‘The state needs to do better’
Teachers rally in Tallahassee for higher pay and school funding
Thousands of educators upset over the state of public schools in Florida flocked to Tallahassee on Monday, setting the stage for a contentious fight over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ teacher pay plan.
The event organized by the Florida Education Association teachers union took place the day before state lawmakers kick off their 60-day legislative session.
South Florida teachers traveled by bus to the rally in the shadow of the Capitol. Teachers clad in red waved signs and chanted “fund our schools” and “vote them out.” Union heads estimated about 700 people from Broward and Palm Beach counties attended the rally.
Their concerns included the governor’s plan to boost the minimum teacher pay to $47,500 a year.
Anne Shurnick, who teaches coding at Pines Middle School in Pembroke Pines, said the plan is unfair to veteran educators strug
gling to make ends meet in the most expensive part of Florida.
“The state needs to do better in funding our students and our classrooms,” she said. “He is looking to push us out to bring in new teachers and pay them less.”
Shurnick said she has 16 years of experience but would make only $2,000 more than a starting teacher under DeSantis’ plan.
The salary proposal would cost about $600 million and would increase the salaries of more than 100,000 teachers, or nearly 60% of the state’s public school instructional force. Teachers on staff who make less than $47,500 would be brought up to the minimum salary.
The minimum pay for teachers in Broward and Palm Beach counties is about $41,000. Florida’s average teacher salary of $48,168 in 2018 ranked it 46th in the nation, according to the National Education Association.
Another $300 million would go to a bonus program for educators.
Not everyone is embracing the plan, and DeSantis will face a fight in getting it passed. House Speaker José Oliva has expressed concerns about the cost, while teachers unions don’t like how the plan is structured.
The Florida Education Association is calling for a $2.4 billion infusion into public schools, which would include a 10% across-the-board pay hike for public school employees. Members object to bonuses because they only supply a one-time boost in pay.
Helen Ferre, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, defended the governor’s plan in a prepared statement. She said it “benefits younger teachers who have the creative energy and skillsets for our school children.”
“Governor DeSantis is strongly supporting Florida’s classroom teachers, particularly those educators who are younger and working in schools that face greater challenges,” Ferre said. “To suggest otherwise is an unfortunate disconnect with reality.”
The rally comes during an election year in which education will serve as a key issue for many voters. Democratic presidential contenders Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders tweeted their support for Florida teachers.
The top attorney with the Florida Department of Education warned Polk County teachers could be fired if too many took the day off to attend the rally. The action would constitute an illegal strike, the attorney wrote.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, also questioned why teachers took time off from work to attend the rally.
“It is unfortunate that on the eve of the 2020 Legislative Session, Florida’s teachers’ union would stage a rally that encourages well-intentioned teachers to abandon their classrooms at the start of a school week leaving students and school administrators in flux,” he said in a prepared statement.
One observer waved a large Trump 2020 campaign flag waved across the street from the rally. Teachers used humor in their signs. One read, “This sign could be creative, but the arts aren’t funded.”
The roster of speakers included civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Speakers said teachers were exercising their fundamental rights by making their voice heard.
Richard Judd, who teaches government and politics at Nova High School in Davie, dismissed DeSantis’ plan as a gimmick that will do little to help educators while providing a useful talking point on the campaign trail. He wants an across-the-board raise for teachers.
“We are going to keep the pressure up,” he said as the rally ended. “Teachers in this state are fed up.”