This weekend I went to a rally organized by the Florida Education Association, Florida's largest educators' union, in support of full and sustainable funded public education in our state.
The thousands of teachers, parents, PTA members, education support personnel and students in attendance were united in their message: Together, we can stop education budget cuts.
Yes, these are lean times we're experiencing, a fact Florida educators know better than most.
That's because Florida, already nearly last among the states in per-capita education spending, stands as one of only three states that have actually decreased education funding the in last several years. Here at UF, we've felt the effects through across-the-board cuts, lost faculty, and now, targeted cuts directed at the Colleges of Education and Nursing.
It's time for us to stand up and tell our legislators to make public education a priority.
We're kicking off our campaign on campus with a candlelight vigil mourning the loss of funding for public education this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., outside of Norman Hall.
From there, interested advocates and activists can tap into a campaign that will finally secure adequate funding for public education into the indefinite future.
