In some ways, I'm regretting ever moving here if it wasn't for a very good job as an R&D chemist in industry. What you say about education is very, very true in Florida. It is an afterthought on the part of both local and state governments. I lived in lakeland for about 6 years and the general, historical thought of the school board was that teachers were the wives of wealth professionals who taught for the love of kids. They didn't need good salaries commensurate with the job requirements because their husbands supported them. That attitude still exists here, as well as the "they don't work for a full year so why should they get paid the same as someone who does. So you politicians better not raise my taxes for education!" people
My wife is a teacher, so I confess to being biased. Meantime, the present system of revenue raising with partial reliance on state lottery and Indian gaming is a huge, huge scam-a tax on people who have a limited understanding of mathematics.
This state has potential, but it will take a "Nixon going to China" Republican to actually lead the movement to actually create a consensus for increasing taxes for educational funding. A Democrat simply won't do it. All a Dhimmi will do is simply raise the taxes, then pay off their interest groups in swag.
Happens all the time.
Be Seeing You,
Chris