In a Tampa Bay Times article, LWV Florida board member Paula Dockery lists her legislative priorities for 2016. Extracted from the list are the following education priorities:
• Properly fund our traditional public schools for instructional costs and facility building, maintenance and repair before funding nonpublic assets.
• Drastically reduce the standardized testing in our schools and stop the practice of using test results for high-stakes purposes.
• Return the education commissioner to an elected position and member of the Cabinet by passing the joint resolution sponsored by state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, and state Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah.
• Fully fund our colleges and universities to accommodate growth and facility needs.
If the legislature met these goals, perhaps the push to privatize our schools would diminish.