Founded in 1886, the Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees and the largest labor union in the Southeast, with more than 150,000 members.
We are the united voice for excellence in public education in Florida.
FEA is comprised of more than 100 local unions and service units from Pensacola to the Keys. These locals represent every category of public school employment in the state including aspiring educators, PreK-12 teachers and education staff professionals, graduate assistants, higher education faculty, and retired educators.
Our 150,000 members are educators committed to excellence, quality and —above all else — student success.
FEA is one of five “merged” states, meaning we are affiliated with both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). AFT and NEA have a combined membership of four million educators. FEA and its local unions are also part of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the Florida AFL-CIO.
FEA leadership is democratically elected by members at the local and state levels. Our officers are President Andrew Spar; Vice President Carole Gauronskas and Secretary-Treasurer Nandi Riley.
Mission and work
FEA’s mission begins with advocating for the right to a free, quality public education for all. This is just some of what our members accomplish by working together:
- Collective action – Local unions work with each other and statewide staff to build member capacity, leadership and power to protect Florida’s students’ right to a free and high-quality public education.
- Collective bargaining – Local unions negotiate contracts with each district covering everything from wages to health insurance, performance pay to evaluations.
- A united voice of educators in Tallahassee – FEA members and staff maintain a vigilant presence at the Capitol to monitor efforts to influence or change legislation that impact our students and schools.
- Member advocacy and representation – FEA members are never alone. Whether it is standing up to bullies in the Legislature or to a bullying administrator, together we advocate for what’s best for students. If needed, FEA members have a full range of emergency and long-term legal services to protect their employment rights.
Democracy and Governance
FEA is committed to being a proactive, responsive, and member-focused organization. Most importantly, FEA embraces democracy; members ultimately choose who represents them.
Each local has the opportunity to elect delegates to FEA’s annual Delegate Assembly (DA), the highest-ranking body of the FEA.
The Governance Board of the FEA meets quarterly to address pressing issues in public education. The Board includes every local president as well as additional members to ensure equitable representation by membership size and ethnicity.
FEA’s Executive Cabinet, which is elected by the Governance Board, meets monthly with the officers and has representatives from every category of membership to ensure all voices are heard.
