From Representative Darryl Rouson: Our Governor, Florida’s Governor, was very courageous in vetoing this bad bill and standing against the legislative Republican Party leadership of Sen. John Thrasher, the sponsor, as well as the House speaker, Senate president and the majority of the Republicans in the legislature, when he joined 11 other Republican legislators in opposition to SB 6. Making this a truly bipartisan opposition to a draconian measure.
The Legislature’s Republican leadership failed to listen to the people of their districts, their constituents, their bosses, our bosses. The opposition I received was not just from Democrats, not just from independents but from my hardcore Republican friends who form the base of their party. The most common comment I received was — why this, why now? Where was the urgency to change the entire paradigm of our K-12 system with no bipartisan support and little or no input from any of the stake holders?
This bill was inconsistent with the entire stated policy of the Republican leadership to provide local control of education and government services. This bill in fact centralized control in a Tallahassee-based bureaucracy, far from our state’s teachers, parents and most importantly our students. As my mother, a public school teacher of over 35 years used to say, if it’s not for the students its for the birds. Thank you Governor Crist for protecting our greatest treasure, our children.
