What Role Will Unions Play in Reform?

Background

Florida’s teacher unions have played a central role in the debate about how best to improve schools.

The Florida Education Association has organized political opposition to Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget cuts in the spring of 2011. The group also fought bills, which later became law, stripping teacher tenure and requiring public employees take a three percent pay cut to fund pensions.

The group is now challenging the pay cuts in court.

Scott has said he opposed collective bargaining for teachers and supporters hope to target unions next year. Stripping those rights has been an issue in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere.

Florida teachers have a protection other states do not enjoy — a constitutional right to unionize. Stripping collective bargaining rights would require a three-fifths majority of both legislators and voters in order to amend the state constitution.

But unions are also essential to efforts intended to improve Florida schools.

State law requires school districts design systems to evaluate teachers and pay bonuses to the highest-rated teachers. Unions in Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties have been central in building support for merit pay among teachers critical of the concept.

Researchers have concluded teacher support for merit pay programs are critical for those programs to improve student performance.

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March 12, 2012

Some Teachers’ Unions Changing Their Approach To School Reform

The Washington Post published a story looking at the Montgomery County teachers’ union, and how union leadership has worked with the school district on training teachers, firing low-performing teacher and setting budget priorities. The cooperation is one reason the suburban D.C. district is one of the nation’s best public school systems, according to some quoted […]

March 1, 2012

Union Leader: Parent Trigger And School Grade Changes A “Land Grab”

Hillsborough County Classroom Teachers Association president Jean Clements says dual efforts to toughen Florida’s school grading system and approve a law allowing a majority of parents to choose how to restructure their child’s failing school amount to an education land grab for private business. Clements’ op-ed was published on the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog. […]

January 13, 2012

Feedback Loop: A Change of Heart Over Collective Bargaining

Based on November’s voter turnout in Ohio, it’s no surprise readers were ready to respond to our story this week that Florida leaders likely won’t initiate a collective bargaining fight in Florida this year (despite past statements to the contrary). On Facebook, Angela Howard said there’s little advantage to collective bargaining anyway: I don’t understand […]

January 11, 2012

Why Florida Is Not Likely to Pick A Fight With Unions This Year

What a difference an election can make. Last year Legislatures across the country — buoyed by a Tea Party sweep in 2010 elections — challenged teachers and other public employee unions over their ability to collectively bargain pay and other benefits. Florida Gov. Rick Scott wanted to limit collective bargaining in his initial 20-page education plan. […]

January 6, 2012

Lawmakers Will Revisit Law Overhauling Florida Schools

Last year’s big legislative education debate could also be this year’s big issue, according to the chairman of the Florida House education committee. Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, told the Florida Times-Union that a top priority was to make sure districts were making progress on a law that requires teacher evaluations, implements performance-based pay and […]

November 9, 2011

Ohio Keeps Collective Bargaining Rights; Will Florida Do the Same?

Ohio voters have rejected a law that significantly weakened the collective bargaining power of more than 350-thousand public employees, including teachers. The bill was signed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich last spring. Opponents immediately launched a campaign to overturn the law through a ballot referendum that became known as Issue 2. They were successful, with […]

November 7, 2011

Why Floridians Should Pay Attention to Ohio’s Issue 2 Vote

Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a law limiting public employees’ collective bargaining rights, including teachers. Florida residents might want to keep their eyes on that decision. Gov. Rick Scott and allies such as Patricia Levesque of the Foundation for Florida’s Future have made no secret of the fact that they […]

November 6, 2011

Why Issue 2 Would Make Ohio Schools More Like Florida

A lot of money and attention is flowing into Ohio’s Issue 2 election Tuesday. If it passes, it would allow Ohio to do a lot of things Florida has already done. Our friends at StateImpact Ohio have laid out the pros and cons of the referendum, which places limits on how public employees can collectively […]

October 25, 2011

Pension, Voucher Lawsuits Head to Court This Week

The Florida Education Association sends a helpful reminder that two lawsuits they filed are heading to Circuit Court in Tallahassee this week. The first case challenges a new state law which requires state employees take a 3 percent pay cut in order to pay a portion of their pension benefits. The suit argues the law […]

October 18, 2011

A Closer Look at Florida University Salaries

One of every eight state university employees earns at least $100,000, according to a salary database Gov. Rick Scott posted yesterday. More than half of state university employees earn less than $50,000. Scott posted the data to a website Monday, though it was already available online. Scott’s spokesman said the public has a right to […]