Wasting Money Again

This time it's the Miami Dade School District that is wasting money. When the schools reopen in the Miami area, perhaps the School Board will want to reconsider one item of wasteful spending. That item is the vote to appeal a federal judge's ruling preventing them from removing a book about Cuba from the school library. The only winners here will be the lawyers who have already been paid $123,000 by the district and the district has budgeted another $127,000 for the appeal. That's $250,000. How many quality teachers would that sum hire?

Of course, the school District forgot one thing. When they lose, they will have to pay the ACLU lawyers who brought the case. Their fees are not likely to be less than $250,000. So the Miami Dade District will have spent $500,000 of Florida citizen's money over a book at a time when most school districts are hurting for money.

Save for the two souls on the board that had the courage to say no to this nonsensical appeal, the Miami Dade Board needs to get its priorities straight and forget about right wing garbage like book banning. Next time this school District complains how needy it is, the Florida legislature should remind it of its litigation folly.

Doesn't this Miami Dade antic remind you of some other boards you know closer to home?