Ed Support…Santa Rosa EA has heard your call
Last Friday, Ed Support employees met at La Hacienda Restaurant in Milton to celebrate our successful campaign to collect (more than) enough cards to file for an election. THAT’S RIGHT, WE DID IT! Santa Rosa EA will be delivering several hundred Showing of Interest cards at the Public Employees Relations Commission along with our official filing for a representation election for Ed Support employees. Dawn Stone, Secretary III at Canal Street, remarked about the achievement, “For too long, Ed Support employees in Santa Rosa have been ignored by the current bargaining agent. I have high hopes that Santa Rosa EA will listen to our concerns and begin taking steps to make a real difference for the hundreds of employees who deserve a union that cares. A new day is coming!”
A new day is coming, indeed.
Now teachers AND Ed Support employees alike will have the opportunity to vote for CHANGE, not more of the same.
ATTENTION annual contract teachers who have been non-renewed
Would you like to know how to prepare for your immediate future? Santa Rosa EA can help!
Santa Rosa EA will be hosting two Annual Contract Survival workshops: Wednesday, May 10th and Thursday, May 11th.
SOUTH: Navarre High School, room #151, Wednesday, May 10th, 3:35-4:30 p.m.
NORTH: Milton High School cafeteria on Thursday, May 11th, 3:35-4:30 p.m.
Find out:
• What it means to be on an annual contract
• How to prepare for your new status
• How to file for “Reemployment Assistance”
• Your health insurance options under COBRA/ACA
RSVP to [email protected]. If you aren’t able to attend but still would like assistance, please call (850) 564-6934.
Listening tour update
As BOTH representation elections near, Santa Rosa EA continues to seek input from employees to learn what THEY WANT in their union…what to bargain, how to be more inclusive, and what we can do to build our membership. Representatives from Santa Rosa EA continued our Listening Tour – as we heard about issues affecting teachers and Ed Support employees and what they want from their new organization. Gulf Breeze Elementary, Holley-Navarre Middle, Jay Elementary, Navarre High, Jay High, and Bagdad Elementary were visited this week and more are on the horizon throughout the district, so be on the lookout!
State News
Contact your senators today and tell them to REJECT the proposed state budget!
The 2017 Legislative Session is rushing towards its final days with much work left on the only bill they must pass: the state budget. Earlier this week, the Senate kowtowed to the House and accepted its paltry per-student increase of $24, which doesn’t even keep up with inflation! The Senate has conceded to a House position that would roll back the “Required Local Effort” property tax millage as well, and the effect will be disastrous across the state. FEA has serious concerns that this will further erode the available base funding for our schools. A small group of people lobbying legislators to stop this train wreck is not enough – WE NEED YOU!
Please take a few minutes to write your Senator and ask him/her to vote NO to the proposed budget! Time is short, as the vote is set to take place in only days! FEA Action Center
FEA’s “Best and Brightest” lawsuit advances
FEA filed a charge on behalf of its members with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in December 2015 (Yes, the wheels of justice turn slowly). This past week, FEA received notice from the Department of Justice that it has the right to sue for implementation of the Best and Brightest Scholarship Program which discriminates against our members on the basis of age, race and national origin. In the next 90 days, FEA Legal will be further evaluating the merits of each case and will be determining the best strategy to proceed with the litigation.
National News
How Many Public School Students Are Taught by Certified and Experienced Teachers?
Data shows that the vast majority of classrooms across the country are still led by qualified educators but, with the challenges facing the teaching profession, can it hold?