Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited the Missouri Capitol on Thursday to promote school choice and virtual education in Missouri.

But Boone County Superintendents of Schools provided a letter to the editor this week stating that they collectively opposed any house bill that would funnel money away from public schools.

Currently, there are bills that are making their way through the General Assembly that would expand charter schools throughout Missouri.

In a press conference, Bush emphasized how Florida was able to turn its education system around by implementing charter schools, school vouchers and virtual schools. All are issues that are currently in the Missouri General Assembly.

Bush talked about how Florida schools are ranked in the top 10 in the nation, but several published rankings have the state much lower. For example, in the Quality Counts reports published by Education Week, Florida last ranked in the top 10 three years ago. In 2017, the state ranks 29th.

Bush opened his speech by talking about how the world is changing and new technologies are being produced, but the country’s education system is still behind. Gesturing to the painting of a child in a historic mural on the wall of the room where he was speaking, Bush said the governing system that child had is the same one still present today.

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By Bruce Wallace