As thirty-five democrats in the Florida legislature push for a special legislation to address inadequate school funding the republicans in the legislature pushed back and in cringe worthy fashion said our schools are over funded and over staffed.
Before I continue here is a little context. When we factor in inflation, Florida spends less on its schools than it did in 2007 and if we factor in cost of living the state's teachers are 49th in pay. Florida even in good times has been at or near the bottom in education funding. Yet despite all that instead of doing the right thing the republicans in Tallahassee want people to believe everything is just fine.
They and I am guessing they used tax payer money to do so, created a misleading add blaming union bosses and media allies for attempting to trick the public.
Here is the video but warning, don't watch while eating or drinking.
Sigh, I guess the makers of the video think if they say union bosses their base will believe anything.
From the Tampa Times:
The ad takes issue with the "union bosses" and the media who "parrot" them in suggesting that education spending will rise by less than a dollar per student overall. Most reports have noted that the concerns have been that the amount available for unrestricted use was limited, particularly after lawmakers funneled large amounts into school safety.
Before I continue here is a little context. When we factor in inflation, Florida spends less on its schools than it did in 2007 and if we factor in cost of living the state's teachers are 49th in pay. Florida even in good times has been at or near the bottom in education funding. Yet despite all that instead of doing the right thing the republicans in Tallahassee want people to believe everything is just fine.
They and I am guessing they used tax payer money to do so, created a misleading add blaming union bosses and media allies for attempting to trick the public.
Here is the video but warning, don't watch while eating or drinking.
Sigh, I guess the makers of the video think if they say union bosses their base will believe anything.
From the Tampa Times:
The ad takes issue with the "union bosses" and the media who "parrot" them in suggesting that education spending will rise by less than a dollar per student overall. Most reports have noted that the concerns have been that the amount available for unrestricted use was limited, particularly after lawmakers funneled large amounts into school safety.
But "working Floridians who pay for our schools are not fooled," the narrator intones.
"To those Floridians, if it walks like education spending, and talks like education spending and comes out of their wallet like education spending, then it's education spending."
The ad also takes to task districts it suggests spend too much money outside the classroom. It states that less than 55 percent of school employees are classroom teachers, with more than 1,100 social workers, 31,000 paraprofessionals, 22,000 secretaries and clerical staff, and 45,000 service workers in the ranks.
"That's why we put this $100 increase in per student funding directly into the classroom, bypassing the bureaucracy," the narrator says. (Much of the new funding is allocated into security and mental health services.)
She adds, "To them [bureaucrats], it's not about kids. It's about control."
Piccolo acknowledged that making such statement could be viewed as over broad, in that many districts do not face such concerns as too-high administrator to teacher ratios. But the goal, he said, is to get the message out that problems like this do exist in some large systems that need to control their spending.
The ad sparked discontent among some groups that were displeased that tax dollars might be spent to promote such "propaganda." The current House leadership has made several ads like this one, promoting its education priorities and taking to task its opponents.
Piccolo said the video came out of the House Majority Office, which like the Minority Office can do "more political things."
"The Democrats have the ability to do things like this too," he said. "They just don't."
Piccolo is right the democrats don't make misleading adds, they are just in Tallahassee fighting for adequate funding something the republicans don't care about as they attempt to starve our schools.
Let me break it down. The republicans in the Florida legislature are saying school boards and superintendents, teachers and the media all over the state are lying and for people not to believe their eyes when they are presented with statistics showing how woeful education spending in Florida is and has been. Everybody is a liar but them.
Well who do you believe? The teacher with the ten year old car buying schools supplies for their children or the republicans in Tallahassee who routinely ignore the will of the people and who routinely funnel money to the donors, those that aren't enriching them and their family members that is? Who do you believe?
We need a change. We need to elect people who will support the states teachers and schools.
No comments:
Post a Comment