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Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:30 PM Aug 2022

DeSantis flipped school boards last night

Perhaps lost in all the other elections. 21 out of 30 candidates for local school boards in Florida supported by DeSantis won their races with four others headed to run offs.

Local elections matter, even though national races get all the media oxygen.

I think a lot of this is Covid policy backlash. Parents were not nearly as keen on distance schooling as the teachers were. It's been like that even here in the Bay Area. Districts that supported longer stay at home policies faced much more backlash in their elections.

A lot of the battles people spend a lot of time on social media discussing on a national level get played out concretely in their backyards. Maybe time to focus more on that, or there will be more DeSantis and more changes like this.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/23/desantis-school-board-candidates-wins-00053440

33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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DeSantis flipped school boards last night (Original Post) Sympthsical Aug 2022 OP
Too many people don't come out for the primaries. Phoenix61 Aug 2022 #1
People have been discussing Florida schools nonstop all year Sympthsical Aug 2022 #3
The average person probably doesn't follow the school board candidates.... TheRealNorth Aug 2022 #2
But there was a lot of focus on school boards in Florida Sympthsical Aug 2022 #4
There is a runoff in November if no one gets a major Jose Garcia Aug 2022 #24
Will Floridians be bothered by this to vote Democratic? JohnSJ Aug 2022 #5
Better late than never, one supposes Sympthsical Aug 2022 #8
No doubt we will see, but as an outsider, this adds to the list of desantis' draconian policies JohnSJ Aug 2022 #10
They won't be able to get any teachers if this continues. Historic NY Aug 2022 #6
Floridumb Gregory Peccary Aug 2022 #12
Shutting down public schools is their goal. Next up preschools. Runningdawg Aug 2022 #14
I kinda agree on the COVID backlash In It to Win It Aug 2022 #7
I housed two nephews during all that Sympthsical Aug 2022 #11
How were you not able to educate grade school age kids? alphafemale Aug 2022 #17
They're in high school Sympthsical Aug 2022 #18
I would need help on the higher math. alphafemale Aug 2022 #20
You're arguing against the necessity of teachers, though Sympthsical Aug 2022 #21
Trying to recall if I've ever seen an anti-public school teacher post on DU. A first for everything. onenote Aug 2022 #23
And you still haven't alphafemale Aug 2022 #29
So this comment wasn't a slam on public school teachers? onenote Aug 2022 #30
Whatever honey alphafemale Aug 2022 #31
You have a wonderful evening darling. onenote Aug 2022 #32
Teachers were trying to save themselves from covid. brush Aug 2022 #9
That was nice but doctors, nurses, grocery store workers and millions of others jimfields33 Aug 2022 #16
So you don't think adult teachers, much more susceptible... brush Aug 2022 #19
DeathSatan was ok with teachers dying on the job Timeflyer Aug 2022 #25
Yes, I don't get how some of these people think. brush Aug 2022 #33
in NJ one of these types of board members had to drop out RAB910 Aug 2022 #13
Yeah, we need to pay attention to these races. LisaM Aug 2022 #15
Where I live in Florida the area was saturated with advertisements for the 3 republican Biophilic Aug 2022 #22
Here in MN, I have relied on the Teacher Union endorsements.. TheRealNorth Aug 2022 #26
I just haven't lived here long enough to know. Biophilic Aug 2022 #28
Not Desantis... National Astroturf groups have targeted School Board JCMach1 Aug 2022 #27

Phoenix61

(16,954 posts)
1. Too many people don't come out for the primaries.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:33 PM
Aug 2022

Happily my local 1776 backed candidate lost. The other isn’t a lot better but ….

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
3. People have been discussing Florida schools nonstop all year
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:37 PM
Aug 2022

Because of the policies DeSantis has implemented.

And after all that time on social media "fighting" against it, people didn't show up to vote.

Maybe less digital fighting. Last time I checked, we didn't run elections over Twitter.

TheRealNorth

(9,435 posts)
2. The average person probably doesn't follow the school board candidates....
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:36 PM
Aug 2022

And information can be hard to find. So if the MAGATS are uniting behind a single candidate while the other candidates are splitting up the remaining votes, they are going to have an advantage.

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
4. But there was a lot of focus on school boards in Florida
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:39 PM
Aug 2022

With Covid and DeSantis' "anti-woke" push in schools. I have no idea what is going on in school districts in other states, but I know all about what's happening in Florida because of the extensive MSM and social media coverage.

So I just don't think there's much excuse for this kind of failure.

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
8. Better late than never, one supposes
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:42 PM
Aug 2022

Of course, most of these changes probably won't take effect before November.

However, maybe there will be just enough awareness of, "Oh shit, this happened," to alter course. Like Dobbs on a local scale.

I suppose we'll see.

Historic NY

(37,449 posts)
6. They won't be able to get any teachers if this continues.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:39 PM
Aug 2022

Florida is going to be dumber than the dumbest state. West Virginia

Runningdawg

(4,496 posts)
14. Shutting down public schools is their goal. Next up preschools.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:48 PM
Aug 2022

And just like that women are back at home where they should be. #winning

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
11. I housed two nephews during all that
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:47 PM
Aug 2022

Because their single mom is a nurse, and we both work from home.

Those kids were not learning a damn thing that whole year. We both watched their schooling like hawks, particularly my partner who is Stern Uncle with the kids' education. Eventually we were giving them things to do, because there were entire days of just nothing much going on. And this wasn't just at first. This went through the whole year.

Some teachers honestly seemed like they were having the best of times on vacation. "Here, watch this YouTube video and answer a couple questions about it!" That was the class. Oh, we were pissed. And when vaccines came and it was time to get back to school, the teachers fought it tooth and nail until enough parents started threatening the school board come election time.

Sorry, peeps. Laptops in pajamas time is over.

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
18. They're in high school
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:16 PM
Aug 2022

And ostensibly being prepared for college.

So, there is that.

And are you saying we don't really need teachers if we can just do it ourselves?

Interesting.

 

alphafemale

(18,497 posts)
20. I would need help on the higher math.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:29 PM
Aug 2022

But, I think I did better at literature and history education throughout my time with my kids than any school ever did.

No one wants to offend the racists at school.

Sympthsical

(8,936 posts)
21. You're arguing against the necessity of teachers, though
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:49 PM
Aug 2022

Which, hey. Homeschooling is a thing. And there are some incredibly intelligent wunderkin who have been home schooled.

If I had the time, I could probably get through most homeschooling. I'm back in college now for a career change, and I'm finding it a breeze. I was helping a nephew with his chemistry homework last spring because I myself was doing chemistry at the time. It was some nice symmetry.

But if that kid comes at me with AP Calculus this year, we're both screwed.

onenote

(42,383 posts)
23. Trying to recall if I've ever seen an anti-public school teacher post on DU. A first for everything.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:59 PM
Aug 2022
 

alphafemale

(18,497 posts)
29. And you still haven't
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 06:37 PM
Aug 2022

Keep inventing reasons to hate in your head though.

I was just talking with someone how they taught during COVID

Most people were home schooling.

onenote

(42,383 posts)
30. So this comment wasn't a slam on public school teachers?
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 06:49 PM
Aug 2022

"I think I did better at literature and history education throughout my time with my kids than any school ever did." (Emphasis added).

jimfields33

(15,474 posts)
16. That was nice but doctors, nurses, grocery store workers and millions of others
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:02 PM
Aug 2022

had to manage. The losers in this were the students. I doubt many will ever catch up.

brush

(53,475 posts)
19. So you don't think adult teachers, much more susceptible...
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:24 PM
Aug 2022

to covid than kids, should not have tried to protect themselves in schools we all know are Petri dishes for breeding and spreading diseases, and when many winger parents wouldn't even put masks on their kids?

That makes a lot of sense.

Timeflyer

(1,961 posts)
25. DeathSatan was ok with teachers dying on the job
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 04:25 PM
Aug 2022

as long as FL economy made him look good and bully posturing made him seem tough. Remember how he told kids to take off those masks for his photo op? People who think teachers enjoyed having to learn a whole new online way of teaching, on the fly, in the middle of a pandemic, may not remember the COVID death counts.

brush

(53,475 posts)
33. Yes, I don't get how some of these people think.
Thu Aug 25, 2022, 08:00 PM
Aug 2022

People in many lines of work were getting covid and dying all over the country, but teacher weren't supposed to protect themselves?

Nuts.

RAB910

(3,445 posts)
13. in NJ one of these types of board members had to drop out
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 01:47 PM
Aug 2022

because of his Nazi-like comments against Jewish people

LisaM

(27,762 posts)
15. Yeah, we need to pay attention to these races.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:02 PM
Aug 2022

This is where endorsements matter hugely. I can't keep track of every school board candidate, but the teachers' union can. So I study their endorsements.

Same with judges - they are a bunch of names to me, usually. But an organization like QLaw keeps tabs and when gay marriage was at stake - and maybe will be again - they are often my go-to for researching judges.

Looks as if this cycle, I will also see who NARAL endorses.

Not a perfect system, but since I don't miss elections, I use the tools that are out there.

Biophilic

(3,487 posts)
22. Where I live in Florida the area was saturated with advertisements for the 3 republican
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 02:57 PM
Aug 2022

candidates. Many of which were put out a couple of months ago. I saw 1 place that had signs for the 3 democratic candidates. I'm relatively new in the area, moved late last fall. I honestly was really surprised by how little promotion was done. I don't know enough about the area to know if that is normal or if something is off for the democrats in my area.

TheRealNorth

(9,435 posts)
26. Here in MN, I have relied on the Teacher Union endorsements..
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 05:35 PM
Aug 2022

But I imagine that in places where teacher's unions are weak or non-exisitent, that info may not be available.

Biophilic

(3,487 posts)
28. I just haven't lived here long enough to know.
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 06:01 PM
Aug 2022

This school board election is lost. Don’t know how bad it will get. A lot depends who ends up as governor.

JCMach1

(27,544 posts)
27. Not Desantis... National Astroturf groups have targeted School Board
Wed Aug 24, 2022, 05:46 PM
Aug 2022

Races with countless millions. One district in TX, for example, had more money at play than a congressional race.

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