Teachers' concerns take center stage as Florida Board of Education meets in Miami
MIAMI - The state's board of education met in Miami this Wednesday for the first time since Florida ranked at the bottom of the list for teacher pay. And some Miami-Dade teachers are voicing their concerns.
But pay wasn't the only issue local teachers said the state is turning its back on.
"The closings of schools, the banning of books, the limitation on curriculum, and the list goes on and on," said music teacher and Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar.
Regardless, state education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., said Florida is doing it right, referencing a recent ranking in U.S. News and World Report that puts the state No. 1 in education for both college and high school.
When it comes to school closings, Diaz said one of the reasons is because the state gives parents more choices.
"Many families who have multiple kids sometimes have each individual kid at a different school in a different setting," he said.
"Sometimes the district schools, sometimes in private schools, sometimes charters, because we're trying to meet the individual needs of each student that needs to thrive. We are developing human beings, we are not creating widgets. And so that landscape is important. And so you've seen these reports of some districts having to close schools. Well, that's how this works," Diaz added.