I retired from Broward County public schools last August.

I worked 28 years at Fort Lauderdale High as a language arts teacher with 15 years as department chair. I left in part due to illness and extreme anxiety caused by the pressure of teaching up to 42 students if they were honors or advanced courses, which is how schools bypass class size limits. Only a “core” class can be limited to 25 students.

I enjoyed teaching, loved my students and had great camaraderie with my peers. It was the school and district administration that caused anxiety and stress-related illness.

Next year, I heard, Broward teachers are expected to pay part of their insurance in the range of $400 to $600 and $750 per dependent. In a county of Broward’s size, one would think there would be enough money to pay teachers’ insurance premiums. And from what’s taking place with the district’s offer of a 0.5% raise, which I consider an insult, many excellent teachers are looking to go to Palm Beach or Miami-Dade counties, where salaries for the same years of teaching are at least $10,000 to $15,000 more a year.

If I were a Broward parent, I would be disturbed by the treatment of my children’s teachers and might think about moving to be sure my child would be better educated by pleasant, caring educators.

— Christopher A. Beaulieu, Ed.D., Fort Lauderdale

Keep after Uthmeier

Please accept my appreciation for your investigation of allegations that Gov. Ron DeSantis had money from a state Medicaid settlement moved to the Hope Florida Foundation through a PAC called Keep Florida Clean to defeat the 2024 recreational marijuana ballot question. There are serious allegations of money laundering and wire fraud.

Coincidentally, DeSantis’ former chief of staff, James Uthmeier, led the Keep Florida Clean PAC. Furthermore, Uthmeier has become state attorney general and the momentum to investigate this issue seems to have waned in the Legislature.

The Sun Sentinel reported that Uthmeier obtained a $100,000 adjunct professor contract to teach two hours a week at the University of Florida — far more than other adjuncts. Placing a person possibly under investigation as attorney general and further compensating him appears to be a blantant attempt to end the investigation. I thank the Sun Sentinel for keeping this in the news. Do not stop investigative reporting until this is impartially investigated.

— Steven Pomerantz, Plantation

Uthmeier and ethics

It was revealed that Attorney General James Uthmeier was given a position as an adjunct professor of law at UF that pays him $100,000 to teach two courses. I can only hope he’s not teaching legal ethics.

— George Mersinger, Miramar

No higher priority

In the 2022 midterms under President Joe Biden, Republicans took back Congress. Polls showed that democracy’s perceived deterioration resonated with voters, but Democrats went full throttle on women’s reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That flawed strategy and other misguided decisions set the stage for Donald Trump’s return.

With Trump back, the threat to democracy is greater than ever. Democrats would be wise to learn from past strategic errors and focus on the relentless assault on the constitutional order by a president seeking absolute power. There’s no higher priority in the 2026 midterms.

But even spot-on political strategies are futile if electoral oversight is in the hands of conspiracy theorists like Kurt Olsen, the White House Director of Election Security and Integrity. Election “rigging” is no longer fringe rhetoric, it’s now official policy.

— Jane Larkin, Tampa

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