Florida's largest education union calls for urgent support in Lee County

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida's largest education union stopped in Lee County to discuss some of the biggest issues facing public schools. Neighbors FOX 4 spoke with said public schools are the backbone of a healthy community and more support is needed, fast.

Fox 4's Eric Lovelace shows us what issues teacher's are facing:

Teachers, unions and neighbors gathered in Fort Myers on Monday to address what they said are critical issues facing Florida's public schools.

"We need to lift up the people who work in our schools," Andrew Spar, the President of Florida's Education Association (FEA).

Spar said funding is the most pressing issue facing Florida's public schools.

"The first thing is funding, there's no doubt about it, there's 4 billion dollars a year being drained from Florida's public schools to unaccountable corporate vouchers, who take that money and we don't know where it goes," Spar said.

Spar also stressed the struggles with staffing shortages around the state, saying teachers are leaving for two reasons.

"They're leaving because the pay is way too low, and they're not supported and respected for the work that they do," Spar said.

In addition to pay, Spar said teachers are handcuffed by the growing legal challenges.

"In 1998 there was 680 pages of laws that public schools had to follow, today it's 1330, almost double," Spar said.

Spar oversees the whole state of Florida. According to the FEA, Florida ranks 43rd in education funding and 50th in average teacher pay.

Also on the panel was Kevin Daly with the Teachers Association of Lee County. He said the biggest issue facing teachers in Lee County is Tallahassee's checkbook.

"Funding, of course, because when you want to talk about recruiting and retaining the best talent, that comes at a cost," Daly said.

Daly also said teachers feel fear rather than freedom to do their job.

"The struggle they have is the rules they're under, kinda this atmosphere of fear from Tallahassee on whether I can say or do something," Daly said.

Freedom starts, Daly said, by getting out of the way.

"At some point the attitude is kinda just won't you let me do what I've gone to school for, and what I've trained my entire adult life to do," Daly said.

As we approach the next legislative session, the people I spoke to are pleading with legislators to bring money back to public education because they say their communities depend on it.