Jefferson County – Educators in Jefferson County have reclaimed their collective bargaining rights, voting overwhelmingly to reestablish their local education union, the Jefferson County Education Association.
The renewed Jefferson County Education Association will advocate for several priorities, including:
- Ensuring schools can recruit and retain qualified, highly trained educators who support our students by fighting for increased salaries,
- Championing student needs and resources and working to address the root causes of student discipline issues,
- Supporting educators by advocating for improved health insurance benefits.
By advocating for better learning environments for educators, we can ensure that our students have the learning environments they need to succeed.
“This is a historic moment in our community as we work to bring back the rights that educators have to advocate for our profession, our students, and our community,” said Jennifer Redfern, President of Jefferson County Education Association. “Educators in Jefferson County have always fought for fair pay and funding programs that help every student in our county. We are proud to take another step in making sure our voices are once again heard.”
What led to this moment in Jefferson County?
Educators in Jefferson County lost their union contracts in 2017 when the state took over control of the county and implemented a first-of-its-kind charter-run district, following concerns from parents and the community about student success and the school district’s financial solvency. The state contracted with Somerset Academy, a South Florida charter operator, to oversee the takeover of all public schools in Jefferson County for a multi-year contract.
When it eventually became clear that the charter operator did an ineffective and inadequate job of supporting students and raising student achievement, they took their profits and returned the schools to the Jefferson County School Board’s constitutional authority.
The local community and the dedicated professionals in Jefferson County were the ones who helped strengthen their public schools because they saw what the state and charter operators often refuse to see—supporting education requires a commitment to our communities that goes deeper than throwing money at the wall and viewing children as profits and bottom lines.
“Properly funding public schools is critical in ensuring our students can succeed, but that is only one piece of the puzzle,” said Andrew Spar, President of the statewide Florida Education Association, which the Jefferson County Education Association is affiliated with. “The success of our students must be looked at holistically. Yes, it requires funding- and it also requires paying educators competitively and supporting them as experts in their professions, partnerships between educators, administration, and parents, ensuring students have access to the resources they need, and ensuring the community surrounding our public schools is part of the conversation. The state proved that district-wide and for-profit charter takeovers do not work for our students or their communities. We are proud to support educators in Jefferson County as they advocate for students and parents.”
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The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with 120,000 members. FEA represents PreK-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers, and retired education employees.