Florida education supporters creates campaign to advocate for funding

Published: Apr. 16, 2019 at 11:23 PM EDT
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Florida education unions are planning what they call a "school walk-in" tomorrow to support additional funding for public schools.

The Alachua County school board has signed a resolution with the Florida Education Association in support of a campaign that is advocating to get Florida schools more funding.

There will be walk-ins across the state tomorrow in support of having more money for public schools, but in Alachua County that will not be the case.

"We chose not to do the statewide walk in. The teachers felt like it wasn't really doable because parents all have to sign in. Our school are safe zones and so anyone coming into a school setting has to sign in in the front office. It doesn't leadoff to an action where we could all walk in together," stated Carmen Ward, President of Alachua County Education Association

Ward says that while there will be no walk-ins in the county, teachers will be wearing red to support the Fund Our Future Florida campaign.

"We also have a Florida Education Association petition that we want citizens across the state of Florida to sign our petition that says that we should make the 2.7 million students that are educated in public schools a priority and that we should ask for $743 additionally to our per-pupil funding," stated Ward.

Ward says that the campaign is a positive approach to improve the education system here in Florida.

The State Senate is proposing a billion dollar increase in school funding, but much of that is money for security programs. The State House is proposing a half-billion dollar increase. The two sides have to come to an agreement by the end of the legislative session on May 3rd.