Awake the State Tuesday

Jacsonvilles Rally is at Beach and Art Musceum Drive, 5-7. -cpg

From the Florida Times Union

By Beth Reese Cravey

Clay County teachers will stage a rally Tuesday to protest proposed cuts in state education funding, which played a role in the School Board's recent rejection of a tentative teacher contract.

The rally is part of a statewide effort called "Awake the State," designed to pressure the legislature to adequately fund public education, as the state Constitution requires.

"No Floridian can afford more budget cuts," said Lea Rhoden, secretary of the Clay County Education Association, who distributed a flier urging a "big turnout" at the event. "It's time to take a stand and come together! We must do our part in Clay County to 'Awake the State' by urging our state legislators to reject budget cuts and invest in Floridians again."

The rally is 4 to 6 p.m. in the Kmart parking lot, at the corner of Blanding Boulevard and Kingsley Avenue, a heavily traveled intersection across from Orange Park High School.

The rally comes on the heels of the School Board's Feb. 17 rejection of a tentative 2010-11 teacher contract proposed by its staff and recommended by Superintendent Ben Wortham. The proposed contract included $1.7 million in increased salary and benefits; a majority of the board members said they were concerned about declining revenues and expected state education funding cuts.

Meanwhile, a Clay resident who supports the teachers' cause, Scott W. Wenzel of Middleburg, told Clay Sun that he sent School Board members and legislators a missive decrying any influence the Peoples Tea Party may have had on the board's decision. The Peoples Tea Party publicly said it objected to the contract, which party members said was too expensive.

"I refuse to let a group under any name get away with hurting people," he said.

The board's Feb. 17 4-1 contract vote was "public disgrace to democracy," Wenzel said. "Teachers have invested in the budget process for five years with benefits cut, paid time cut, and have supported their classrooms with their own money. ... The School Board cannot continued to disregard the teachers' sacrifices, but need to share in these sacrifices, and go to work for the classroom teachers."

He also said teachers had been told to bring toilet paper to school because the school district had run out of money and that some teachers had been told, prior to the board meeting, that they did not have jobs for the 2011-12 school year.

Deputy Superintendent Denise Adams said district administrators have not told schools that the district had run out of money or to bring toilet paper to schools. But the district office has told principals to not submit any more purchase orders or warehouse delivery requests unless they were "needed to finish out this year."

"Toilet paper certainly can be ordered, and schools are not out of money. I am trying to prevent them from stockpiling for the 2011-12 year," she said.

As for 2011-12 jobs, Adams said teachers who have annual contracts - with three years experience or less - were told they would not be automatically reappointed in April, when the board typically handles such reappointments. "This is due to the uncertainty of funding for next year. This is common practice in many districts," she said.

As required in their existing contracts, such teachers will be notified in writing by May 1 "if we are going to conclude employment at the end of the year. ... That is why principals have had these conversations with them now," she said. "Depending on the budget situation and the number of vacant allocations we hope to bring back in June as many as possible."

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/community/clay/2011-03-03/story/clay-teachers-hold-awake-state-rally-some-uncertain-about-their-jobs?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d7455abe06b6594%2C0#ixzz1FuXq3qTU