School was out for most students this summer, but education attacks in the race for Florida governor never took a vacation. Education has been one of the most divisive topics in this year’s contest.
Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida have defended his record on education while bashing the record of Democratic frontrunner former Gov. Charlie Crist. And Crist and the Florida Democratic Party have unleashed their own attacks against Scott.
Most of the attacks and claims about education have related to funding — and they have covered the gamut from preschool through college. Both Scott and Crist have tried to portray themselves as a friend to teachers, public-school parents and penny-pinching college students.
They often correctly cite the numbers for education funding, but just as frequently they omit relevant context, including a historic recession and the role of the Legislature or the federal government.
As Florida’s students head back to school this month, we thought it was a good time to review PolitiFact Florida’s fact-checks.
