Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday new legislation to regulate teachers unions by prohibiting them from collecting dues directly from educator paychecks, according to a press release.
DeSantis unveiled the “Teacher’s Bill of Rights” which would prevent teachers union officials from earning more than the highest paid educator that is represented by the union and would prohibit the union from distributing materials in schools. The legislation would also put limits on the collective bargaining process, prohibiting school board members from accessing excessive funds created for negotiations.
“We want more transparency into how school unions operate, and we are going to fight against school union haggling that holds teachers and their salary increases hostage,” DeSantis said at a press conference. “Partisan groups should not be given special privileges.”
Under the “Teacher’s Bill of Rights,” educators can file civil rights complaints if the school district asks the teacher to violate the law. DeSantis proposed investing $1 billion to increase teachers’ salaries in the 2023-2024 school year.
“While Gov. DeSantis seeks to punish and divide, we seek to unite,” Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, told Fox 30. “We respect the voices of parents, teachers, school boards, administrators and students. All have a crucial role in providing our students with the best possible education, and students’ needs must be our focus. Our schools don’t need to go back to 1950; we need to move forward toward 2050. Florida’s students deserve strong public schools.”
DeSantis’ office and the Florida Education Association did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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