TAMPA, Fla. -- Both nominees for Florida governor, Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis, revealed details of their plans to improve Florida's education system.
Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday toured Franklin Middle Magnet School in Tampa.
The broad aspects of his education policy include putting 80 percent of education funding into the classrooms, emphasizing vocational and technical education, rewarding teachers and improving curriculum standards.
DeSantis said Tuesday he and his team believe only about 70 percent of Florida's education money currently goes back into classrooms. They'd like to raise that figure.
For DeSantis "in the classroom" means teacher salaries, school supplies and anything "directly affecting the learning experiences of our children."
Florida Education Association President Joanne McCall criticized the proposal, saying it doesn't increase education funding.
“The bottom line is DeSantis’ education plan will continue to drain more dollars from the system that educates the great majority of our state’s students, and will send that money to unaccountable private schools. It’s a raw deal for Florida’s students, teachers and education staff professionals, and our public schools,” she said in a statement.
When it comes to emphasizing technical education, DeSantis wants to work with school leaders and those in the business community to create more opportunities for apprenticeships and "pathways to higher skill and higher wage jobs."
"We want to make sure our education is ahead of the curve...(and) capitalize on our economic momentum," DeSantis said.
DeSantis' plan also includes bids to reevaluate curriculum standards. He wants to do a complete review of the current standards to address issues with Common Core and ensure there aren't any "demonstrable political biases."
In Tampa, DeSantis mentioned hearing parents claim they've seen anti-Israel bias in their students' coursework. DeSantis noted in his plan that he wants to "ensure that the Constitution is put back into the classroom."
DeSantis also took a stab at Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum's plan to "raise taxes by 40 percent" -- arguing it would slow Florida's economic momentum. He called Gillum's plan "short-sighted."
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
