Sue Woltanski and Suzette Lopez first connected online through their shared advocacy for public schools. What began as an alliance quickly grew into a friendship—and to their surprise, they discovered they were neighbors in the sunny Florida Keys. Beneath swaying palms and endless blue skies, they spent countless hours talking about education, high-stakes testing, and accountability.

By nature, neither Sue nor Suzette are complainers; they are problem-solvers. Both grew deeply concerned about Florida’s test-driven Accountability system, recognizing that children’s educational experiences could not be reduced to a handful of test scores.

They were not opposed to accountability—far from it. They believed schools should be held responsible for providing all children with a high-quality, engaging education. But they also insisted that legislators must be accountable for the failed policies they enact. Over time, Florida’s Legislature piled law upon law, creating a system that was not just fragile, but fundamentally broken. Poorly vetted policies could not be patched with more “band-aid” solutions.

It was Sue who coined the phrase “accountabaloney” to capture the lack of reason and common sense embedded in Florida’s system. Together, they believed Florida needed—and still needs—a serious, statewide discussion about the framework of accountability. Instead of new mandates, lawmakers should repeal harmful, outdated laws and replace them with policies grounded in research, not ideology. Step one, as they saw it, was admitting the problem: Florida has an accountabaloney problem. In September 2015, they launched Accountabaloney to call it out.

Suzette Lopez

By day, Suzette ran her own graphic design business; by night, she was a passionate advocate for public schools and for children with special needs. She raised two gifted and divergent learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In February 2021, Suzette stepped away from Accountabaloney to focus on her family and health.

It was Suzette who encouraged Sue to start writing, and she brought her artistic genius to the project, designing the website and creating the graphics that gave Accountabaloney its signature look. Sue remains deeply grateful to Suzette for her friendship and for their years of work together.

Sue Woltanski

Sue is a retired pediatrician, a longtime public school advocate, and the mother of two children who attended Monroe County Public Schools. She served on a charter school board and on multiple district committees, and founded the grassroots effort Minimize Testing, Maximize Learning. After years of writing letters to legislators and editors, blogging through Accountabaloney became her next step.

In June 2018, Sue was elected unopposed to the Monroe County School Board, District 5, and took office that November. In August 2022, she won re-election—one of just five candidates statewide to defeat a DeSantis-endorsed opponent. Her writing continues to spotlight the harms of high-stakes testing and Florida’s relentless drive toward privatization.

After 25 years of being labeled “failing” by a flawed system, Florida’s public schools remain under attack by ideologically driven administrations. Sue hopes her blog helps Floridians understand the consequences of these laws and policies—and encourages readers in other states to defend their own schools from similar threats.

Unless expressly stated, Sue’s continued writing will reflect her own opinions and should not be construed to represent the views of the Monroe County School Board.

Now There is One