DeSantis gives late boost to his favored school board candidates in nonpartisan races

A number of school board candidates from across South Florida had a rare campaign opportunity in Doral just days before Tuesday’s primary election, thanks to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in recent months has made controversial education issues part of his political platform.

At the launch of his “Education Agenda Tour,” the governor, speaking from a podium that featured a “Protect Parents’ Rights” sign, emphasized the need to vote Tuesday, especially for candidates he’s endorsed for local school board seats, including two in Miami-Dade County: Roberto Alonso and Monica Colucci.

Alonso, a businessman and Miami Dade College Board of Trustees member who was appointed by DeSantis in 2020, is running for the District 4 seat to succeed Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, who announced in April she would not seek reelection. Colucci, a district teacher who worked in the governor’s executive office as the special assistant to Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, is challenging incumbent Marta Perez, who has held the District 8 seat since 1998.

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DeSantis, speaking to a crowd of about 250, touted what he believed to be legislative wins for education in the state, such as laws that limit how race and racism are discussed in classrooms, boost parents’ role in classrooms and place a greater focus on civics.

Alonso and Colucci, along with a handful of school board candidates from other South Florida districts, Nuñez and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., who emceed the event, also spoke. Their brief speeches — less than five minutes each — emphasized their alignment to the governor’s education agenda, a “student-first, parent-centered” platform that is pushing for parental rights and “combating the woke agenda from infiltrating public schools.”

Alonso, speaking in both Spanish and English, said his candidacy was motivated after “seeing everything that was occurring ... the indoctrination, the textbooks, the lack of support for our teachers and the lack of support for our law enforcement.” As the son of two Cuban parents, he said, he stood alongside DeSantis’ agenda.

For her part, Colucci said DeSantis “understands the battle for our country’s future is being fought right now in our country’s classrooms.” Topics such as gender ideology “have no place in schools,” she said over cheers.

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Education tour receives support, protest

Sunday’s event at the Metro-Dade Firefighters Local 1403 in Doral, was the first of several stops the governor is expected to make on his tour aimed at supporting local school board candidates.

But it also underscored how politicized education has become in recent years. (This is believed to be the first time a governor has endorsed school board candidates, as the local elections are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not identified by political party.)

Inside, supporters of the governor wore American flag attire and hats with his name on them, cheered when he vowed to remove “wokeness” from classrooms, and, more than once, the crowd broke out in “USA! USA! USA!” chants. At one point, the crowd yelled the mantra in unison after an attendee who criticized DeSantis during his speech was escorted out by police.

About 40 protesters gathered outside with signs to denounce the governor and his education agenda. Their signs read, “This teacher says gay,” meant to counter the Parental Rights in Education law, which opponents dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” “Protect Trans Kids,” and “Parents Against DeSantis.” (Before entering the event, some DeSantis supporters approached and heckled the protesters.)

Adam Welsh, a district parent of a transgender son, was among those gathered outside opposing the governor. The education laws DeSantis was promoting inside were not about addressing the needs of students or teachers, but about hate, he said.

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“People have real issues, but instead [the administration] is pushing culture wars based on hate and using spiteful rhetoric,” he said. “Parents need to stand up against the far right agenda.” When asked about the upcoming school board elections in Miami-Dade, Welsh said policies to support gay and trans children are “all on the chopping block” if DeSantis-endorsed candidates succeed.

Elvia Sanz, a middle school teacher at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, shared similar sentiments, arguing the governor and his education department “started this battle.” Curriculum for students in kindergarten through third grade didn’t include discussions of sexuality or gender ideology. (The Parental Rights in Education Bill bans lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in those grades.)

Still, she said, the laws have a trickle up effect for older students, and many won’t be able to express themselves fully. Sanz also took issue with a recently announced initiative that would make it easier for law enforcement and first responders to become teachers.

A boost before the election

During his speech, DeSantis cited the number of education laws he’s signed and the changes he’s made, including eliminating the Florida Standard Assessments. He lauded his decision to require schools stay open during the pandemic, when many districts across the country remained closed and, like many speeches before, said schools are meant to “educate kids, not indoctrinate them.”

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Nevertheless, he encouraged those in the crowd to vote, if they already hadn’t. (Early voting ended Sunday.)

“We’ve been able to do a lot in the state of Florida, but we also recognize how important these issues are on the local level,” DeSantis said. “You need people on these school boards who are going to be responsive to you, not [to] special interests.”

Even before DeSantis spoke, Alsonso and Colucci shared similar remarks. From the stage both spoke about their Cuban heritage, the concerns some parents have about what’s being taught in schools, the need to increase teacher pay and to “take back” school boards.

Sunday’s event, Alonso told the Herald afterward, was meant to “remind folks that education is on the ballot.”