DeSantis grants funds for teachers

SARASOTA — A week after Southwest Florida was punched by Hurricane Milton and about three weeks since Hurricane Helene, many are left without cars, houses and must pay thousands of dollars in damage.

For teachers, frustrations had to be pushed aside to focus on getting kids back into the classroom on Wednesday in Sarasota County.

During a news conference at Booker High School, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a grant of $100,000 from the state’s disaster fund to the local organization set up to help teachers.

DeSantis applauded the district and its team for their quick turnaround on school cleanup and student return, thanking teachers for showing up during tough circumstances.

“I know it’s not easy, but I know that the students will be better off for it,” DeSantis said. “But as important as that is, we also recognize that you have different needs.”

For Sarasota County, DeSantis announced funding from the state’s foundation to the Education Foundation of Sarasota County that will work with Sarasota County Schools to allocate relief to teachers impacted the most.

Superintendent Terry Connor said the district has been monitoring teachers through a district-wide survey to prioritize needs.

Within the survey, teachers were able to fill out emergency assistance applications that will now be relieved through the state grant money.

Connor thanked district staff for committing to students despite struggling themselves.

“To be able to do that really is a heroic thing, in my mind,” Connor said. “That you can put that aside while you attend to the needs of your students, but still have to face the personal challenges when you get home.”

School districts in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas counties were also among the recipients to acquire aid for teacher disaster relief.

Manny Diaz, Florida Board of Education commissioner, addressed national concerns over using schools as shelters during hurricanes.

Despite many suggesting the state change its hurricane protocol to decrease school disruptions, Diaz said “there’s no alternative plan.”

“We’re getting them back in the school buildings and getting our teachers with them, getting them back to learn,” Diaz said. “We wouldn’t be able to do that without our dedicated teachers.”

During comments, DeSantis was asked about using the term “climate change,” to which the governor dodged with a retort aimed at media personnel.

“The chance of me virtual signaling for people in the media is zero,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis signed a bill from the Florida Legislature in May that eliminates most references to climate change from state law. The new law took effect July 1.

DeSantis said the media should be more “honest” about what climate change would mean for people, stating slowing oil and gas production would mean “taxing them to smithereens.”

The governor, who invited leaders of the Republican Party of Sarasota County for the news conference, dismissed the idea that climate change is worth discussing.

“This whole idea of climate ideology, it just factually can’t work,” DeSantis said. “So in Florida, our energy is going to be affordable and reliable. That’s the only way you can adequately respond to things like we just saw with the storms.”