FACT CHECK: Rick Scott’s Claims On Charlie Crist’s Record on Education Funding

CLAIM: Rick Scott says Charlie Crist cut education, and did not do as much for education as he did. 

FACT: At the height of the global recession, public schools were struggling and Charlie Crist gave them a lifeline. He accepted stimulus funding and saved the jobs of 20,000 teachers. Rick Scott said that was a mistake — he would have fired those 20,000 teachers. In his first year on the job, Scott fired thousands of teachers when he cut public schools by $1.3 billion — damage from which our education system still has not recovered.

CHECK THE FACTS: 

PolitiFact: “Crist accepted federal stimulus money that preserved thousands of teacher jobs. Finally, Crist was not solely responsible for teacher layoffs. Crist and the Republican-led Legislature signed off on budget cuts amid a national recession — and no single politician is responsible for that economic meltdown…We rate this claim Mostly False.” 6/26/14 

Orlando Sentinel: Under Scott, “Volusia has slashed $110 million from its budget over a five-year period, deleting almost 1,500 positions, closing several small elementary schools and eliminating ninth-grade sports.”  5/15/11 

ABC Action News: Under Scott, “Pasco County’s School district is facing serious cuts to deal with a $54 million deficit. Last week, the School board approved a plan to eliminate 513 positions.” 5/17/11

Sun-Sentinel: Under Scott, “Broward school officials… eliminated about 1,500 teachers.” 6/7/12