Florida Education Association

Teachers The 145,000 members of the Florida Education Association are the united voice for excellence in public education in our state. The majority of those members are teachers in Florida’s pre-K-12 public schools. Their commitment to student success and professional excellence is the foundation of each and every neighborhood public school. By joining and taking an active role in their union, FEA teacher members have access to a national community of colleagues four million strong. United, these educators are dedicated to nurturing students’ natural curiosity, imagination and love of learning. They are teaching and developing tomorrow’s thinkers, artists and leaders. Their union membership unlocks access to professional development opportunities, events and other resources for personal and professional growth. Members answer the call It’s no secret that after a decades-long denigration of the profession, Florida is facing a serious and growing teacher shortage. So far, the Legislature has failed to take attempt any long-term solutions to this crisis. Instead, we have seen short-term patches such as waiving teacher preparation requirements, promoting scripted lessons, and a reliance on failed bonus programs. These strategies have served only to accelerate teacher turnover while also weakening professional practice. Florida’s students have suffered long enough through these misguided attempts in the Legislature to solve the shortage crisis. Through their local unions FEA’s teacher members are leading the charge for real change and long-term solutions including: Increasing pay for teachers and education staff professionals to at least the national average. Incentivizing retention in the profession with multi-year contracts after a probationary period Reducing the time spent on testing and test-preparation so that teachers have time to teach and students have time to learn Restoring autonomy to professional educators so they can provide each student with the instruction they need instead of being forced to stick to scripted lessons Addressing student debt through incentive such as loan forgiveness, grants, scholarships and support for pre-service teacher programs Providing funding and time for structured mentoring support for new teachers Providing meaningful professional development for all instructional and non-instructional professionals