Lawsuit Asks Question:
What is the power of the Florida Constitution?
This past February, due to a looming catastrophe, we jumped head-first into full-time advocacy work and created www.FundEducationNow.org. From day one, we asked ourselves and many experts, why won’t our state legislature up-hold and enforce the constitution of the state? This is part of the oath that they take.
Sadly, in almost all cases, states that have strong well-funded and globally competitive public education systems only got them after being compelled by the sharp stick of a state Supreme Court judgment. Mounting a broad-sweeping suit was always on our radar, making it happen was going to take some time.
Ten years ago 70% of the citizens of Florida stated clearly that the education of our children: is a fundamental value, is a paramount duty of the state government, and must be high quality. These are constitutional promises.
Today, we have joined with other advocates in a lawsuit. The complaint, filed on this day, November 18, 2009, in the Leon County Circuit Court, seeks to confirm once and for all whether or not the state is upholding its constitutional obligation as mandated by the people and written in the Florida State Constitution to adequately fund a high quality system of public schools. Our fellow plaintiffs are advocates and citizen groups representing millions of voters who expect our elected officials to deliver on their solemn promise to the people.
The children and the people of our state have been given a great gift. Attorneys Jon Mills and Thom Rumberger along with the Southern Legal Counsel, believe in the value of strong public schools. As one of the authors of the revision of Article IX, Jon Mills, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Dean of the University Of Florida Law School is keenly aware of the massive economic and social loss that our state faces as a result of its habitual failure to make public education a priority.
The real stories make this question personal. Parents and teachers are taking up the slack. They purchase the thousands of dollars of school supplies like pencils, paper, hand sanitizer, toilet paper…items that appear on endless lists by schools as “needed” from each student at the beginning of each school year.
We’re at a time, when students who aspire to math or technology careers are forced to learn on 10-year-old computers that barely function.
We’re at a place where even though we’re crying out for science and medical-based industry to invest in Florida, we provide no way for science teachers to engage in typical experiments, let alone cutting-edge lab studies.
Our current situation affects the lives of real people. This movement of parents, business-leaders, teachers and students will not go away. The litigation we file today is only one small step. This movement is not partisan or personal. We do not blame any single party, person or group. This problem is the result of years of not fulfilling our paramount duty. It’s everyone’s fault. It’s everyone’s duty to help fix it.
Love for our children has brought us here. They aren’t a political “wedge issue.” They are the future of Florida.
Today marks a turning point. The grassroots movement to put Florida on the road to education excellence and funding reform is growing. This is an enormous civics lesson. This is democracy. This is how citizens make government work.
Additional Reading:
Official Oath taken by all Legislators:
I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the State, and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of _________________.