Someone may want to tell Rep. Charlie Crist that dumping on veterans is not a good look.
As the campaign of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is happy to point out about Crist’s new running mate, Karla Hernandez-Mats, head of the Miami-Dade County teachers’ union.
Earlier this week, DeSantis’ campaign highlighted comments Hernandez-Mats, the Democratic Crist’s choice for lieutenant governor, made about Florida’s new Military Veterans Certification Pathway.
The program, unveiled earlier this month, allows veterans to obtain a temporary teaching certificate without a bachelor’s degree. The certificate would be good for five years.
But they must meet the following criteria:
- Serve a minimum of four years in the military with an honorable or medical discharge;
- Obtain at least 60 college credits;
- Pass Florida’s subject-area teaching exam;
- Find a job in a Florida school district, including charter schools
- Pass a background check
Qualified applicants would be assigned a classroom mentor for a minimum of two years, and they must also earn their bachelor’s degree during the five years the certificate is valid. And they cannot teach subject areas where a master’s degree is required.
Rolling out the plan two weeks ago, DeSantis said, “In Florida, we are leading by example with innovative teacher recruitment initiatives and in our support of military and veteran families.”
“These proposals and actions will create new avenues for veterans, first responders, and aspiring teachers to excel and continue to serve their communities while building meaningful careers. We are able to make these important actions because we understand that having great teachers in our classrooms will help us develop great students.”
By the way, the program was unanimously approved by the Legislature.
But Mats-Hernandez was neither amused nor convinced.
According to a video distributed by the DeSantis camp, Mats-Hernandez accused the administration of “deprofessionalizing” the teaching profession. She claimed that was because teachers must have bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
“To think someone with four years’ combat experience would do well in our schools is actually very disrespectful to our educators,” Mats-Hernandez told an interviewer.
In tweeting about her comments, the DeSantis camp said, “This initiative is good for vets, schools, and students, which is why Governor DeSantis and every Florida lawmaker supported it.”
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Press.
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