Ryan Ray
A massive gathering of protesters shouting chants of “Enough is enough!” and “Our children are not for sale!” shook the walls of the Old Capitol Thursday as they expressed opposition to new education policy changes coming out of the GOP-led Legislature.
Educators bused in from as far away as Miami convened to hear from union President Joanne McCall and other Democratic-leaning leaders decry a new effort – dubbed the “Best and Brightest” initiative, sponsored by Rep. Erik Fresen and recently tucked into the budget – to reward Florida teachers based on SAT scores and other statistical qualifications rather than their effectiveness in the classroom.
Organizers of a Florida Education Association-sponsored rally said about 3,000 teachers and their supporters came out to occupy the Capitol Complex courtyard, and they may not have been fibbing.
The main thrust of the protesters’ demands was simple: “Get politicians out of our classrooms,” as McCall put it.
Though speakers addressing the assembled crowd did sound a conciliatory note or two – “Make sure to applaud lawmakers when they do the right thing” – the tone and rhetoric was distinctly oppositional, with many protesters clearly antagonizing rather than seeking to influence the Legislature as it is currently composed.
After march to the Capitol, grievances aired Thursday included lawmakers without education backgrounds meddling in curricula, the perceived degradation of teaching as a profession, and most of all, too much testing.
“Don’t get me wrong. We’re not against testing. Heck, we invented it!” McCall said.
She also bemoaned the increasing days and hours spent preparing for state-mandated tests, which FEA officials said has not led to any material benefit in children’s development, but has led many teachers to leave the profession out of frustration.
Protest favorites such as Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” filled the air as a convivial yet focused mood set the tone before the teachers took to the interior of the Capitol for afternoon meetings.
The Senate Committee on Pre-K-12 Education is set to meet Thursday at 4 p.m., but will hear bills only tangentially related to the concerns of the protesters. The House Education Committee, however, met in the morning and passed controversial bills related to class size, teacher certification, and school funding.
