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On Feb. 14, the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) praised the Florida House Education Choice and Innovation Subcommittee for passing House Joint Resolution 31, a constitutional amendment to align school board elections with general elections and require candidates to declare partisan affiliation. At the same meeting, members passed House Bill 477 to further reduce school board term limits from 12 years to eight years.

Florida State Representative Spencer Roach sponsored the constitutional amendment and State Representative Alex Rizo sponsored the bill to reduce term limits for school board members. This subcommittee vote is the first step for these critical accountability and transparency reforms to build momentum and become law in Florida.

“Parents are demanding greater control over their kids’ education, and Florida is leading the nation in delivering the transparency and accountability parents need to make their voices heard,” said Amanda Prater, FGA state government affairs director. “Aligning school board elections with statewide elections will result in greater turnout and better reflect the will of the communities the elections will affect. FGA thanks Reps. Roach and Rizo for their leadership and commitment to making Florida’s future as bright as possible.”

FGA’s research has shown that aligning school board races with higher turnout elections results in higher voter participation and better accountability.

Author: Press Release

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