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Q&A Of The Day – How Liberal Are Florida’s Teachers?
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry: Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping us informed about what’s being attempted in our classrooms! I’ve shared your list of Florida’s CRT pledged teachers to many people who’re active with PTA’s. My question for you is if you know how many of Florida’s teachers are Democrats. If most teachers are members of the teacher’s union, I’d think most are Democrats as well. With education becoming highly politicized I think it’s important to know these things.
Bottom Line: Well, thank you for doing your part and taking an interest. Our biggest issues in society can be directly traced back to the creation of the Department of Education in 1980 and the subsequent takeover of teachers' unions influencing what happens, or doesn’t, in the classroom. Guns aren’t new, and in fact fully automatic weapons, were legal and readily available until the mid-1980's and we didn’t have the problems we do today. Mental health issues aren’t new, but they’re worse than ever before. Critical Race Theory isn’t new but it’s now being taught in our schools. We all should have been minding the store with our schools a long time ago, but this is very much a case of better late than never. Regarding the political bend of teachers generally. Perception and reality line up.
In 2019,the Washington Post gained access to a research study conducted by Verdant Labs regarding the political affiliation of teachers. The results were overwhelming, and the political bend starts even before they reach K-12 education.
- Preschool Teachers: 74% Democrats
- Elementary & Middle School Teachers: 85% Democrats
- High School Teachers: 87% Democrats
So not only are teachers overwhelming liberal, but they’re also increasingly liberal as your kids advance through their academic careers. In context, it’s completely understandable why 78% of Florida’s public-school teachers are members of the teacher’s unions which are pushing for the implementation of Critical Race Theory in our classrooms. As a reminder the NEA just pledged millions of dollars for increasing the implementation” of “critical race theory” in K-12 curricula, promoting critical race theory in local school districts, and attacking opponents of critical race theory, including parent organizations and conservative research groups.
It’s also no wonder why teacher’s including the American Federation of Teacher’s union, fought Florida’s effort to ban CRT from the classroom or that 69 of Florida’s teachers have signed a pledge promising to teach it in the classroom regardless of Florida’s law. When it’s come to Florida’s public-school teachers, we’ve long been operating with eyes wide shut. It’s my hope that’s changing and people like you taking an interest are the key.