The NAACP South Dade Branch’s Statement on HB 1
The NAACP South Dade Branch expresses concern regarding the adverse impact on public school funding at the hands of politicians in Tallahassee and on our own Miami-Dade School Board.
On March 27, 2023, Governor DeSantis signed HB1 into law. This allows parents, regardless of income, to use vouchers funded by our tax dollars to remove their children from public school and send them to the private/charter school of their choosing. This is yet another example of Governor DeSantis’ continued attempts at weakening public
education, as this voucher program will take even more resources away from public school students.
Moreover, the South Dade Branch was disappointed to see the three Miami-Dade County School Board Members in attendance at the bill’s signing. The community of Miami-Dade County has always expected School Board members to advocate for public education and protect our public school students. However, their presence is contrary to
that expectation.
To learn of Chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas, and board members Roberto Alonso and Mary Blanco, taking part in this event signals their endorsement and support of this voucher funding measure. In her short tenure, Chairwoman Rojas has quietly done the bidding for the Governor and the Florida Legislature. Her tolerance of extremist groups attending school board meetings to push a white supremacist agenda and attack teachers, without being challenged to provide any evidence of school district wrongdoing, is reprehensible.
The Miami-Dade community needs a school board that stands up for students and works to improve the quality of education they receive in Florida, more specifically, Miami-Dade County. The school board seats are nonpartisan; yet these three school board members have intentionally immersed themselves in partisan activities and political theatre.
As a result, the actions of the board chairwoman and the other two school board members clearly demonstrate a conflict of interest and a violation of the oath they took to protect and serve the stakeholders of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Our confidence in Chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas, and board members Roberto Alonso and Mary Blanco, and their ability to do the job expected of them to improve the quality of education received by students enrolled in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, is nonexistent. As such, the NAACP South Dade Branch is calling for their resignation for dereliction of duty and failure to protect the educational welfare of students under their
care and supervision.
