Breaking from the Legislature鈥檚 efforts to punish school districts that imposed mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday directed Florida鈥檚 new education commissioner to ignore a plan that would have made the districts ineligible for $200 million.
DeSantis, who signed the state budget for the upcoming 2022-2023 fiscal year, also sent a 鈥渄irective鈥� to Education Commissioner Manny Diaz about how to deal with money funneled into the 鈥淪chool Recognition Program.鈥�
The $200 million pot of money was placed in a reserve fund and was intended to be distributed to 55 school districts that did not require students and staff members to wear masks amid a push by DeSantis鈥� push to block such mandates.
Under the Legislature鈥檚 plan, districts in Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Sarasota and Volusia counties would have been ineligible for the money because they had mask requirements..
But DeSantis in his letter to Diaz said that a 鈥減lain reading鈥� of state law related to the recognition program required that districts鈥� actions can鈥檛 be held against individual schools. Diaz, a former Republican lawmaker, became commissioner on Wednesday.
鈥淐ompliance with law by the schools, and not the districts, drive the allocation of funds for the program. At most, districts are a pass through, as districts have no lawful means to spend these funds,鈥� DeSantis wrote. 鈥淢y approval and your subsequent implementation of this funding must rely on the plain language that districts鈥� actions do not impact schools鈥� eligibility.鈥�
DeSantis went on to write that Florida teachers 鈥渄id an admirable job under unprecedented circumstances鈥� by teaching during the pandemic, as Florida reopened schools earlier than other states.
鈥淎ccordingly, as governor, I direct the Department of Education to implement the Florida School Recognition Program consistent with this reading of the language, which is to reward eligible schools for their achievements, as districts鈥� actions have no bearing on a school鈥檚 eligibility,鈥� the governor concluded.
Florida has had a recognition program for more than two decades, with it used to reward schools that showed academic improvement.
But this year鈥檚 plan to reward schools financially for following the governor鈥檚 lead on masks generated controversy.
An earlier version of the plan pushed by House PreK-12 Appropriations Chairman Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, would have involved shifting $200 million away from the 12 districts that had mask requirements.
Fine initially appeared to be under the impression Thursday that the school-recognition plan had been put into effect when DeSantis signed the overall budget.
鈥淏REAKING: The reckoning has arrived. (DeSantis) just signed our historic K12 budget, including a $200M reward for the 55 school districts who obeyed state law and did not force mask children, largely paid by cuts from the 12 that did, including $6M cut from (Brevard school district),鈥� Fine tweeted, before deleting the post.
