DeLand, FL - A new survey from Volusia’s public school teachers’ union shows a large chunk of its members are thinking of leaving the school district.
The Volusia Teachers Organization released the results of that survey just before the beginning of a week-long protest aimed at highlighting just how frustrated its members are with the ongoing and contentious contract negotiations with Volusia County Schools.
VTO President Andrew Spar says the survey shows 39% of its members plan to at least explore a move out of the school district in the near future.
“This is a staggering number,” Spar added. “We have a teacher shortage and if we cannot keep great teachers and staff in Volusia County, the shortage and its impact will get much worse.”
Around 1,100 VTO members voluntarily took the online survey recently as part of the union’s effort to show how dissatisfied its members are, especially in terms of pay and benefits, according to Spar.
“We have a major problem in Volusia County,” Spar stated. “We need great teachers in our schools and too many are giving up on our district. This must be addressed.”
Of that 39%, nearly 23% plan to look for work in another school district and another 9% want to get out of teaching altogether, according to the survey results. Another 7% are opting for retirement.
The survey also showed that 61% of current VTO members planned on sticking around, including 69% of teachers in their first year. Only 51% of teachers who have worked between 2 and 5 years said likewise.
61% of teachers who have worked between 6 to 10 years said in the survey they would stay, as did those who’ve worked more than 20 years. 66% of VTO members who’ve worked between 11 and 20 years also plan to stay in the district.
Monday (January 25th) will be the first day of a county-wide VTO-led “walk-in” protest where teachers will gather just off of school grounds 10 minutes before the start of the school day and then walk into the school together.
Spar says he hopes a lot of parents, students, school support staff and other members of the community will join in solidarity with them as they do it every day that week, especially since he says negotiations on a new contract with the school district aren’t going well.
VTO and VCS took most of last school year to reach a deal, with teachers working without a contract in the meantime. Spar says the district and the county School Board isn’t living up to the promises it made to offer better pay and benefits for teachers.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.