Joe Henderson: FEA’s message: Seize the day at ballot box

It’s against the law for the Florida Education Association to encourage members to go on strike, but that doesn’t mean the FEA can’t strike back at lawmakers they believe have unfairly targeted teachers.

With that in mind, FEA President Joanne McCall has a message for those in Tallahassee who pushed through major changes to the way public schools are funded and operate.

“They say we are playing politics,” she told me. “We are playing politics, and the tide is turning in our favor. The public is with us.

“We have 140,000 members and there are 2.8 million public school students in Florida versus 300,000 (students) in for-profit charter schools and 80,000 in voucher programs. We need to keep them angry about what’s going on.”

Her group is currently studying voting records for all state lawmakers up for re-election in November and will invite candidates to interview with FEA officials.

Members are even considering applying grades to the candidates, similar to the tactic used by the National Rifle Association to identify those sympathetic to its cause.

“After all, (lawmakers) grade our schools A through F,” she said.

While McCall said it won’t matter if a candidate is Democrat or Republican, generally changes in the law that the FEA has found highly objectionable have come along party lines. With that in mind, she noted that flipping just four state Senate seats could give control to Democrats for the first time this century.

The organization also plans to be active in the Governor’s race.

“If the Senate isn’t flipped, the governor can be the goalie who can veto and unwind the clock on policies from the Jeb Bush and Rick Scott era,” she said. “We’ll be looking for a pro-public education person.”

While that is going on though, McCall is keeping a wary eye on some members who want a more forceful way to express their disgust with the state’s policies.

Independent of the FEA, some teachers are calling for walk-outs similar to those happening in other states to highlight low pay and classroom conditions. McCall is arguing strongly against such action.

“We cannot strike,” she said. “The penalties are large. (The FEA) can’t orchestrate anything like that. We can’t even talk about it. We can’t urge the blue flu. The penalties are pretty stiff.

“I’m trying to keep my members focused on the election cycle. We can change this, but we have to change it at the ballot box.”

While the FEA has been politically active in the past, the changes in state law that shifted more money to charters along with allowing designated school personnel to carry weapons in the name of security has been a galvanizing force.

“This has been going on for 22 years (of Republican control), but these last two years have been the worst,” she said.

“If you think the tide is turning and the public is turning against you and you’re about to be voted out, you tend to over-reach and accomplish what you can while you’re in power. I think that’s what we saw.”

Outgoing House Speaker and potential gubernatorial candidate Richard Corcoran has been the political force behind many of the changes. A strong believer in charter schools, Corcoran has called the changes “transformative” and says public education is adequately funded.

McCall said Corcoran and Scott are “wonderful spin doctors.”

During an interview with me late last year, Corcoran fiercely defended his moves and said he would debate anyone disputing his education push “anytime, anywhere.”

“He probably meant that he would debate anyone but me,” McCall said. “But if he’ll do it in public, with people watching, I’ll be happy to debate him – anytime, anywhere.”