- The Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida on Friday endorsed Charlie Crist for governor
- The group, an education advocacy group, seeks higher levels of funding for the state’s public schools
- Crist has noted in his campaign that he seeks to improve school funding
- The group outwardly rejects Critical Race Theory-based curriculums
Charlie Crist on Friday morning received an endorsement from the Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida (DPECF). The group acts as an education advocacy group, campaigning for well-funded public schools and the betterment of public education policy.
The former Commissioner of Education, Crist has flexed his experience in delegating state education resources, subsequently gaining the backing of the state’s top consortium of educators, claiming during his first stint as governor that “Florida cannot be an economic leader unless every child receives a world-class education.”
Crist has received a bevy of education-based endorsements, including that of the Florida Education Association, the largest union of educators in the state, representing about 150,000 educators, staff, and higher education professionals. The Teachers Union of Dade County in May also extended an endorsement for Crist.
“We chose to endorse Charlie Crist because we need to elect tough leaders who will fund high-quality public schools that challenge and educate the students who will drive our economy forward in the future,” said DPECF President Scott Hottenstein. “Charlie knows that our current levels of public education funding are woefully inadequate …That is why it is imperative to win back the Governor’s mansion this year, and we look forward to supporting Crist in making that happen.”
Crist has thrust education to the forefront of his gubernatorial campaign, claiming that should he win election he would allocate an increase in funding for Florida’s public schools and further raise teacher salaries.
“As a public school kid who’s held education close to my heart my whole life — the endorsement of the Public Education Caucus of FL means the world to me,” Crist said on Twitter. “Together, we will rebuild our public education system to one that all of our parents, students, and educators can be proud of.”
Though self-identifying as Democratic, DPECF publicly states that it rejects trending Democrat beliefs regarding Critical Race Theory-based curriculum as well as soft support for the main tenants of the Parental Rights in Education Bill.
“Critical Race Theory doesn’t happen in K12, and we do NOT support teaching it in K12. However, we support teaching our full history and lived experiences that have happened,” the group states. “Let’s make this clear: DPECF does NOT support sexualizing children of any age. We do NOT support curriculum or classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through 3rd grade.”