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FARRIS mm Fm oovmm
PLATFCR! Punk 23 Hatch 16, 1960
wauc SCHOOLS svsrts
Aside from the home and the church, the education of our children is our greatest
single responsibility. Just as we love our children better than we love ourselves, so
must we provide for them better than we provide for our own necessities.
Education touches every life in Florida, every hape for the future. Hy mother and
my wife were both teachers in the Florida school systen, and 1 hope w daughters will be.
Teachers, like other people. must have job opportunities that allow them a scale
of living consistent with their own educational background and long working hours. Be-
cause I believe we need to m good salaries to attract good teachers, and that teachers
are entitled to be compensated on a professional basis, I have voted for every m in-
crease granted to teachers during my service in the Legislature. 1 shall continue to be
consistent with this record.
There are now over a thousand teachers in Florida's public schools who are not
college graduates. Better remuneration offered by other states and the rapid increase
in pupils in Florida gave local school boards no other choice. The record reveals that
we lost some four thousand teachers during the mr of 1959 while almost tires thousand
more were actually required. Florida faced a teacher "deficit," therefore, of close to
seven thousand when the 1959-60 school year connenced.
The future of Florida and the survival of our nation deperri upon the quality of
training provided by our schools to the youth of our land. whatever is necessary to he
done to educate our children properly -- whether elementary, high school, or university
rust be expmded. I an convinced that sensible educatioml progrms which will provide
the best instruction, the necessary facilities. the teacher time to teach and the stuient
time to learn, can be accomplished in Florida at a cost we can afford to hear. The sol-
ution to this critical problem will require the most courageous and nature leadership and
this leadership I will provide as your governor.
ma ~2-.
l was chairman of the mitten of the LegislatiVe Council which initiated the
sum 01' educational television. I as determined that the benefits of higher quality
teaching, better education and the possibility for econaay fro-I its use he realised.
Its values are mlinited.
I served on the Education Cos-ittee of the 191.7 "miss at RPresentatim which
originated The Hiniaun Foundation Programs, and on the Appropriations Couittee that
provided the first money to support it. I supported every improvement later achieved
during aw service in the Legislature, including the following:
(1) The capital outh amendmem for school construction.
(2) Revision of the index of tax wing ability of the Minimum Foundation Program.
(3) Provision for recslculation of instructional units in growth counties.
04) Increases in mts provided for instructional units, current operating
expenses, transportation and capital outlay.
Honey is needed to provide {or good schonls, but may alone will not make a good
school my lore than it will unite a good hose or a good emu-ch. For our educational
systen to attain the goals we have set for it, we must have the kind of active public
interest that resulted in the adoption of The Minim- Foundation Prngraa in 19h? by the
first session of the legislature in which I served. At that time joint citizen and
professional counittees were established, properly staffed and financed, which made a
searching review of our whole public school system, affirming that which was good and
pointing out that which was not. As governor I shall provide the leadership for another
sin-.h arousal of public interest. It is time again to review our school system, and then
to throw our full support behimi an effort to make it the finest in the nation.
I believe the governor of our State must use the influence of that oiiica to ad-
ucate the public. including parents. as to the intent oi the public school systea and as
to its natural limitations. Some citizens expect and acne educators have praised too
mach {rm our schools with the end result that somtines the imortant things are not
well accomplished. The school should certainly provide a congenial. healtiu and dis-
ciplined environ-ant, but it cannot begin to "nuncont ---------
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name the responsibilities of the hue, church and other agmciea of the enmity.
Our achools can equip a youngster with the basic {mutation for his livelihood, but they
cannot, lid mat not be expected to turn out every student fully prepared for his adult
career. Experts haw estinated that there are over 30 thousand different vocations
within the United States and that even large ccnprehenaive high schools rarely teach
more than )0 at then. The great majority of professional trades oust be learned in
industry, in later specialized training, or in apprenticeship. The school can provide
student: are! adults alike with healthful entertainment through athletic contest: with
tea participants and thousands of cpectators, with recreational opportunities in
dramatics, with the added enjoyment of hobby clubs, but Its job i: education.
I propose to devote my attention to the imrovenent oi' the quality of instruction
and to the strengthening of the school program by emphasizing basic attains.
Uith increasing coat of public education will cone greater public tentation to
accept, or even perhaps to invite federal tunic {or this purpose. A: governor, I rill
resist this encroachment with all of the will i posses: as I will fight against all
attelpto of the radical to crush the puma left to the states. Should Hashington
renal a financial ability to no support our educational system, the tine will then be
here to study we and means to reduce the federal income tax instead and accnrdingly.
There are approxiaately one million children enrolled in the public schools at our
State, but we mat look ahead to 1965 when three inmdrod thousand more Hill have to be
accouuodated. Thy cannot wait and Florida cannot wait its preparation for then. I-iy
experience in public office provides me uith the greatest confidence that I can offer
our progressive state; its educators, actual beams, Parent Teacher-3' Associations.
legislators and au- citieens of tomorrow uho must receive the benefit of the best educa-
tion tom, the qualified leadership of a governor who has diligently prepared himself
{or this large tank. My record offers abundant proof-of-peri'oraame.
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and I hope riy daughters will tie unities that alluu the a scale Ild afzi 10(1[] W!:Tid ng KG1]I'E .96good teachers, and that teachers I have voteri fee e-1.rarv nau in-
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I was chairpiart of the cor-nitts study -f educational television. I ; teaching, better educatiest and the ps Its values are ur.limited. I served on the Educatieri Gr-r:s origiriated The iiinin:12n Foumlat.im i'ri provided the first r:oney to suppari. .ite t.ggisia-ave ouncu wracn inn, str.ineel that the bEtisfi'.s of highz: .ity for econsiny frora its use be r:.f the 1967 House of Representati' instructieral units, current operating al outlay, ools. Lur. money alone ulli not make a g .'r a geoa church. For cur educational we most have tha kind of active pubJ.ie inir.urn Finifvini. i ran Prairam ir 19/i'l tv i
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