School Board Member Woltanski Doubles Down on Her Liberal Ideology
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
After attending the State Board of Education meeting on 11/13/25 near Tallahassee, Woltanski posted a blog article mocking everything they said and voted to approve. Thankfully, the meeting was recorded and people can watch the video and compare it to the liberal twist she puts on what actually happened at the meeting. She makes a list in her blog of the "troubling moments" at the meeting. She can be seen in the video in the front row left, using her phone the entire time. Her list of "troubling moments" from the meeting are listed below in a serious of quotes from her article and some contrasting video clips from the meeting. Hopefully Monroe County taxpayers didn't pay for her travel expenses to the other side of the state, since she could have watched and played on her phone at home for free. Her first attack below was about the Phoenix Declaration just adopted by the State Board of Education.
The classical education model she fears so much is rooted in the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome, later refined in medieval Europe, and continues to influence modern approaches to learning. Its curriculum is built around the trivium—grammar, logic, and rhetoric—which develops foundational knowledge, critical thinking, and persuasive communication, and the quadrivium—arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—which deepens intellectual discipline. Students engage with the great works of Western civilization, from Plato and Aristotle to Shakespeare and Milton, while also studying Latin and sometimes Greek.
At its core, classical education uses the liberal arts to cultivate wisdom and virtue, aiming not simply to transfer information but to teach students how to learn and how to think. Why would any school board member think it is "troubling" to teach students how to think? When did thinking for yourself become a bad thing? Furthermore, this classical education is presently part of Advanced Placement courses taught in Monroe County high schools and in every county in the country. The more accurate statement would be that this type of advanced curriculum would perhaps be moved into other non-AP courses, and most people would support that move, especially parents who actually saw on zoom what was actually being taught to their children during Covid. They were shocked by the content of courses which had nothing to do with the course.
Woltanski fails to mention that Layla Collins, recently appointed to Florida’s State Board of Education, is a U.S. Army veteran with over 20 years of service, primarily in special operations. She was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Haiti, served as a liaison between the Army and government agencies, and worked in security clearance, policy implementation, and intelligence oversight. Her military career culminated in assignments with Special Operations Forces (SOF), giving her extensive leadership and organizational experience before transitioning into education policy roles. Woltanski frames her as a religious zealot, but the truth is that she fought against communism by helping other countries fight against communist regimes. She is very knowledgeable on the topic. Who better to speak about the danger of communism than she is? The manner in which she dismisses her military service and her professional opinion is indeed her free speech right, but should a school board member engage in comments that alienate at least have her county?
Woltanski shares an X post by Collins in an attempt to attack her character. However, the Washington Times article Collins referenced in her tweet is fair and accurate. For those interested in reading it. The article can be found here. It contains facts, like how 99% of teacher union dues went to Democratic candidates in the last election cycle. They obviously only support a liberal agenda. That she ignores this in her blog post just makes her school board election strategy crystal clear. She is counting on the Monroe County Teachers Union to campaign for her next year, just like they did last time in 2022. This group has boots on the ground everywhere in Monroe county. They are motivated and only support liberals like Woltanski. They don't support parental rights, school choice, or any conservative Republican, so they will fight to keep their liberal leader in her school board seat.
This is where Republicans in Monroe County failed in 2022, when a conservative school board candidate didn't survive the primary. Why? Because there was only a 34% voter turnout that year. That is a pathetic number when you consider that in a district of almost 55,000 registered voters, that only about 19,000 showed up to vote. The county has a school board member that doesn't represent its conservative voters, who outnumber democrats by 10,000 registrations. How do only 19,000 people vote, when you can easily vote by mail in the comfort of your own home? It was complete voter apathy. She is counting on this apathy and her teachers union operatives to win again in 2026. Her comment from her blog below, again shows that she is running as a liberal.
Because Woltanski supports a school board member from Alachua county who said terrible things about Charlie Kirk, then she will most likely support any teacher for doing the same thing. A teacher at the Key West High School allegedly made similar disparaging comments about Charlie Kirk on his work related social media account. One of his alleged and most egregious posts is pictured below where he calls Kirk a "racist, sexist, evil piece of shit" that wont end up in heaven because he was a "perversion of anything resembling Christianity."
Many other comments were allegedly posted by this KWHS social studies teacher, showing a pattern of disturbing hatred toward Republican voters, Christians, ICE, law enforcement, President Trump, Governor DeSantis and the Florida Republican led legislature. They were also allegedly on a work related account where he asks the community for donations to KWHS, as shown below. That he was allowed to use the school name in the same place he allegedly posted such negative comments, implies that the school endorses such comments and behavior by teachers.
If the school board doesn't already have a policy about this problem, then they should create one immediately. Students and parents have access to social media and can see everything that teachers and school board members post. When teachers post comments endorsing the school shooting of a man because of his ideas, how are students who admire Charlie Kirk supposed to feel safe in this classroom? The teacher is assumed to be innocent, but if these accusation are true, then the school board must take action to remove the teacher from the classroom. Sadly, Woltanski shows in her blog article that she would mostly likely support the alleged teacher's post, just like she supports Tina Certain, Alachua County School Board member, for doing the same thing.
Click on image to expand and scroll the posts allegedly made by the KWHS teacher.
In the social media posts above, the alleged teacher celebrates murder and death of conservative Christians, and denigrates Republican elected officials, Republican voters, law enforcement, and Christians. If you are concerned about the comments this teacher allegedly posted on a work related social media account, then the work related blog post by Woltanski will concern you as well. She isn't as harsh as the alleged teacher comments, but she resorts to the same tactics of using slurs against conservatives and displaying intolerance of diverse ideas, as embraced by the liberal left. To them, the target of the scorn deserves it, so their behavior is justified, even if it violates norms of professional ethics for school district employees.
The same thing is happening in other parts of Florida. At the November 13, 2025 State Board of Education meeting in Crawfordville, Alachua County School Board Vice Chair Tina Certain was called before the board for the same behavior. They asked her to explain to answer her Facebook post about conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his death. She defended her remarks as protected free speech under the First Amendment, but acknowledged they were “poorly worded.” State officials criticized her comments as unprofessional and unbecoming of an elected school board member, and also raised broader concerns about Alachua’s compliance with Florida’s Sunshine Law.
Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas invited Certain to appear before the board after she posted on Facebook calling Kirk a “31-year-old uneducated white boy” on the day of his memorial service. Certain told the board her comments were made on her personal account, not in her official capacity, and argued they were constitutionally protected political speech. She admitted the wording was poor but insisted her right to free expression should be respected.
State board members said her remarks were “egregious” and inappropriate for someone in public office. They questioned whether such comments undermine her ability to serve effectively.
The meeting also revisited ongoing disputes between the state and Alachua County officials. It's alleged the school board may have violated Florida’s Sunshine Law in its handling of public comment and internal communications. Earlier in 2025, she was questioned over alleged violations of public commenters’ First Amendment rights. Ironically, her argument to the state board was that she had rights to say whatever she wants. She, however, is accused of cutting off speakers, imposing arbitrary time limits, and preventing conservative viewpoints from being expressed at school board meetings. No formal disciplinary action was taken at the meeting, but the board signaled it would continue monitoring Alachua County and Certain’s conduct. We can only speculate what the State Board is doing about the reported comments from the Key West High School teacher. The Monroe County School District, acknowledged an investigation and report to the State Board of Education, but not other information has been given. However, the Commissioner of Education, Mr. Kamoutsas, had some strong words for Mrs. Certain, and would be the same for the alleged teacher at KWHS, as shown in the video clip below:
What is most disturbing about Woltanski's blog post is what she didn't say, that any moral and decent person would say. She didn't say what an elected school board member who represents all the families in her county should say. She never states how clearly offensive Certain's remarks were about Charlie Kirk. She never admits how much suffering communism has inflicted on the world or how many people have died because of it. She doesn't acknowledge the suffering of those under communism right now. Only 90 miles away from her school board meetings, millions of people suffer in Cuba under communism. Often, many risk their lives crossing the Florida Straits to land on the shores of the Florida Keys where she lives. How can she deny the existence of communism? How can she say in her blog that it's an imaginary thing conjured up by the State Board of Education? Woltanski doubles down on her liberal ideology every chance she gets.
She ends her blog by citing an article saying the "state’s fixation on culture wars and imagined [communist] indoctrination" by the Florida State board of Education is the problem. This so called "non-partisan" school board member isn't hiding her liberal views at all. She dislikes the Republican appointed State Board of Education. She opposes parental choice. She especially dislikes school choice for parents. She is the poster girl for the teacher union agenda. If you want proof, read her blog here. If you want a school board member that doesn't push liberal ideology or attack conservatives, your first chance to vote her out is in the August 2026 primary.
The Monroe County School Board primary election will take place on August 18, 2026, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. School board races in Florida are nonpartisan, but the primary serves as the first round of voting, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election if no one wins outright. The voter registration deadline for the primary is July 20, 2026, so now is the time to make sure you’re ready. Residents can register or update their information directly through the Monroe County Supervisor of Elections at votemonroeflkeys.gov. Don’t wait—your voice matters in shaping the future of our schools.
Sources
Gibbs, Joshua. “A Teacher Defines Classical Education.” U.S. Department of Education, 14 Nov. 2025, https://www.ed.gov/about/homeroom-blog/teacher-defines-classical-education.
“What Is Classical Education?” Classical Academic Press, https://classicalacademicpress.com/pages/what-is-classical-education.
“Conservative Education Model Approved in Florida Schools.” CBS Miami, 14 Nov. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-education-leaders-approve-adopting-heritage-foundation/.
Long, Chelsea. “Alachua School Board Member Tells BOE Her Kirk Comments Are Protected Speech.” Gainesville Sun, 13 Nov. 2025, https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/education/2025/11/13/alachua-county-school-board-member-answers-for-charlie-kirk-comments/87231092007/
Wilkinson, Jessica. “Florida State Education Board Grills Alachua County School Board Official over Facebook Posts.” WUFT News, 13 Nov. 2025, https://www.wuft.org/politics/2025-11-13/florida-state-education-board-grills-alachua-county-school-board-official-over-facebook-posts.
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