A dead fish rots from the head down. The same analogy could be used to describe the community colleges of Florida. These taxpayer-supported colleges are controlled by boards of trustees who were appointed by the governor. These board members' main qualifications for those jobs are basically that they were well-connected political cronies of the governor.
That means billions of dollars of the taxpayers cash is now being spent by people who are not elected or accountable to anyone. A large percentage of that money ends up as administrator salaries, building boondoggles and/or administrative junkets.
At the same time, teacher exploitation at the community colleges of Florida is out of control. The state's community colleges are now using huge numbers of part-time teachers who don't have any benefits or union representation. High turnover, low morale and diminished educational quality are the inevitable result.
Clearly, it is now time for the Legislature to act. Community college board members' jobs should be converted to elected positions so the taxpayers can make sure their money is spent sagaciously.
