Florida’s race for governor turned straight into an education slugfest Friday in Orlando, as candidates clashed over how much to pay teachers and how far the state should go with private-school vouchers. Onstage at a statewide PTA gathering, would-be governors rolled out competing plans to raise salaries, rework testing and decide whether taxpayer money should follow students into private classrooms.
At The PTA Leadership Convention
The Florida PTA hosted its 2026 Leadership Convention this week at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, drawing PTA leaders and policy sessions from across the state. The event, which runs July 9–12, included candidate appearances and a Senate forum focused on education issues, according to Florida PTA.
Candidates Put Teacher Pay On The Table
Gubernatorial hopefuls, including Rep. Byron Donalds, former House Speaker Paul Renner, investor James Fishback and Democrat David Jolly, used the convention stage to promise higher salaries and to defend or rework Florida’s rapidly expanded voucher system, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. The tone ranged from careful outreach to sweeping calls for change, but most of the field said they would boost teacher pay if elected.
Donalds Pushes National Exams, A ‘Universal Scorecard’ And Apprenticeships
Rep. Byron Donalds called for a major overhaul of Florida’s standardized testing system, arguing that the state should lean more on national exams such as the ACT and SAT and adopt what he described as a “universal scorecard” to measure student outcomes. He also pressed for expanded apprenticeship pathways for students who do not pursue college, remarks that stretched to nearly 30 minutes at the convention, according to the Orlando Sentinel…