Florida took center stage at the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Houston this week, as educators rallied to support and improve public schools.
Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, was among the attendees, who noted teachers nationwide are watching the Sunshine State.
He highlighted a moment when a former Jacksonville teacher, targeted by the DeSantis administration for displaying a Black Lives Matter flag, introduced AFT President Randi Weingarten, whose State of the Union speech addressed such ongoing battles.
Florida educators rally
“Even in Florida, where we’re constantly under attack by a governor and a commissioner of education aimed at undermining public education, we fight back and we win,” Spar asserted.
As Gov. Ron DeSantis promotes charter schools and claims Florida leads in education, Spar argued the governor and Legislature have neglected public school funding, calling for better support, pay and health insurance for teachers and staff.
In her address, Weingarten focused on political battles nationwide, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president and emphasized the importance of unions, addressing teacher burnout, wellness and support for education for all.
“Public schools are essential to our children’s future and to our democracy,” Weingarten argued. “Every public school should be a place where families want to send their children, educators want to work, and all students thrive.”
The convention’s agenda also includes discussions on academic freedom, affordability in higher education, and the fight against the “adjunctification” of faculty, the practice of using adjunct instructors to cover courses which could be taught by full-time faculty members.
