The big story: After Florida lawmakers changed the rules for public employee union certification, teachers worried they might lose their representation in collective bargaining and, along with that, their contract terms and protections.
United Teachers of Dade was the first to face a major challenge to its role.
Backed by anti-union national organizations, an alternative group aimed to upend UTD in a vote of eligible members. This week, United Teachers of Dade claimed an overwhelming victory. Elections to retain unions in other districts are still pending.
“When our governor co-signs the agendas of fringe extremist groups and puts our students and our neighborhood public schools last, he’s betting on the wrong horse. It’s why he lost during the primary and why he lost again today. We will not be silenced. And we will never stop fighting for our students, teachers and staff,” Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar said in a news release. Read more from WPLG.
Meanwhile, the unions are heading to back court today to challenge the law, which took effect last year, Associated Press reports. They say it’s unconstitutional.
Hot topics
After the hurricanes: Hillsborough County schools will cancel early release days through the end of the year, as part of its plan to make up class time lost to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Bus safety: A state lawmaker from Lee County pushed through a law allowing cameras on school buses, and her family business stands to make millions from the resulting traffic tickets, The Tributary reports.
Campus closures: The Duval County chapter of the NAACP is urging the school district to reconsider a proposal that would close low-capacity schools serving largely Black communities, WJAX reports.
Elections: Culture war issues are at center stage in a race for control of the Miami-Dade County school board, WPLG reports. • Lee County voters will select their school superintendent for the first time since the 1970s, WGCU reports. • The Manatee County school district expanded its proposed uses for the revenue from a property tax referendum that’s on the November ballot, East County Observer reports. • A group opposing a measure to return to partisan school board elections hit the airwaves in Spanish to encourage Miami-area voters to vote against the referendum, Florida Politics reports.
Teacher pay: Gadsden County teachers are accusing the school district of not paying hiring stipends as advertised, WFSU reports.
Turnaround efforts: The Gadsden County school district has hired a new principal to turn around an elementary school that received D grades the past two years, WTXL reports. She’s the school’s fourth principal in five years.
From the court docket … A University of Florida student accused of spitting on a campus police officer during a pro-Palestine rally avoided jail time by accepting a plea deal, Fresh Take Florida reports. The student was kicked out of UF before graduating.
Don’t miss a story. Yesterday’s roundup is only a click away.
Before you go … It wouldn’t be Halloween without a new Broken Peach video.