Letter: Golden for School Board

On August 23, there is an important Manatee School Board election. If you don't have children in the local school district, you might be interested in a recent column from the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation about the upcoming school year.

After a strong four year performance, James T. Golden is up for reelection in District 5. I am not alone in supporting James T Golden for the District 5 School Board. He has the endorsements of The Manatee Education Association, The Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, Equity Florida Action Pac, The Democratic Public Education Caucus of Manasota, and more.

James is asking for your vote in order to continue his record of:

• Advocacy for the adoption of a long-term improvement plan
• Committing resources to elevate third grade reading levels
• Providing funding to transform STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) into STEAM (STEM + Arts)

In contrast, James Golden’s opponents have limited experience with Manatee County public schools. One opponent, in particular, cites "Critical Race Theory“ (which doesn’t exist in our schools) and says "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion“ as particular problems that he opposes.

Governor DeSantis knows CRT is not taught in Public K-12 schools. "Even DeSantis acknowledged on Friday that there are no CRT courses in schools and that those types of courses are taught in universities, but claimed that its "principles" are entering kids' education, thus making it an "indoctrination."

What does Governor DeSantis mean?

The re-election of James T Golden will help keep the culture wars out of our School Board. Quality Education is so important to our community, Please join me in casting your vote for James T Golden District 5 School Board now thru August 23.

Patty Grady

Lakewood Ranch FL