DeSantis demands universities account for CRT, diversity spending

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis's administration has demanded that both the state's Department of Education and its public university system provide information on their use of state resources for programs connected with Critical Race Theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.

In a letter dispatch to those institutions, the governor's office has asked that they provide descriptions of all such programs as well as a report on their costs, including the extent to which taxpayers funded those efforts.

The letter indicates that the governor seeks the information to prepare its 2023 budget proposals, asserting "it is important that we have a full understanding of the operational expenses of state institutions."

MEMO: All state university & college systems in Florida have been required to report expenditures and resources utilized for campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/E4Z4zLuJgC

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) January 4, 2023

 DeSantis' office gave the state educational institutions until Jan. 13 to submit the information.

The request follows DeSantis' landslide reelection and indicates a potential redoubling of his forays into the culture wars. Under his leadership, Florida has already enacted a controversial "Stop W.O.K.E. Act" barring public educational employees from promoting CRT and other contentious racial materials in the classroom.

That measure has encountered legal scrutiny, however, with a U.S. District Judge in November striking down select portions of the law.