FEA Frontline Report - March 18, 2010

Quote of the week:

As recounted by Bay County teachers visiting the Capitol this week :“The union is lying to you,” said Senator John Thrasher, sponsor of the Teacher Assault bill aka SB 6, in response to questions from our Bay member teachers. Sorry Senator, we’re not the ones misrepresenting the facts and figures.

Week three of the 2010 legislative session

This will be an abbreviated edition of the Frontline due to the fact that meetings are still going on and we’ve been spending the day in the Capitol lobbying against SB 6. On Monday evening we’ll send out a full version of the week’s events.

Get ready to have a 9% salary cut

That’s the way it looks right now. By our first blush calculations, that’s what it amounts to if SB 6 passes. Here’s how it was explained during the Senate Ways and Means hearing on SB 6: 5% of districts state funding will be withheld so the state can control who gets performance pay. But that will come after 3 years. During those three years the funds will be used to develop the tests and process to determine who and who isn’t worthy of performance pay. According to the Foundation for Florida’s future (featuring Chairman Jeb Bush), $900 million will be held by the state taken right off the top of the FEFP funding for each district.

We’re tired and angry — after two days of public comment and debate Senate Bill 6 passed along party lines. But FEA leaders and members have much to be proud of today.

We had the entire meeting taped but we’re not sure at the time this was written if we have the server capacity, technical and band width necessary to put it up in its entirety. But anyone who is involved in education — be it parent, grandparent, business owner, teacher, bus driver, SRO janitor, librarian or school nurse — anyone who votes or is not registered to vote needs to watch this meeting to see what really goes on in Tallahassee. And the next time they cast their vote for their legislator they will know why their vote matters so much.

Although we did not win the votes needed to kill the bill in committee, we won the war of words. The folks who spoke against the bill were eloquent, thoughtful, persuasive and understandably, at times holding back emotion. This bill is an insult to every teacher and ESP in Florida. All of us need to thank the teachers from the Leon CTA for sitting through hours of discussion in order to have their voices heard. (We’ll thank them by name next week!) Also believe it or not, a private school teacher stood up with his 5th grade class sitting in the audience and chipped away at this shameful excuse for education reform.

We thank the AFL-CIO for their support and work against the bill. All of us need to thank the Democrats who not only voted against the bill, but spoke forcefully on behalf of our state’s public education employees. Senators Deutch, Gelber, Hill, Justice, Lawson, Rich, Sobel, and Siplin all deserve to be commended for their support of Florida’s public education employees. (Sen. Wilson was absent due to conflict).

The bill is scheduled to be heard on the floor of the Senate (that is legislative speak for the entire membership of Senate) on Tuesday, March 23. Tell everyone you know to get on the phone, write letters, send emails to their Senator ASAP and tell them to vote no on Senate Bill 6. Democrats told us they like having a stack of mail/emails from their constituents to show other members. We have dozens of emails from FEAweb from members and non-members who are against this bill. We’re not the ones they need to contact – we already know the bill is bad! Get the word out that they MUST act now to help us fight this bill.

So far, the House does not have a version of SB6, but we’ve heard rumor that they may have something out next Thursday. We’ll update you as soon as more information becomes available.

Don’t forget: FEA Virtual Rally and PTA ‘Rally in Tally’ on March 25

The Florida PTA, Worst to First, Fund Education Now and 50th No More will be holding a "Rally in Tally" on March 25th, 2010.

Location: Chain of Parks at Adams St. & Park Avenue, Tallahassee, FL
Date: Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Time: 10:45 a.m. (will start walk at 11:00 a.m.)
Rally at Capitol Building 11:30-12:30pm

Member lobbyists visiting Tallahassee

Member lobbyists from Bay, Brevard, Broward, Okaloosa, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas trekked through the drizzle and rain soaked streets of Tallahassee. Thank you – it was a rough week and we appreciated all the help!

Questions? Call FEA Public Policy Advocacy at 850.224.2078