MIAMI, Fla.–Florida voters in 2024 will decide if school board races should be partisan after a bill in the State Legislature was approved, setting the stage for a political showdown between Democrats and Republicans leading up to the presidential race.

The Senate approved SJR94 along partisan lines as Republicans supported the bill and Democrats voiced their opposition for bringing politics to the 73 school boards throughout Florida including MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The House approved its version of the bill several weeks ago.

Currently, School Board elections are officially nonpartisan, and candidates are banned from identifying their party affiliations in campaign literature and advertisements.

At least 60 percent of the voters must approve an amendment in 2024 to make the school board elections partisan, a push by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bill was part of DeSantis’ political agenda as he’s possibly eyeing the White House in 2024, challenging his chief rival former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

Trump was indicted on 30 counts of business fraud by a Manhattan grand jury in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, but according to reports, Trump said he’s still running even if he’s convicted.

Flexing his political muscle, DeSantis legislation has spilled into the school system and public universities with his Don’t Say Gay bill, which was extended this year to middle and high school students, Stop W.O.K.E. Act, rejecting an Advanced Placement African American Studies course for high schools and banning state funding for colleges that teach courses in diversity, equity and inclusion.

DeSantis endorsing school board candidates throughout Florida was a sign he’s adding politics to school districts elections by law.

According to some Democrats and local school board members in MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, partisan races could change the course of education in Florida’s school system.

Sen. Gruter, a Sarasota Republican and sponsor of the bill, said partisan elections would allow voters to know where candidates stand on the most significant issues.

“All of these races are partisan now,” Gruters said. “We’re just pulling the bag off of people’s heads and allowing people full knowledge of where people stand. This will make these races much more accountable to the voters."

But Miami-Dade School Board member Dr. Steve Gallon III disagrees with mixing politics with school board-related issues.

Gallon, one of two school board members who is Black along with Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, told the South Florida Times school boards partisan races could divide students and their parents based on their party affiliations.

"It opens up a pandora of partisanship for school districts, classrooms and education," said Gallon, an educator for over 30 years including a former high school principal. "Partisanship has been used as a tool for division in education, its intention is divide but not to unite."

Gallon said bringing politics in school board related issues is not the right direction to run the 4th largest school district in the nation.

"Partisanship is the wrong direction to serve the community and operation of the school district and how we educate our children," he said. "Parents and children come to our schools whether they are Black, White or Hispanic, or rich or poor, to get the same education without their parents’ revealing their party affiliations. We serve children and education is the final frontier of community, statewide and national university, and efforts to separate us based on partisanship is a step in the wrong direction."

Broward County School Board member Torey Alston, who was appointed by DeSantis and the only Black serving on the board, said it should be left up to the voters to decide if they want partisanship in school board elections.

"I believe voters should decide if school board races should be partisan," Alston, who previously served on the Broward County Commission, told the South Florida Times. "In reality, although currently nonpartisan, most voters are very educated on the political leanings of school board members."

Another concern with the bill involves No Party Affiliate voters who would be cut out from part of the election process of school board candidates, as Florida is a closed primary state.

The AFL-CIO and the Florida PTA also criticized the bill suggesting it would disenfranchise more than 4.3 million voters, nearly 30 percent of all Florida voters, who aren’t registered as Democrats or Republicans.

Florida has closed primaries, which means only members of a party’s Primary can vote in them.

Aaron Carmella of the Florida AFLCIO told reporters politics could ruin kids’ education throughout Florida.

“Every child needs an education devoid of politics,” said Carmella.