We asked you how supported you felt as an educator by your district and your state, and while many of you felt supported by your district, many of you shared you did not feel as supported by the state.
Further:
- 80% of those of you who responded said that you are struggling with the cost of living in your community
- More than half of those who responded to specific questions on cost of living said that rent (57%), groceries (69%), homeowners insurance and property taxes (71%) are a struggle
- More than 70% of those who responded to the polls we asked in meeting said that you don’t have your family members on your healthcare plan.
And you are not alone in the things that impact you. You’ve echoed what we have heard from so many other educators across the state. At the end of the day, here is what we know: every worker in Florida should be able to provide for themselves and their families with just one job, every Floridian should have the healthcare they need, and every educator in Florida should be respected enough to be allowed to do what they do best- teach.
We don’t need billionaires telling us how we should do these things- we need elected leaders who will make sure that we can fight for better lives. We need leaders who will put the needs of our communities before the needs of a few people who don’t ever have to worry about their monthly budgets.
Change takes time- as unionists, we understand this all too well. But we also know that by working together, we can advocate at every level of our state for policies that help our students succeed, help our state retain educators, and help our communities flourish. By standing together, we can amplify our voices and become impossible to ignore.
We must remain focused and united- this fight is not against each other, it is against the billionaires who are making record profits while they work to convince us the real problem is our neighbors.
The best way to impact your local community is to reach out to your local union. Not sure how to contact them? Not a union member and unsure where to start? .
Talk to your non-union colleagues.
Share with them why you are a union member and why you believe in collective power. Need help figuring out how to have these conversations? !
Know who your local leaders are
Knowing who your state representatives and senators are is critical to sharing your voice- calling them, emailing them, attending their local townhalls is a great way for you to get informed on the local issues that will impact you and your profession. .
Learn more about the impacts of U.S. Department of Education Changes
What does it mean when the federal government works to dismantle the U.S. DOE? How could that impact your profession, your students and your communities?
