DeSantis tours Florida to boost school board candidates

Gov. Ron DeSantis is bringing his statewide "Education Agenda Tour," where he promotes candidates in nonpartisan school board races, to Doral on Sunday.

Driving the news: DeSantis is holding rallies to back candidates who agree with him on certain points, such as keeping "woke gender ideology out of schools" and rejecting "the use of critical race theory (CRT)."

Why it matters: Around the country, school boards have become a new battleground for political fights over culture-war issues like book banning and transgender people in sports.

• And DeSantis, who's endorsed dozens of school board candidates and donated to campaigns, is blazing a new trail for GOP governors in education-related contests, Axios' Stef Kight reports.

Zoom in: In Miami-Dade, DeSantis is backing Roberto Alonso and Monica Colucci, Florida Politics reports. Alonso is the founder of an ed-tech company and an adult day care, while Colucci's experience includes 26 years of teaching and a stint in DeSantis' office as special assistant to the lieutenant governor.

• Both candidates' platforms oppose CRT and allowing trans girls to compete in girls' sports.

What's ahead: DeSantis also has stops planned for Sarasota and Volusia counties Sunday.

• Meanwhile, the governor this week proposed new initiatives to fill teacher shortages, including incentivizing police officers and first responders to obtain temporary teaching certificates. He wants the measures to be considered in the upcoming legislative session.

Go deeper: Learn more about local school board races and candidates.