Democratic Tallahassee Mayor, Andrew Gillum, who’s also running for Florida Governor next year, spoke at a press conference today at the Florida Capitol about House Republicans’ “schools of hope” legislation, where he argues that House Republicans are facing “a credibility problem” when it comes to the issue at hand.

In his statement, he accuses Republicans of contradicting themselves with their legislative priorities, claiming that they’re focused on helping students enrolled in failing schools by creating charter-operated “schools of hope” while also proposing little to help the same low-income communities that usually includes black and hispanic residents.

The issues, he noted, that negatively affect those that live in said communities are proposed limitations on welfare programs like food stamps, and he also says that House Republicans should prioritize investing on health care programs that would benefit low-income families andearly childhood education spending.

Concerning the “schools of hope,” Gillum explains that “The Republican House, right now, is trying to take $200 million and put into the hands of their friends who are well-healed and well-connected. They want us to trust them on this issue — when by and by, and time and time again, they have turned the other direction when it comes to meeting the needs of the most indigent in this state.”

Broward County Representative Shrevin Jones, the top Democrat on the House Education Committee, also echoed Gillum’s concerns and argued that “We’re creating a segregated system that will not fix the issue but will create deeper issues — pitting charter schools against our traditional public school system.”