Amendment 1, placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, will make school board elections partisan. Currently all registered voters can vote for school board members regardless of party affiliation.
Why change? Supporters of the amendment say it will create more transparency and align with other partisan races. But do we really want school board elections to mirror the rancorous negativity and division of other races? Do we want politics to infest our school boards which should be focused on education policy and students’ best interests, rather than a party’s political agenda?
Partisan school board races will enable a minority of voters to elect our local school boards. Florida is a closed primary state. This means that only voters registered with a party may vote in that party’s primary election. Almost one-third of Florida’s voters register as NPA (No Party Affiliation). Approximately one-third are Republicans and one-third Democrats.
Since many school board races are often decided in the primary election, almost two-third of eligible registered voters will be shut out. Suppose for example, that the only two candidates running are Democrats. This means NPA’s and Republicans have no vote. However, in a non-partisan election, all registered voters can vote.
We have seen how political agendas have infected school boards, with the rise of groups like Moms for Liberty advocating for book bans and objecting to face masks during the Covid pandemic. School board meetings have become ugly shouting matches in some districts.
Traditionally citizens running for school board have been parents, teachers, and local citizens with a passion for public education. Now we have politicians who see school board elections as a steppingstone to higher office.
Did you know that a law passed in 2023 allows a candidate to run for school board who lives outside the school district? They only must move to the district if they win the election. This portends buckets of cash flowing to outsiders who have no knowledge or interest in the educational needs of the local schools.
Let’s not swallow this poison pill to make school board elections partisan. Vote NO-on-ONE because NO-ONE should play politics with our public schools.
Sally Butzin is a member of the Florida League of Women Voters Education Task Force. The League urges a NO vote on Amendment 1.For complete information about each amendment, visit the League of Women Voters website at www.lwvfl.org . Additional information about candidates for local and state races is also available at VOTE411.org.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 550 words) to letters@tallahassee.com . Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Amendment 1 is a poison pill for Floridians
Local News
