When Gov. Rick Scott announced his budget proposal in February, the word "education" was notably absent from the political event. And when he did roll out his education budget proposal, it called for slashing already underfunded public schools by more than 10 percent.
The education budget approved by the Legislature did not cut schools as deeply as the governor recommended, but it was almost as irresponsible. Teachers and other school employees will lose their jobs, programs will be drastically cut, and schools will be closed. Florida's classrooms cannot be protected from these decisions.
On Thursday at his political event announcing what items he would veto out of the state budget, the governor made a big show of saying he was putting money back in the schools' budget. It was a politically expedient message for a governor with plummeting poll numbers but also a cruel suggestion for school employees who face layoffs and furloughs and for school children who attend Florida's inadequately funded school systems.
This Legislature handed out more than $300 million in tax cuts in a year while the education budget was slashed. The governor lobbied hard for these tax cuts, but didn't lift a finger to prevent the real harm that will be caused by cuts in education and health and human services.
Andy Ford is president of the Florida Education Association.
