Lee County community protests school budget cuts amid new education bills

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Protesters gathered outside the School District of Lee County headquarters to express concerns about budget cuts, citing concerns about new education bills signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis during his visit to Fort Myers High School earlier in the day.

Brandy Gulski, a demonstrator, held a sign advocating for a living wage for teachers.

"I know DeSantis has signed a bill today, giving some incentives to teachers to go into underperforming schools, which is great, but I think we need to ensure that all teachers, regardless of where they teach, are making a living wage," Gulski said.

The bills signed by DeSantis aim to target teacher unions and provide pay incentives for high-performing teachers who choose to work at low-performing schools.

Kevin Daly, president of the Teachers' Association of Lee County, shared his concerns about the impact of the bills on unions. "When the third party, the union like that, what they're really trying to do is divide a wedge, because I think one of them said they love teachers, but they don't like the union, but the union is the teachers," Daly said.

Protesters also voiced worries about what the budget cuts could mean for teachers. During a news conference, Lee County School District Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin addressed the issue, explaining the district's approach to managing its budget.

"I'm not about cutting classroom teachers just to cut classroom teachers. That's not what we're doing. We are giving the schools a budget based on the student enrollment that they are going to have in the fall, and then they will start those schools in accordance with a priority being student achievement. Those are the directions that I've given to the principals."

Former Lee County School Board member Gwynetta Gittens criticized district leaders, questioning their transparency.

"They were talking about PE classes are not going to be dropped," Gittens said. "I know personally, I have a PE teacher that lost her job yesterday."

District leaders stated they are not planning to eliminate sports or arts programs but are adjusting budgets to account for declining student enrollment. The district is awaiting approval of the state budget before moving forward with its proposed $47 million in cuts.

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