Gov. Rick Scott stopped by Rosemont Elementary this morning to celebrate its two big accomplishments — boosting its D grade to an A last year and Principal Patty Harrelson's recently being named as Florida's top principal.

.."Harrelson explained to the governor that budget cuts had forced her to give up half the specialized staff she had counted on to work with struggling readers. She lost six members of her 11-member 'intervention' team. And she's worried that tight finances might mean losing more.

Scott, who has been visiting Florida schools for the last three weeks, suggested calling area law firms and health-care systems for help.

"I'd call on every part of the health-care community," said Scott, a former executive of corporate hospitals. "There's plenty of people (to help). It's just connecting."

For the bulk of his visit, Scott stopped by classrooms, pausing, at one point, to show youngsters his leather boots, decorated with the state and American flags.

Gov. Rick Scott played a shell game in front of our kids when he signed the state budget. He insults Floridians when he makes theater out of signing a budget that he claims “restores” funding to public education, when in fact that billion dollars does no such thing.
Last year, at this time the governor’s approval rating was 26 percent. Polls blamed Scott’s poor education performance for that number.

Last week, Scott went from school to school, “ceremonial budget” in hand, using our kids for photo ops and “signing” the budget over and over. Scott’s handlers have him taking victory laps and over-explaining how he alone increased funding to public education.

Last fall Scott repeatedly said he would not sign a budget that does not significantly increase state funding for education. The sentiment is very nice. What’s not nice is the lack of action behind it. Too many Florida politicians fail to understand the simple truth found in the old adage: “actions speak louder than words.”

Scott’s actions leave our schools with the net effect of standing still. For example, Scott knows that if he loses in court, he will have to repay the $1 billion he took from state employees in Florida Retirement System deductions. That money was never escrowed by the state.