Words Matter
Editorial Board
Gainesville Sun
Nov 21, 2009
In 1998, 71 percent of Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment that said providing a "high quality" public education for all children is the state's "paramount duty."
Since passage of that mandate, state funding for public schools has been steadily dropping.
So has the Florida Legislature willfully ignored that mandate? Or are the words "paramount duty" wildly misunderstood?
This week, the Gainesville-based Citizens for Strong Schools joined other advocacy groups in an attempt to find out. They are suing the state to determine if lawmakers have indeed shirked their constitutional duty. Among the attorneys behind the effort is UF law professor, and former House Speaker, Jon Mills.
"As one of the people who helped draft this language and put it before the voters of our state, I believe the citizens of Florida meant what they said when they approved it," Mills said this week.
The action has been a long time coming. Maybe we missed it, but we don't think Florida has a constitutional mandate requiring lawmakers to keep taxes as low as possible at the expense of our children.