member-approved Public Policy Priorities, we believe in “high-quality public education as the foundation of a democratic society and the key to improving economic prosperity and gender equality.”

For this reason, the organization’s Florida chapter opposes Amendment 1.

Amendment 1, proposed by the Florida Legislature, would require “members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election.” Proponents claim it will enhance transparency, but this is unnecessary. When a political party chooses to make certain positions a part of its platform, it is already easy to see when a school board candidate espouses those positions.

Our organization believes that a high-quality education must be as bias-free as possible. If parties prepare and fund candidates for school boards, there is an incentive to select people who will further their partisan aims by promoting policies that prepare future voters for that party’s candidates.

Public education cannot be subverted into promoting the policies, views of society — or versions of history — of any party.

As the foundation for a democratic society, public education — when high quality — develops well-educated voters who understand our shared values. The shared values of Americans, including respect for others’ individuality, honesty and a work ethic, cannot be allowed to become the property of any political party.

We don’t have to accept the current climate of a politicized school board. Our organization encourages you to vote NO on Amendment 1 in November.

Pat DeWitt, Ph.D., Jacksonville and Mary Gatta, Ph.D, St. Augustine, co-public policy directors, AAUW Florida