Today, the Florida State Board of Education ratified and adopted the Phoenix Declaration, a document that covers its true intent with seemingly innocuous language. The Phoenix Declaration is the latest thinly veiled attempt by billionaire-backed special interests to dismantle and politicize Florida’s public education system.
This political campaign disguised as a declaration seeks to hand over control of our classrooms to political operatives and shift blame, pointing fingers rather than offering real solutions to the challenges facing our schools, students, and communities. As we testified before the board today, educators don’t need a politically-motivated statement to ensure that our school employees help our students—our children—to be kind and respectful citizens every day. Educators and parents know well that we are charged with helping children grow and learn to be their best selves, and educators and parents have long worked hand in hand to make students’ dreams come to life.
Instead of chasing ideological agendas, the State Board of Education members should focus on what truly helps students: making sure public schools are fully funded, addressing the critical teacher and staff shortage, and guaranteeing that every child has access to a strong, neighborhood public school.
Florida’s students and families deserve investment in their public schools, not a political pledge written by outside groups.
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CONTACT: FEA Press, feapress@floridaea.org, (850) 201-3223
The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with more than 120,000 members. FEA represents PreK-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers and retired education employees.
