DeSantis Shares His Picks for Florida School Board Seats

Recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his intentions to retake ground for conservatives in liberal-dominated school boards by endorsing several candidates for local school board seats.

What is DeSantis doing? In a savvy political maneuver, DeSantis is utilizing his platform to endorse a series of candidates for Florida school board seats who align with DeSantis’ plan to create an ‘unwoke’ Florida state curriculum. It’s a creative move that governors don’t usually make.

Florida is setting the tone for the conservative reclamation of academia. DeSantis has become a rising star in the conservative movement through his unapologetic action against ‘wokeness’ in education. Earlier this year, Governor DeSantis made headlines by signing the “Don't Say Gay Bill” (Parental Rights in Education Act). More recently, he signed two bills to give parents the final say over the textbook materials and another which introduced measures to ban drag shows for children.

He’s also creating an unwoke curriculum. DeSantis has publicly worked with other organizations, including Hillsdale University and an affiliated network of public charter schools in Florida, to flesh out education guidelines that promote conservative values. DeSantis’s leadership on this issue will likely set him apart from other conservative politicians in the coming years.

To prevent indoctrination in higher education, DeSantis also signed a bill that would require tenured university professors to undergo a formal review every five years in which the board of trustees can decide to part ways with them. Whereas these professors usually had the freedom to express ideas without fear of repercussion under the protection of their tenure, this new bill will hold them accountable for any ideological grooming.