Four Santa Rosa Education Association members were among the more than 200 attendees at this year’s Gulf Coast Leadership Conference, held at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Florida. The conference is one of several leadership and professional development opportunities for members available throughout the year. More than a dozen FEA unions from throughout the Panhandle sent members to the two-day conference.
Conference participants attended workshops on everything from organizing and collective bargaining to getting the most out of member benefits to social media and history of labor unions.
FEA President Joanne McCall welcomed the attendees and brought messages of solidarity from the previous day’s 3,000-person rally in Tallahassee — where teachers, education staff professionals and parents told the Legislature that they have had enough of high-stakes standardized tests, meaningless evaluation plans, privatization of school services and disrespect from lawmakers who think they know more about doing our job than we do.