Florida school board members explain National School Board Association withdrawal

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Florida has joined about a dozen states in withdrawing from the National School Boards Association.

The Florida School Board Association voted Tuesday at a conference in Tampa, where some local board members were in attendance.

The withdrawal comes after the NSBA sent a letter to Washington D.C. asking federal officers to look into threats against school board members.

Channel 3 spoke to board members from Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties who said the decision will have a limited effect on students, staff, and parents.

School boards across Florida now have limited resources in expressing their concerns to politicians in Washington D.C.

The Florida School Boards Association chose to sever their relationship with the National School Boards Association during a conference Tuesday.

Okaloosa County School Board Chairman Tim Bryant told Channel 3 that not listening to the Florida board and a stack of other issues led to the school board's withdrawal.

Lack of transparency and the current leadership were some of the issues.

In October, NSBA sent a letter to the Whitehouse asking for federal law enforcement to look into threats against school board members, which many states felt was an overreach.

Now Florida joins 11 other states in severing their relationship with the national organization by withholding their $46,000 in dues.

Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams told Channel 3 that the Florida board already has a lobbyist that does great work for them in Washington D.C.

Channel 3 called the NSBA and sent them an email asking for what they think of Florida withdrawing, but we have yet to receive a response.

Florida board members also told Channel 3 that there are talks to create a new federation with the other states that have withdrawn.

Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams says it is in the FSBA's best interest to be apart of a national organization that advocates for them in Washington D.C. but said they feel the NSBA just lost their way.