Byron Donalds says teachers can't be replaced, defends school choice amid South Florida closures

Gov.-elect Byron Donalds visited South Florida on Friday for an event highlighting new educational technology, including tools powered by artificial intelligence.

Addressing concerns raised by some parents regarding AI in education, Donalds emphasized the irreplaceable role of educators.

"My first personal belief is that you have to have an adult, a human being, in the classroom. There's no replacing the teacher," he said.

The event was hosted by LaunchEd, an organization that helps promising educational technology companies test and scale their products.

As Donalds prepares to take office as governor, he addressed several pressing state issues, including the potential closure of traditional public schools in South Florida due to declining enrollment. Currently, five public schools in Miami-Dade County and 10 in Broward County face potential closure.

School choice was a cornerstone of Donalds' campaign, centered on the policy that state funding should follow students to the school of their parents' choice. Critics, however, argue that expanding school choice diverts essential funding away from traditional public schools.

"There's always going to be room for traditional public schools," Donalds told CBS News Miami. "They're not going anywhere. I think what we're seeing in some school closures is the reality of parents choosing other purposes, other environments for their children to get educated."

He added that traditional public schools will continue to receive state support.

"We are going to continue to fund those schools because they have students that are sitting in those classrooms every single day and they're going to continue to get their funding," Donalds said.