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Teachers and union members urge board to defend contracts amid talk of SB 12‑96
Summary
Multiple Leon County educators addressed the board during public comment on March 10, urging school leaders to protect reading-intervention positions, oppose Senate Bill 12‑96, and preserve the collective‑bargaining protections teachers say support classroom stability.
Several Leon County educators used the March 10 public‑comment period to press the school board to protect teacher contracts and district intervention positions, and to oppose pending state legislation, Senate Bill 12‑96.
Kelly Manu, a reading interventionist at Roberts Elementary, asked the board not to treat interventionists as optional amid budget discussions. "Interventionists are not the same as literacy coaches," Manu said, adding that interventionists work "directly with the students who are below grade level" and that removing those positions would shift needs onto already stretched classroom teachers.
Shari Gowanter, a kindergarten teacher and 23‑year district employee, framed her remarks around unionism and social justice. She said unions provide checks and balances that improve workplaces and student outcomes and told the board, "My voice matters. We matter. My union matters."
Multiple speakers directly addressed the board member who publicly supported SB 12‑96. Caitlin Anderson, a teacher at Hartsfield Elementary, described the bill as a threat to contract protections, saying higher thresholds for union membership and ratification votes could mean losing a contract that guarantees planning time and other protections crucial to teacher retention.
Mary Strickland, another teacher and union member, noted prior statewide efforts to decertify unions and said local unions had prevailed. "We have already proven to the state of Florida that we want and need our unions," she said, urging the board to back educators.
Scott Mazer, representing the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, congratulated negotiators on a tentative agreement and recommended a local millage increase to address salary compression. He said advocacy for SB 12‑96 hurts working families and threatens the stability schools rely on.
The public comments connected the policy debate to classroom impacts: speakers warned that removing interventionists or weakening unions could undermine services for struggling readers, reduce guaranteed planning time, and increase teacher turnover. Several urged the board to consider those consequences as it evaluates district proposals and as state legislation moves forward.
The board did not take formal action on the legislation during the meeting; the session concluded after the public‑comment period and subsequent agenda items.
