Rick Scott, the newly elected governor
of Florida, is following through on a campaign promise to “reform” the state’s
education system. He recommends merit pay for teachers, expanding school
voucher programs and altering the way schools are funded by the state.
These recommendations have sparked a
fierce fight-back movement of students, parents and teachers. Parents are increasingly concerned over the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the
school system. The organizers called a day of protest labeled “Red
Tuesday,” encouraging students, parents and teachers to wear red and change
their Facebook profile pictures to red shirts.
The idea started with Jacksonville
teacher Donna Yates Mace and quickly became an Internet sensation. It grew
enough so that the president of the Florida AFL-CIO came to stand with the
teachers and students. There were also construction workers wearing red shirts
in solidarity with the parents seeking a different kind of change in their
school systems than what Rick Scott proposes.
