KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A number of educators in Central Florida are expressing concerns over Governor Ron DeSantis’ proposal for a "Teacher’s Bill of Rights."

What You Need To Know

  • Osceola County union leader expresses concerns over Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Teacher's Bill of Rights" proposal 

  • The proposal would require school unions to represent at least 60% of eligible employees instead of the current 50%

  • Proposal also includes $200 million to increase teacher pay

The governor’s proposal, which has not yet been drafted by legislators, would require school unions to represent at least 60% of eligible employees instead of the current 50%.

Osceola County Education Association President Lare Allen said he fears that requirement could lead to the dissolution of some teachers’ unions. 

“A lot of them are over 50%, but a lot are not over 60%," he said. "So I think it’s designed to hurt our membership."

The proposal also includes $200 million to increase teacher pay to a total of $1 billion in the state budget, and would reduce term limits for school board members from 12 years to eight. 

Those things aside, Allen says teachers already have many of the protections listed in DeSantis' plan, including the ability to choose not to join a union without any repercussions, and the ability to file a complaint if they’re asked to violate a state law.

Allen said he thinks the latter could tie back to enforcement of two new state laws: Parental Rights in Education and Curriculum Transparency.

The laws prohibit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade — something many teachers say wasn’t in the curriculum to begin with – and allows parents to review all instructional and library materials, and object to anything they deem inappropriate before a school district decides to allow them.

Allen says some teachers have expressed concerns over these laws and have chosen to eliminate their classroom libraries altogether, worried they could be subject to complaints if the books touch on race, gender or sexual orientation.

“We have all of these other non-experts telling the expert how the job should be done … and the threat of litigation if you step outside of the line,” Allen said.

The governor’s office said in a news release that the proposed "Teacher's Bill of Rights" is designed to “empower educators to be leaders in their classrooms.”

“We want more transparency into how school unions operate, and we are going to fight against school union haggling that holds teachers and their salary increases hostage," DeSantis said in the release. "Partisan groups should not be given special privileges.”

An Osceola County Public Schools spokesperson told Spectrum News in an email that the district will be “closely monitoring the proposal and its impacts to staff.”