Join Dr. Goliath J. Davis on Jan 30 and three other panelists for a community conversation about the future of Florida’s public schools, the latest installment of the Tampa Bay Times’ “Spotlight Tampa Bay” series. The discussion occurs at 6 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre, 711 North Franklin St., Tampa.
BY GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, Ph.D. | Republished from the Tampa Bay Times
Across the nation and in the state of Florida, MAGA Republicans have weaponized education to promote their political agendas to gain elected offices. Look no further than the school board races that have become the target of political neophytes aspiring to government office. For a majority of these MAGA Republican candidates, culture war issues have become a favorite campaign strategy.
This practice has been embraced at the state’s highest level. In his attempt to defeat his Republican rivals vying for the presidency, Gov. Ron DeSantis, utilizing Florida as a showcase, embarked on a campaign to appear more conservative than Donald Trump by embracing and implementing extreme political positions. His campaign against critical race theory and what he calls “woke” Democrats has resulted in legislation that bans books, prohibits the teaching of Black historical truths and legitimizes homophobic and anti-transgender policies against Florida’s LGBTQ+ students. Consider his “don’t say gay” bill.
This focus on a culture war agenda is detrimental at the local level. The governor’s policies have resulted in an exodus of public school teachers, who fear lawsuits and disciplinary action for actively or inadvertently violating DeSantis-inspired legislation and administrative policies.
The governor has endorsed the ultraconservative Moms for Liberty movement and made campaign contributions to candidates seeking political office on the group’s platform. Non-MAGA school board members with expiring terms of office are being targeted for defeat. School superintendents caught between state mandates and local parental and student expectations are faced with community pressures and criticism. The result: Education suffers.
In Pinellas County, children in what the school district has designated the Transformation Zone are performing below standard. Administrators and teachers charged with their education face the challenge of ensuring basic skills are taught while fighting an uphill battle of declining reading and math scores, mounting numbers of uncertified substitute teachers, plummeting graduation rates and the awarding of far too many nonstandard diplomas.
Against this backdrop, increasing pots of public monies are being awarded to private schools. What is being ignored is that far too many economically challenged students still cannot afford to attend these private schools and, in all likelihood, will not be admitted for academic reasons.
Yet, powerful political voices continue to focus and campaign on cultural issues for political gain, rather than for legitimate educational reform. Education and economics are inextricably linked, but the MAGA movement continues to advocate and campaign on divisive issues intended to polarize and destroy public education as we know it.
Ironically, conservative politicians are shaping education under the guise of protecting parental rights and ensuring that their children are not embarrassed by the teaching of historical facts about slavery, systemic racism and atrocities associated with the Trail of Tears and other cruelties inflicted on Indigenous Americans. Instead, they insist that Democrats are attempting to indoctrinate their kids. They are resolutely blind to their hypocrisy.
The education of our students should not be weaponized by aspiring politicians, Republican, Democrat or Independent, for political gain and power.
Join Dr. Goliath J. Davis on Jan 30 and three other panelists for a community conversation about the future of Florida’s public schools, the latest installment of the Tampa Bay Times’ “Spotlight Tampa Bay” series. The discussion occurs at 6 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre, 711 North Franklin St., Tampa.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Right on brother! We are dealing with a Desantis -style cultural apartheid.