Last evening over 100 CTA members and supporters crowded into the Ulysses Floyd Room at the Marion Cannon Center for Advocacy to show support for students, instructional personnel and public education! We know that teachers’ working conditions determine students’ learning conditions. We must take action end the exodus of qualified and experienced educators from OCPS. Since July 1st, 310 teachers have retired or resigned from Orange County Public Schools and 19 more have given their notice. Of those, about 15% retired and 85% left to seek other employment, for personal reasons, to seek a higher degree or other reasons. Some students have been in classrooms with substitutes for months. We need experienced and qualified teachers in every classroom. Improving working conditions can stop this exodus which harms students.
CTA heard you! We heard from you in emails, during school visits, and we heard from you at the December 2017 Teacher Summit.
This is what we heard - We heard that teachers want to teach. You want to bring the joy of learning back to their classrooms. You want a choice in the selection of curriculum and want their autonomy restored. You want to be the trusted to create and implement your own lesson plans and assessments that are tailored for your particular student needs.
Teachers and instructional personnel ask for time to prepare and to do your job. We know teachers work an average of over 20 unpaid hours beyond the 37.5-hour workweek just to complete mandated tasks. Teachers ask for administrators to stop piling on work and taking their planning time for professional learning community meetings, data collection meetings, and even meetings with topics that could be handled through emails.
We heard that teachers do not have time to compile and compare data and certainly do not want to see the data of all teachers sent to all faculty or have it posted in a ‘wall of shame’. You want policy makers to stop treating your students as test scores and data entries.
Teachers and instructional personnel ask for respect. You want improvements to the district evaluation system, which you see as demeaning, punitive and subjective.
We heard that teachers want to maintain small class sizes, want to be provided with quality and ongoing professional development, and be given adequate supplies and materials to ensure student success.
We heard that teachers are frustrated with the refusal of administrators to give them discipline referral slips – that the lack of enforcement of discipline violations has teachers extremely concerned, as it puts students and teachers’ safety at risk.
We heard that teachers and instructional personnel want a competitive salary and benefits that reflects your experience and hard work. We heard that you love teaching and working with students, but you do not know if you will stay in this job if working conditions do not improve.
Finally, we heard that teachers and instructional personnel ask for a voice in decisions that affect their profession. You want a seat at the table to have your collective voice heard from the school house to the school board to the state house. You want a role in shaping new initiatives, instead of having them forced upon you. You want to be treated as valued employees, not as replaceable labor units. You ask to be treated as the professionals and experts that you are.
This year we expect to face many challenges from the District and from Tallahassee. We must come together to fight against those who attack unions, teachers and public schools. CTA is taking a proactive stand in 2018 and will be aggressively taking action to enforce the contract and teachers’ rights. We will be partnering with parent groups and organizations, scheduling actions, and proposing changes at the bargaining table.
We need all teachers and all instructional personnel to stand in solidarity – to commit to standing up to fight for our rights. When we unite we have strength. No action that CTA is proposing violates the contract or harms students. We must stand together and fight back!
In addition to our working conditions, which are determined primarily by school and District administrators, we face challenges from Tallahassee. Last year it was HB 11 and this year it is HB 25 – the union busting bill that seems to rear its ugly head in Tallahassee every year. Once again, state legislators are attempting to decertify public unions. The dangerous bill passed committee and is expected to be signed into law this time around. We must take immediate action to prevent the loss of our union and our bargaining rights.
We need to increase our membership so we stay over the 50% membership to keep our union and bargaining rights. Right now we have more members than we’ve ever had before, but still not enough so that when teachers retire or resign we cannot ensure that we will have over 50% dues paying members.
What will happen if OCCTA does not have over 50% dues paying members by the time this bill is expected to go into law in July 2018. OCCTA is the bargaining agent for all teachers, members or not. If HB 25 is signed into law, there will be no bargaining and the contract will be gone. Everything we negotiated can be thrown out. The district, as the employer, will decide salaries and working conditions. We could see insurance costs go up and benefits decline. Salaries could become stagnant or could be lowered. We could face even more planning time being stolen for meetings, and additional duties being added to already overflowing plates. We could lose personal leave. Tell every member what to expect if they do not recruit. Tell every future member what to expect if they do not join!
Fifty years ago, in 1968 our teachers, our union and our profession were under attack in Florida, just as we are today. Teachers faced terrible working conditions. They stood up and fought back. Teachers from all over the state flooded the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando and agreed to stand in solidarity to take the bold stand of staging a state-wide walk out. Thousands submitted their resignations. Their courageous stand is what got us some working conditions that we enjoy today, including a duty free lunch, planning periods, health coverage, paid holidays and the right to collective bargaining. These are all working conditions we may lose if we do not fight back against HB 25, against the district’s top-down system and attacks on public education. Last evening, we showed a short clip of that inspirational action. (Watch it here.)
Former CTA President, Ulysses Floyd was one of the teachers who participated in the 1968 teacher walkout in Florida. Last night Ulysses gave a moving and inspirational speech to a room full of teachers who are preparing for a series of actions to improve their working conditions. He received a standing ovation.
We cannot ignore the legacy of the hero-teachers from 1968. Like them we need to stand up for our profession, students, and public education. Like them we need to fight to protect our rights, and contract. Please commit to action –commit to participating in the February 12-16 week of action and ask every teacher and instructional staff member at your school or worksite to participate. You can download the Week of Action packet at this link and view the instructional Power point at this link.
COMMIT TO ACTION! Let’s stand in solidarity for the Week of Action February 12-16th!
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