Why Florida is the best state for education and economy |

The debate over education in Florida is one of the most contentious in the nation.

The state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has staked his political persona on opposing what he calls “woke” influence over education policy, and his work in the Sunshine State has garnered national attention. He has even made the theory that he will be the center of his 2024 presidential campaign. The audience asks them to vote him into the White House.

Unfortunately for DeSantis, making America Florida didn't resonate with Republican voters in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where he finished a distant second to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. He later withdrew from the campaign.

In higher education, Florida, ranked No. 9 in the overall Best States ranking, had the second-highest timely graduation rate for students at public institutions earning two-year and four-year degrees, respectively. Students attending her four-year public institutions also paid some of the lowest average in-state tuition and fees in the country. The state ranks in the middle on two other measures of higher education: the average amount of federal student loan debt held by young people and the percentage of people in the state over the age of 25 with an associate's degree or higher. fell.

In a measure reflecting preschool through high school, Florida ranked best in college readiness (as measured by the percentage of 12th grade students who scored high on the SAT, ACT, or both). It ranks 12th in the nation in preschool enrollment, tied with Illinois for 19th in high school graduation rates, and ranks 21st and 32nd in eighth-grade reading and math performance, respectively.

“Florida is the No. 1 state in the nation in education,” DeSantis said in a statement in mid-April upon signing a bill specifically aimed at making it easier for underperforming schools to become charter schools. . “By focusing on core academics and rejecting indoctrination in the classroom, we have become standard-bearers for educational excellence. The legislation I signed today builds on Florida's previous achievements. I will let you do it.”

Notably, the bill DeSantis signed in April would also limit the ability of people with children not in a particular school district to object to books used in that district, reportedly , which amends an earlier law signed by DeSantis that reportedly led to a surge in book removals and restrictions across the country. school.

That, and efforts like DeSantis-backed legislation called “Don't Say I'm Gay” by detractors, helped fuel a storm of debate and criticism over Florida's education. The governor also influenced elections for county school boards, limited the types of courses taught at colleges and universities in the state, increased oversight of professor tenure, and increased the number of trustees at the College of New Florida, a liberal arts school. I'm trying to change the meeting. He has a progressive reputation.

The education metrics that U.S. News uses to rank states tend to focus on aspects of affordability, accessibility, and achievement, and the controversial moves DeSantis has made so far are may not be reflected in the Additionally, the data used may lag behind recent developments due to when it is released by the sources and the time required for analysis. For example, many education indicators are tied to 2022, and policy changes may take time to materialize.

Still, critics say Mr. DeSantis' move could have a lasting impact.

“The impact of what he's doing may or may not show up in our traditional metrics,” said John Valant, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution and director of the Brown Education Policy Center. I think it's definitely going to have an impact.” . “For many students, Florida is just as tough as anywhere else.”

Separate from the U.S. News analysis, the latest data on teacher pay released by the National Education Association shows Florida has dropped from 48th to 50th among states in teacher pay. Andrew Spahr, president of the Florida Education Association, a frequent critic of DeSantis, points out.

“There's a lot of data that shows Florida isn't doing much better in K-12 education than it was 20 years ago,” Spurr said, noting that the state ranked 36th in teacher salaries in 2010. added. That was before two Republican governors took office. Rick Scott and DeSantis have launched what Spahr calls an “all-out assault on public education.”

“Even considering all the factors, I just don't think Florida is leading in education,” he says.

Beyond education, Florida also performs particularly well in the Best States rankings for economy, moving up six spots to No. 1 from 2023. Although Florida's economy is less controversial than education, Florida gets a fair rating. A large share of headlines related to issues such as the long-running feud between DeSantis and entertainment giant Disney and the NAACP advisory against black Americans traveling to the state. A federal appeals court also recently ruled that a law targeting workplace diversity training supported by DeSantis is unconstitutional.

In the Best States rankings, strong employment and overall economic growth led Florida to the top spot in this category. In terms of employment, the state ranks second in the nation, with a three-year average annual growth rate of nearly 5%. The country's GDP growth rate exceeded 6%, making it the highest in the United States.

Most recently, Florida added 10,400 employees in March. However, job growth may slow, with the state expected to add an average of 11,100 jobs per month in the first quarter of 2024, up from an average of 24,500 jobs per month in the fourth quarter of 2023. is decreasing.

“I think the silver bullet for economic growth in Florida is population growth,” said Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting at the University of Central Florida. “It's not a bug, it's a feature.”

In fact, according to data used in Best States' analysis, Florida's average net migration rate over the past three years was 1.68%, second only to Idaho's 1.8%.

Overall, the state's population grew by 18% from 2010 to 2022 to 22.24 million people, while the national population grew by about 8% during the same period.

As always, attractions include a warm climate, lack of state income tax, and low cost of living. However, the latter factor is not supported by Best States data, with Florida ranking 38th in project costs. Living Metrics. Then the coronavirus disease 2020 (COVID-19) outbreak hit, and DeSantis' move to keep more locations open was a potential draw for residents of states with stricter pandemic responses. becomes.

“This is a low-tax, low-cost, low-wage economy,” said Russell Triplett, chair of the economics department at the University of North Florida. Without a constant influx of new residents from other states, Florida's population would decline, he added. Approximately one-fifth of Florida residents are over the age of 65.

Some of the Sunshine State's appeal may be waning, especially when it comes to affordable housing along with home and auto insurance. However, while Florida has made strides in diversifying its economy through increased manufacturing, growth in high-tech sectors and health care services, the primary drivers of economic growth remain tourism and immigration.

“As baby boomers enter retirement, not having to pay state income tax is a big draw,” Snaith says.