To the editor:

When everything is political, a society is in heaps of trouble. Just ask the Romans! Our Founders were careful to keep some of our foundational institutions nonpartisan: public health, the judiciary, public education and the military, to name some of the most important. What we have seen in recent years, however, is a dedicated, well-funded effort by the far-right MAGA movement to politicize institutions that have traditionally, and for good reasons, been nonpartisan.

The Trump administration succeeded in politicizing the CDC, with the result that today receiving a vaccination is a political statement. Who among us doubts that the Supreme Court has become a political institution, with decisions based not on evidence or what’s best for the country, but on narrow political agendas? Some justices don’t even strive for the appearance of neutrality anymore.

Now public education is in the crosshairs. Under the false flag of “parental rights” the MAGA movement has persuaded school boards to ban books, embrace censorship and curtail the First Amendment rights of teachers and students. Now, with Amendment 1 on the ballot in November, they want to make elections for school board, hitherto nonpartisan contests, into partisan affairs. This is a thoroughly bad idea that should be rejected by voters.

But what could be wrong with a school board candidate indicating a political perspective about educational issues by indicating party alignment? The danger is in the details. Florida is a closed primary state where only registered members of a political party can vote in the primary and can only vote for candidates from their party. There are roughly four million NPA (No Political Affiliation) voters in Florida who would be excluded from voting in a closed primary. School board elections, especially in Lee County, are often decided in the primary. Partisan school board elections will disenfranchise large numbers of voters.

Nonpartisan school boards are likely to be moderate and open to collaboration and compromise, not driven by narrow political agendas. Partisan board members may make decisions not based on advocacy for teacher and student welfare but based on the “party line.” Such decisions could lead to polarization and discontent among parents. Politically charged environments create fear and division which are not conducive to good educational outcomes.

Legislation passed in 2023 permits candidates from outside our county to run for our local school board. They need to move only if they are elected. Non-resident partisan candidates are likely to be unfamiliar with our specific needs and goals and may choose to focus on narrow political agendas rather than local priorities. Public education has been nonpartisan for generations; there’s no need to change that now. Please vote NO on Amendment 1.

Ray Clasen

Cape Coral