Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas on Friday held up Lee County school leadership as a statewide model for improving struggling schools, praising Superintendent Denise Carlin as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two major education bills into law.
Kamoutsas specifically spotlighted Carlin’s work with the Lee County School Board to secure pay raises for teachers in the district’s lowest-performing schools.
“M. “Working alongside the Lee County School Board, she championed pay raises for educators in the district’s lowest-performing schools — an investment that helps bring strong, high-quality instruction to the students who need it most,” Kamoutsas said. “That’s real leadership.”
He contrasted Lee County’s approach with that of St. Johns County Superintendent Brennan Asplen, sharply criticizing Asplen for what he described as making excuses and prioritizing bureaucracy over students.
“He continues to come up with excuses. He continues to put bureaucracy over students, and he continues to blame everyone but himself,” Kamoutsas said. “That’s not leadership.”
Kamoutsas said House Bill 1279 seeks to replicate Lee County’s success statewide by giving all Florida school districts more flexibility to place effective teachers in the schools and classrooms where they are needed most.
The legislation also expands Florida’s state-developed advanced coursework pathway, placing it on equal footing with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, while strengthening parental rights and transparency in special education.
Kamoutsas credited Senate Bill 1296 as part of the broader package.
“These bills are empowering educators, supporting families, and ensuring that every student in this state has access to high-quality education,” he said.
