Union chief: GOP is attacking teachers

Union chief: GOP is attacking teachers

Disagreement about federally mandated school reform has pitted teacher unions and education administrators against one another, both here in Monroe County and across the state.

Earlier this week, Florida was passed over for Phase 1 funding in the Obama Administration's $4.35 billion education reform package dubbed Race to the Top.

Speculation on why centers around the fact that only five of 67 district-level unions gave their blessing to the state application. United Teachers of Monroe, led by President Leon Fowler, is counted among those dissenting unions, led at a state-level by the Florida Education Association.

"If you want change, you need it slow," Fowler said.. "I think people need to start coming to their senses. They're just too mean-spirited."

At the forefront of this discussion is Florida Senate Bill 6, which ties teacher pay to student success rather than advanced degrees or certifications. It was pushed through, with a party-line vote, by state GOP Chairman John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine). He affectionately calls SB 6 "the hammer."

Fowler is leading UTM in negotiations with Monroe County School District Superintendent Joseph Burke on a proposed three-year contract for teachers and school-related-personnel including food-service workers and bus drivers. Current contracts expire June 30.

"We haven't actually talked about anything since March 3," Fowler said. "There's been no attempt to get back to the table. I'm kind of disappointed. We had agreed to negotiate, take a look anyway, at a three-year agreement and a restructure of the salary schedule."

"I guess Senate Bill 6 has thrown a wrench into everything. It's anti-teacher totally, and the teachers are the ones moving us forward."

Switching teachers statewide from seniority-based pay (like we have here) to a performance-pay system is the direct goal of SB 6 and Race to the Top, designed to better recruit and retain quality teachers by using multiple