Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the fight over African American studies in Florida’s curriculum and a recent bump in membership thanks to an attack on teachers.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis is attacking the public school system by rewriting the curriculum guidelines. Spar explained the issue involves the level of education pertaining to African American history. He shares the changes to the curriculum and why it is a negative change for the students.
Spar claims Desantis and his supporters want to change African American studies in schools, and not offer their current in-depth curriculum to students. As a result, Spar thinks diversity, equity and inclusion will be erased, which creates a need to fight back. This is why the FEA has partnered with the NAACP in an attempt to implement a more in-depth standard for African-American studies. With over 100 Locals in the state of Florida, the FEA will continue to fight to keep its voice in the state’s curriculum.
In the last month of the school year, FEA membership grew by over 5,000 and now stands at just over 150,000 members. Despite being in a So-Called “Right to Work” state, Florida teachers who were previously non-union are now seeking membership in order to raise their wages, gain benefits and improve their retirement. Spar thinks the recent attacks on teachers in Florida is helping to improve union sentiment and ultimately driving more teachers and support staff to seek representation.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics