On August 1st, CTA hosted the Defenders of Public Education Awards at Dubsdread to recognize and honor seven outstanding Central Florida State legislators who have championed public education: Senators Victor M. Torres, Jr., Randolph Bracy, and Linda Stewart, and Representatives Amy Mercardo, Carlos G, Smith, Bruce Antone, and Kamia Brown.
This year, more than ever before, public education has been under attack – from devastating cuts in the education budget, to discussions of arming teachers, to diverting funds to pay for voucher schemes for private and charters that are not held to the same accountability systems as public schools.
When legislators attempted to silence the strongest voice for teachers, students, and public education by introducing legislation that would decertify teacher unions with under 50% dues paying members, these defenders of education fought back.
Teachers and their unions view public education as the cornerstone of our democracy. When Tallahassee politicians with self-serving agendas attempted to dismantle our public education system, brick by brick, these legislators fought back, not just to uphold the public education system, but to strengthen it.
Thank you to the 2018 Defenders of Public Education recipients - Thank you for defending public education; thank you for standing up for teachers and instructional personnel; thank you for being champions of students who hold our future in their hands!
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