TEACHER REPRESENTATION ELECTION SCHEDULED!

After campaigning for the past year, Santa Rosa EA’s petition for a teacher representation election finally has come. Once and for all, teachers will be provided the opportunity to decide which organization will have the right to bargain for them. How will you decide? Take a moment and consider the current situation and ask yourself if things are OK…

• Are you OK with waiting more than a year for bargaining to come to a conclusion?
• Are you OK that the current bargaining agent lost over 400 members in the past decade?
• Are you OK that the current bargaining agent was sued by some of its own dues-paying members for not sharing financial information with them – AND LOST?
• Are you OK with being cut off from having any voice at the state and national level?
• Are you OK with the same results from the same approach from the current bargaining agent year after year?

Or, is it TIME FOR CHANGE?

Regarding the upcoming election, Santa Rosa EA member Christy Wolpoff remarked, “I think it’s certainly time for a change. The relationship between the current bargaining agent and the District is broken. The same approach is getting the same inadequate results, and making a positive change with new energy and ideas will be the beginning of a bright, new day for Santa Rosa teachers.”

Voting will be conducted by US Mail over a 4-week period beginning June 27th. Ballots will be mailed directly to all eligible voters and must be received in the office of the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) by July 25th when ballots will be counted at 10:00 a.m. EST.

It is critical that employees have their current addresses on file with SRCSD, as PERC will be mailing ballots to addresses supplied by the District. Also, please send us your personal email address so that we can contact you over the summer with important updates!

Ed Support employees, your election is coming!

Santa Rosa EA filed earlier this month for a representation election as well. In the past week PERC issued a notice of sufficiency and while the District raised no objections, SRPE objected as it did when Santa Rosa EA filed the teacher petition – using the same objections that were rejected by PERC. SRPE’s insistence on delaying the Ed Support election despite having no valid objection is SRPE’s attempt to stall the process, but it, too, will fail. Hold tight, Ed Support, YOUR day is also coming!

Upcoming Legislative Debriefings

Santa Rosa EA’s Legislative debriefing meetings will continue next week. FEA Public Policy and Advocacy staff member Cathy Boehme will be present to answer questions about new legislation affecting district operations and what can be done to reverse the negative impact from these decisions!

May 30th at Gulf Breeze High – 3:35 pm (Media Center)
May 31st at Milton High – 3:35 pm (Admin Conference Room)

State News

URGENT: Tell Gov. Scott to veto HB 7069 and the state budget!

We must urge the governor to veto HB 7069 and SB 2500, the state budget, because of the disastrous impact both would have on Florida’s public schools.

This budget will starve our public schools and shortchange the teachers and school employees struggling to make our schools work. Legislative leaders promised voters that the budget process would be “transparent.” This process was anything but transparent. Even more despicable, they included “sweeteners” in HB 7069 attempting to tie the hands of legislators — forcing them to vote the bill up or down with no opportunity to amend or change it during Monday’s final vote.

Everyone — superintendents, school districts, educators and even parents — called on the Legislature to reject this harmful education package. But the Legislature refused.

Don’t let lawmakers get away with manipulating our legislative process and starving our public schools. The Legislature has the money to properly fund our public schools – they are just choosing not to. Email the Governor and tell him to VETO HB 7069 and the State Budget. It only takes a few minutes to make your voice heard!

National News

Mandatory Retention Laws Are Failing Students
Retaining a student should not be determined by a single test score. Better ways exist to help give them the support they need.