School Board Term Limits Backed in Senate

School Board Term Limits Backed in Senate

By The News Service of Florida

A proposal that would impose eight-year term limits on county school board members is ready for consideration by the full Senate.

The proposal (SJR 1216), sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, cleared the Senate Rules Committee on Monday. The full House last month passed its version of the proposal (HJR 157).

If the Senate goes along, the issue would go to voters in November because it would require changing the state Constitution.

Gruters said Monday that term limits offer “fresh ideas, new leadership and really new energy coming into the process.”

Voters in 1992 passed term limits for state lawmakers. “This is about good public policy,” Gruters said. But critics say local voters should be able to decide whether they want to keep — or reject — school board members, rather than having statewide term limits. “If somebody’s not doing the job, vote them out of office,” said Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who is a former superintendent of schools in Leon County.

6 Responses to "School Board Term Limits Backed in Senate"

  1. Pinellas County voted 72.2% for term limits for County Commissioners. Then they used tax payers funds to fight the results, of course they hired the best and had an unlimited amount and defeated that high margin of victory from the voters

  2. Since you are going to all that trouble and you will have to changing the State Constitution to do it, why not also do it for City & County Commissioners?

  3. Term limits on lobbyists, too. Will cut down significantly on the bribery and blackmail.

    678 sealed indictments in Northern Florida District.

  4. Funny, the argument that we can just vote them out was used by the opponents of term limits for state offices was proposed. If we could just vote out an incumbent, we would have. Once they get in, they’re protected by the education deep state. And if you look at the down ballot counts, they drop when they get to the school boards. It takes a major revolution to oust an incumbent in any office, and ordinary citizens don’t have that kind of money.

  5. From Dog Catcher, to City Council, to County Commission, School Board, State, Congress, Senate, et al… ALL should be term limited. If 8-years is good enough for President, then it’s good enough for all. If you cant get anything done in 8-years, then you shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Just mu humble opinion of course. 🙂

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