The Day Has Come…
SANTA ROSA EA FILES FOR BARGAINING RIGHTS ELECTION!
This past Thursday, representatives from Santa Rosa EA made the trek to Tallahassee to file for an election to win the bargaining rights for employees in Santa Rosa County. In accordance with State law, Santa Rosa EA collected at least 30% of the approximately 1900 signatures required to call for an election in the coming weeks – in fact, significantly more than 30%. Also of note is the fact that more employees have signed Santa Rosa EA cards calling for an election than there are current members in SRPE!
“It’s all about change,” said Woodlawn Beach Middle School sixth-grade teacher Christy Wolpolff, who was involved with creation of Santa Rosa EA. “That’s the bottom line.” The group’s move will force the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) to hold an election to decide which group –Santa Rosa EA or SRPE – will be the certified bargaining agent for teachers going forward.
Santa Rosa EA, since its inception, has been working to be a different kind of union – one which values member input, advocates for all, and works to develop positive relationships in the school community. Soon, employees will be given a choice to decide once and for all if they are ready for CHANGE, or MORE OF THE SAME.
Be on the lookout for more information as the election will be taking place in the near future. For now, let’s celebrate in knowing the hard work we have done is beginning to pay off!
New stories covering our historic moment:
- http://www.pnj.com/story/news/education/2017/03/30/santa-rosa-county-teachers-form-new-union/99817596/
- http://weartv.com/news/local/santa-rosa-teachers-want-bargaining-rights-for-new-union
State News
House committees flesh out plans to boost charters
House education committees this week approved three proposed committee bills that would ease the proliferation of charter schools, including giving them access to significantly more public money. The cutoff for proposing new bills is long past, but legislative leaders often stuff their priorities into the proposed committee bills, which are not subject to the same deadlines. One of the bills, a top priority in the House’s proposed budget, would allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to incentivize high-performing charter networks from around the country to locate schools in Florida communities where traditional public schools are failing. Another would repeal certain statutes that hinder high-performing charter schools from replicating. A third would allow charters access to local facilities funding currently available only to traditional public schools. The chamber unveiled the legislation in the same week it presented its 2017-18 budget plan, which includes a much smaller increase to traditional public schools than what Gov. Rick Scott and the Senate have proposed.
National News
Should More Students Be Allowed to Skip a Grade?
While some research suggests preventing more students from skipping grades is short-sighted, many educators and parents want the practice to remain rare.