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.

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,