Teachers' Union Backs Brevard County School Board Candidates
BREVARD COUNTY, Florida -- The Brevard Federation of Teachers (BFT) is asking its members to back three candidates in three separate Brevard County School Board races this election year.
BFT is also hopeful that if the half-cent sales tax passes, it will mean bigger raises for teachers.
BFT is also hopeful that if the half-cent sales tax passes, it will mean bigger raises for teachers.
The union's picks are Misty Belford for School Board District 1, John Craig for School Board District 2, and Andy Ziegler for School Board District 5. The BFT message sent to its members reads as follows (Emphasis added):
Dear BFT Activists:
Our efforts are paying off! The feedback you provided
last year, especially about morale, made the difference. As we head
back to school this year, many positive changes are on the way…a revised
PGP, a simpler evaluation system, fewer tests in elementary school and a
contract for which we can vote YES!
Thanks to Dan Bennett and his bargaining team, we were
able to prevent SB 736 from doing the damage for which it was
intended. Annual Contract teachers will have job security and PSCs will
not have to give up their PSC status in order to get a decent raise!
The district also deserves credit for agreeing to this. Some details of
the contract are at the end of this email.
Last year, we had to say “NO” to many things in order
to get the district to understand our position. This year, it is time
to say “Yes!” Of course, this contract is not perfect and we hoped for
larger raises (which may be a reality later in the school year if the
sales tax passes); however, there are so many positives in it, we would
be fools to vote no. And on that note beware…there is group of
disgruntled and fear mongering teachers who are trying to influence
teachers to do just that.
Our message is “YES.”
YES to the contract!
Yes to Misty Belford for School Board District 1!
Yes to John Craig for School Board District 2!
Yes to Andy Ziegler for School Board District 5!
Yes to the sales tax (We will start our campaign for this after the Primary Election)!
As you head back to school, please encourage your
coworkers to vote yes as well! If you hear something about the contract
that doesn’t quite seem right, it’s probably not. Contact the office,
one of the officers, a member of the bargaining team, or myself and we
will attempt to clarify. Also, let me know ASAP if you can help with a
school board campaign.
In Solidarity,