Florida Education Association

A measure would, among other things, prevent partisan political parties and fundraising at public institutions, which the sponsors say belong to the taxpayers. Some say it would restrict free speech on college campuses.

The FEA, the state's largest union representing teachers and education staff, unveiled a legislative agenda Tuesday focused on three key issues: competitive compensation, the recruitment of high-quality educators, and the protection of academic freedom.

The Florida Education Association is the state's largest teachers union.

The Florida Education Association and United Faculty of Florida file an administrative challenge contending that state education officials overstepped their legal authority in moving forward with the proposal.

Education Commissioner Anastasious Kamoutsas wrote to superintendents: "Although educators have First Amendment rights, these do not extend without limit into their professional duties."

The state teachers' union president says "constantly" changing tests may be leading to failing scores at the national level. "We've got to look a little broader than just the state assessments," he says.

The number of courses being taught by teachers who aren’t certified in their assigned subject area has risen by 16% over the last three years.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday his commitment to raise state funds for teacher salaries to $1.25 billion, an increase of almost a quarter-billion dollars. Public education advocates said that won't alleviate the teacher shortage.

Ever since the passage of a union law in 2023, tens of thousands of public employees have lost their bargaining rights.

More than 4,000 teaching positions need to be filled across Florida. In the greater Tampa Bay region, there's about 880 vacancies.

The state also needs almost 3,500 support staff members.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his budget on Tuesday, December 5 for the new fiscal year, with $15.1 billion dollars going to the state’s public schools.