MILTON — The Santa Rosa Education Association wants to become Santa Rosa County teachers’ new union representation.
The Santa Rosa Professional Education union’s contract with Santa Rosa School District lasts until Aug. 11. By Florida statute, SREA is within time — between March 14 and May 13 — to challenge SRPE. To do so, SREA needs signatures of support from 30 percent of two groups: instructional employees and education support professionals, the latter including clerical staff.
In Santa Rosa County, there are roughly 1,900 instructional employees and 600 education support professionals. So 30 percent of 1,900 is 570 and 30 percent of 600 is 180. If SREA acquires these signatures and presents a letter of petition to the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission in time, SRPE can respond with signatures of 10 percent of the two needed groups.
In September of 2015, SRPE was behind in dues payments to the Florida Education Association; it owed roughly $128,000, the Press Gazette previously reported. FEA is the state organization representing teachers’ unions, according to FEA Regional Specialist Bill Vincent, who said FEA provides assistance and expertise. “If some legal opinion is needed, we have a staff of attorneys in Tallahassee we can call on,” Vincent said. “Plus, there are other contract attorneys we can call on.”
The discrepancy stemmed from a misunderstanding regarding SRPE’s number of members, SRPE President Rhonda Chavers has said.
Later in September, SRPE separated from FEA.
FEA planned to absorb SRPE into a larger group of unions in the area called the Central Panhandle Service Unit, removing local control from the SRPE, making local staffers volunteers, and raising members’ dues, according to SRPE legal representative Matthew Hargraves.
It was a matter of urgency; the SRPE executive board voted to separate from the FEA, according to Hargraves.
“We were told the changes would happen and go into effect by the FEA governance board that Friday,” Hargraves said. “The conversation was on Tuesday … So the immediate concern of the SRPE board was if we don’t do something we’ll be dissolved and not have a local staff,” he said.
Three SRPE members at the time challenged the separation twice and failed both times, according to Hargraves.
“We did everything lawful and we won the appeal as well,” Chavers said.
A number of teachers and education support professionals value affiliation with FEA, according to SREA’s website.
“Watching how SRPE has played out was disheartening; what I felt was unprofessional,” six-year Woodlawn Middle School teacher Jennifer Hensley said. “From there, things began to unravel. At the time, I was not a member of the SRPE because I didn’t feel comfortable being a member, although, I did want union representation. As soon as that came to light, I was ready for somebody like SREA to come in and take over,” she said.
Some employees at Pace High School have expressed support for SRPE separating from FEA, according to geometry teacher David Godwin.
The FEA has not had any presence in Santa Rosa County until SRPE separated from it, according to Godwin.
“I’ve been in the SRPE since 1999 (and) I’ve been on the negotiation team since 2012,” Godwin said. “I’ve never seen a person from the FEA in this county until we disaffiliated,” he said.
Godwin supports SRPE because he’s concerned that the union becoming part of the Central Panhandle Service Unit would mean a loss of local control.
“I prefer to have local representation,” Godwin said. “If I need someone from the SRPE, I have the president’s cell phone number. I know where the building is. I can see them that day,” he said.
Some SREA members seeking signatures told teachers the signature would allow them to also vote for the SRPE, according to Hargraves, so the SRPE will challenge the signatures if SREA reaches the 30 percent quota.
“If any (signatures) don’t accurately reflect the intent (of the one signing), we’ll seek to have that card rejected and not considered for purposes of the 30 percent,” Hargraves said.
THE ISSUE: Santa Rosa Education Association wants to replace Santa Rosa Professional Education as the local teachers' union.
LOCAL IMPACT: Union members could lose some local authority while gaining state support. Some teachers feel state influence may not serve their best interest, which could affect the teacher supply.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Some teachers seek change in union representation