Rogers Attack on Laurie Cox Falls Flat in Political Forum

On June 26^th, WFSU held a forum hosting Leon County School Board District 4 Candidates Jeremy Rogers and incumbent Laurie Cox.

Progressive Talking Points

The local progressive element of the Democrat party has targeted Laurie Cox on social media labeling her extreme and associating her with the Moms for Liberty group.

Rogers repeated the same attacks at the forum, but when pressed to provide details he could not.

“Recently we learned that my opponent’s campaign just hired a very heavy hitter in the Republican Party and raised …and is there to raise a bunch of money from those donors,” said Rogers.

“Who are you talking about?” responded Lawson Cox. “And to me, my opponent is the one who’s trying to bring partisan politics by labeling me as an extremist. And anyone who knows me knows that is the farthest thing from the truth.”

Rogers suggested that “giant, dark, corporate PACs” are supporting Lawson Cox.

When the moderator, Tallahassee Democrat’s William Hatfield, pressed Rogers for an example, Rogers could not name one.

Rogers later suggested that Moms for Liberty was funding Cox’ campaign, but Lawson Cox said she hadn’t taken any money from that group.

Then Rogers mentioned Friends of Corey Simon, which is associated with the senator representing Senate District 3. Lawson Cox responded by saying Simon is a personal friend.

Charter Schools & School Vouchers

When asked how universal vouchers and charter schools have impacted Leon County Public Schools, Rogers stated, “I’m anti-voucher. I think I that’s just a sneaky way to privatize public schools. I don’t think public money should be going to private entities … I think that money needs to go to teacher pay, it needs to go into training, it needs to go into a myriad of things. But outside? It just doesn’t have a place for that.”

However, Cox felt differently stating, “I am a huge advocate for our public schools, but at the end of the day, I also realize that parents should be able to choose the best place that they want their student or their kids to be educated. Whether that’s private, charter, homeschool. I believe that parents should have that choice.”

Advice for Superintendent

Contract negotiations between Leon County Schools (LCS) and the Teachers Union have begun again. When asked what advice they would give to the Superintendent in keeping the negotiations productive, Rogers gave a simple response stating, “Pay them more. They deserve a livable wage. You should be able to afford the neighborhood you’re living in.”

Cox’s advice for the Superintendent was to keep communication open. She stated, “When you sit down and have a conversation with someone you can see their point of view, they can see your point of view. Things are not always as easy as they seem. But we do need to work towards paying our teachers more and our staff members more.”

Volunteer School Chaplains

As of July 1^st, Florida Law authorizes school districts and charter schools to have volunteer school chaplains on school campuses and to provide counseling to students. When asked if LCS should create a chaplain program, Cox stated, “If that’s something that parents are really on board with and a school really wants to have, then I think those are some conversations that could be had.”  Additionally, Cox noted that she will continue to foster churches partnering with LCS to provide mentors and volunteers.

Rogers noted that although he didn’t know much about the law, he doesn’t necessarily support LCS creating a chaplain program. He stated, “I think we can do other things like pay teachers more, getting kids outside, coming up with rigorous curriculums.”