Manny Diaz Jr. confirmed as Florida education commissioner

The Point out Board of Education and learning on Friday verified Manny Diaz Jr., a Republican lawmaker from Hialeah and staunch faculty choice advocate, as Florida’s up coming schooling commissioner.

The 49-yr-outdated will get the helm of the point out Office of Education and learning on June 1. At that time, Diaz stated he programs to maintain his “foot on the pedal” on lots of education troubles that Gov. Ron DeSantis and outgoing Schooling Commissioner Richard Corcoran have prioritized in the last four several years.

“We cannot be complacent,” Diaz said. “The finest protection is to go on offense. We ought to normally be on offense, seeking to boost the life of the students of the point out.”

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Diaz will appear in as the point out Office of Education and learning prepares to apply a number of contentious measures permitted by Republican lawmakers previously this yr. These include an overhaul of the state’s K-12 screening procedure, which Diaz states is a precedence of his, and potential improvements to instruction in grades 4 to 12 on troubles of gender id and sexual orientation.

On the eve of Diaz’s affirmation listening to, DeSantis said the Department of Education will be supplying input before long on what instruction would be viewed as “age-appropriate” for more mature grades on these subjects. In an job interview before this year, Diaz claimed he would conduct a “full review” of curriculum in those grades and “lay it out” for the Legislature for possible legislative motion.

DeSantis had more robust words, when he was requested about foreseeable future action, in the course of a Fox Information “Town Hall” on Thursday night. He reported, the “Florida Division of Instruction will be placing some meat on the bones” of Florida’s new “Parental Rights in Education” legislation, which critics have called the “don’t say gay” bill.

A seem at Diaz’s history

The university society war fights that have grow to be so emblematic of DeSantis’ education agenda were not talked about substantially through Diaz’s confirmation listening to.

Most of the aim was on his time as a mentor, teacher and assistant principal in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the policy problems he put in a decade fighting for in the Legislature.

For years, Diaz has led the cost in increasing the charter college sector and school vouchers, which pay back for learners to show up at personal schools. He has sponsored legislation to raise Florida teachers’ minimal salaries to $47,500, a priority for DeSantis since he took business office. And this calendar year, Diaz sponsored legislation that boundaries what can be taught about racism and other facets of record in the public colleges.

Some supporters brought indications to the listening to calling for publicly funded education and learning price savings accounts, which aid households pay out for non-public tuition and other charges. Final 12 months, Diaz sought to provide that choice to families.

Some others praised his leadership model.

“He is the ideal leader for this minute,” Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega informed the board. “He has the knowledge not only in the classroom, but the legislative and coverage encounter and the increased training knowledge.”

Monthly bill Montford, the head of the Florida Association for District Faculty Superintendents and a previous Democratic point out senator, agreed.

“He is a guy of excellent integrity, he is a guy who will hear to opposing views, and he will usually do what is greatest for college students,” he claimed. “He is a fantastic guy. He is specifically what we want.”

Assistance from the guy he’s succeeding

Corcoran additional that Diaz’s legislative working experience will be valuable to him on the new job.

“On every single go-to difficulty we have had more than the last four classes, Manny Diaz has been front and middle on every solitary 1 of them,” the previous Dwelling speaker mentioned.

His suggestions to Diaz: “Go out there and be Manny and preserve performing what you’re performing, due to the fact he has attained a heck of a whole lot and he has manufactured us appear very good over the previous 4 decades.”

Diaz has deep-rooted ties with constitution faculty operators. He is now a leading executive at Doral Higher education, a non-public nonprofit establishment that features advanced classes to charter faculties, and that is affiliated with Academica, a for-financial gain contractor.

He pushed back that his near ties to constitution universities will affect how he potential customers the division.

“Look at the human body of operate, legislatively, and in which I arrived from,” he stated, in reference to his time as a social scientific tests community college instructor and assistant principal at Hialeah-Miami Lakes. “Public educational facilities are critical… We are likely to emphasis on the entire factor.”

The board voted unanimously to verify Diaz just after a 50-minute board in the state Capitol. He will be the first Hispanic commissioner of instruction in Florida, which the governor’s office environment touted when DeSantis to start with designed the advice.

The affirmation hearing was scheduled by the board very last Friday, a working day immediately after DeSantis advisable Diaz for the job. The board did not carry out a research for the state’s major education and learning position, marking the next time the board verified a DeSantis education and learning commissioner decide on with no a search.

Board Chair Tom Grady introduced Friday that Corcoran will be leaving the submit powerful May possibly 1. Jacob Oliva, the state’s K-12 chancellor, will serve as interim commissioner throughout the changeover time period, he said.

Diaz will keep on to serve in the Senate as a result of Could, which suggests he will be collaborating in a particular session to deal with Florida’s failing house insurance market place that is set for Could 23-27.

Diaz’s salary has not been determined. The board agreed to permit Grady to “coordinate all information involved with his employment” specifically with Diaz.

This story was initially printed April 29, 2022 12:26 PM.