Education remains key issue in gubernatorial races across the country

Just one year after Gov. Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia gubernatorial race on a pro-parent message, education remains a prominent - and hotly debated - issue in the midterm elections.

A Fox News poll in October found that education is increasingly becoming a focus of the midterm elections, with 8 in 10 parents concerned about what’s being taught in their schools. The only issue that worries parents more is inflation. 

Among voters broadly, what’s taught in schools ranks fifth, with issues like inflation and crime ranking higher.  

This renewed focus on education has led gubernatorial candidates across the country to focus on education plans in their states, often sparring over school choice, funding and parental rights legislation.  

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In Florida, education has taken center stage the last year, with Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a Parental Rights in Education law, often dubbed "Don’t Say Gay," by critics. DeSantis has also involved himself in school board races, endorsing candidates who line up with his education agenda.

Democrat Charlie Crist, a former governor who is running to unseat DeSantis, has campaigned on the idea that he can restore "respect to educators," telling a Florida Education Association podcast it "doesn’t exist right now." 

Crist has also been endorsed by the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, and chose Karla Hernandez, who leads the Miami-Dade County union, as his running mate.

As a former commissioner of education in Florida, Crist says on his website that he will guarantee "a world-class education for every Florida student." Among the issues Crist touts are increasing teacher pay, improving school safety and expanding voluntary pre-kindergarten. 

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Arizona’s Democratic candidate for governor, Katie Hobbs, has said she strongly supports parental involvement in children’s education, and proposed additional financing for schools. 

"In a crisis of growing class sizes and massive teacher shortages, we should be increasing resources for Arizona schools — not taking them away," Secretary Hobbs said in a statement. "I fully support repealing this archaic rule, which forces schools to make the impossible choice between staying open and providing our children with a quality education, while threatening Arizona’s jobs and economy." 

"Investing in our children’s education is not only an investment in their future, but also the future of Arizona’s workforce and economic success," Hobbs said. "As governor, I will put more resources in the classroom and fight to make sure our schools get the funding they need so every child in Arizona has access to a quality education — no matter their zip code or economic status."

Both Hobbs and Lake have supported some form of school choice, with Lake touting "100% backpack funding," where parents can decide where to send their children to school, and funding will follow the student. Hobbs’ plan, by contrast, gives parents the choice between public district schools and public charter schools, but she has emphasized that charter schools should not be able to "line their pocketbooks by diverting public education funding into for-profit companies or personal investments." 

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Lake has also emphasized the role of parents in education, and promoted expanding the state’s Parents Bill of Rights. "Put simply: you have a right to know what your kids are being taught, how they’re being taught, and to make any medical decisions for minor students without interference or obstruction from your school, district, or the state of Arizona," Lake’s plan reads. 

In Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has referred to herself as the "education governor," but her opponent for the gubernatorial seat, Republican Derek Schmidt, has hit back on her pandemic record, which included school lockdowns and mandates. Schmidt has also signed the anti-critical race theory "1776 Pledge" – the same document signed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin during his 2021 Virginia campaign. 

Kelly identifies as a moderate leader, committed to public schools, which she believes to be underfunded and has criticized Schmidt for defending former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s "unconstitutional" education funding cuts, campaign spokesperson Madison Andrus told Fox News Digital. 

"Governor Kelly has always been committed to ensuring that Kansas children receive a world-class education which is why she fully funded schools four years in a row," Andrus said.  

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Kelly has said she makes no apologies for closing schools in the early months of the pandemic, and has since launched a "Learning Recovery Grants," program which give parents the ability to sign kids up for counseling, tutoring, and camps to address learning and recover from learning setbacks as a result of the pandemic. 

Kelly vetoed Kansas’ "Parental Bill of Rights" and school curriculum transparency bill in March, describing it as the "worst thing we can possibly be doing," and emphasizing the importance of retaining teachers. 

Derek Schmidt has run on a pro-parent message to remediate the harm done to students during the pandemic, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

"As governor, I will continue constitutionally funding our public schools," Schmidt said. "But funding can’t be where the conversation ends. The extended school lockdowns did tremendous damage to so many of our kids, and strong support is needed to remediate that harm."

"As governor, I will focus on putting kids and parents first in education, empowering parents to ensure each child gets the education best suited for his or her own needs, regardless of a family’s income or zip code," he added. 

The Michigan gubernatorial race between Republican Tudor Dixon and incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has tightened in recent weeks and education has been a forefront issue for both candidates. 

Dixon criticized Whitmer for "[refusing] to talk about whether or not she would protect students from radical teachings in schools" last week on Fox News @ Night. 

"Gretchen Whitmer will not acknowledge that parents are concerned about this," Dixon said. "In fact, they've been mocking parents who say we don't want these oversexualized books in our schools. That has hurt her. I believe that," Dixon said.

Dixon has advocated for a Florida-style bill that would restrict curriculum on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade. She has also proposed the use of Education Savings Accounts, which give parents a choice between public, private, charter, virtual or homeschooling education options. 

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Like many Democratic politicians, Whitmer has aligned herself closely with teachers unions and under her leadership, Michigan has made the largest investment in K-12 education in the state’s history, according to her website. She is backed by the nation’s two largest teachers union’s, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which donated at least $2.25 million to pro-Whitmer groups. The Trump-connected PAG MAGA Inc. has spent $1 million in support of Dixon, and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, along with members of her family, have donated nearly $3 million in support of Michigan Families United, a super PAC backing Dixon.  

Fox News' Tyler Olson and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.