Teachers across Tennessee plan to rally in opposition to new legislation that they don't like.
The TEA, a Tennessee Teacher's union, says new legislation that aims to change tenure and collective bargaining laws represents an attack on the Tennessee Education Association and teachers.
The statewide rally is set for noon on Saturday, March 5th, but today local teachers and supporters of the teachers’ union took their voices to North Roan Street.
The decision to hold today's protest came after the Johnson City Board of Education wouldn't move a school make up day that's scheduled for the day of the pro union demonstration in Nashville.
Both teachers and concerned citizens say it's too big of an issue to be silent about.
“I'm a teacher and I'm here for our children,” says Bill Smith, one of hundreds who turned out for the protest.
Smith says if our state wants to improve education, then now is not the time to do away with teacher unions.
“When you degenerate teachers and you compromise the teaching profession, you compromise our children’s future,” explains Smith. “It's that simple.”
Fellow teacher Paula McPherson believes her students benefit from the union's work.
“It not only provides an opportunity for the teachers to negotiate for salaries and better working conditions but also for the student conditions for more equipment and better facilities,” says McPherson, a high school teacher.
Educators weren't alone in holding up pro-union signs. It was a concerned citizen Steve Denton who actually organized the event, not the teachers or any union.
“We're here to say ‘that's not good’ and we stand with the teachers,” says Denton. Denton says the middle class has been under attack for the past 30 years and it's time someone takes a stand against it.
But unions aren't the only reason this group's gathering in protest.
“They're talking about doing away with licensure and that's a scary thought,” fears Middle School Counselor Donna Wilkinson. ”We go through a lot of training for what we do.”
“If you just let anybody come into the school system, that could be very bad for the students,” adds McPherson.
With licensures and unions up for debate, Smith worries about the future.
“If we look across the country, at places schools have been most successful on all sorts of measures, what you'll see is a strong teacher organization,” explains Smith, “not the absence of a teacher organization.”
There were about a dozen people who stood on the other side of the road of this debate.
Directly across the street, a small group gathered also holding signs and asking people to honk in support of them.
Part of the local tea party heard about Saturday’s protest and decided they wanted to show opposition for unions and collective bargaining.
“We're not against teachers,” explains David McCartney. “We're against the unions being involved with the teachers and taking their money and speaking for them.”
This group says they chose to stand in support of the taxpayer, and they back this union legislation that's being brought forth in Tennessee.
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