The Florida Education Association on Friday unanimously endorsed Steve
Barnes in his run for the Florida State House District 34 seat, which includes portions of Orange and Seminole counties.
“Steve has been in the classroom and knows the challenges teachers and school employees face every day,” said FEA President Andy Ford. “He has been vocal and active in the effort to prevent Senate Bill 6 from becoming law and we need leaders like Steve in the Legislature to guard against further assaults on the teaching profession.”
Barnes, whose daughters attended Seminole County public schools, said he was thrilled by the endorsement.
“As a parent, I am extremely honored to have the support of Florida’s public school teachers,” he said. “If elected to the State House of Representatives I will work tirelessly to ensure that our children receive a quality education that will allow them to compete in the global economy.”
Barnes, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Chris Dorworth (R), was endorsed last month by both the Seminole Educators Association and the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association.
“Never before in my experience has there been a candidate so right for the members of the public school communities in District 34,” said Chris Spiliotis, who represents Seminole’s teachers. “I am confident that Steve will advance the cause of a quality public education for all of the public school students in our state during his tenure in Tallahassee.”
For more than a decade, Barnes has been involved in schools around Seminole County including Goldsboro Elementary, The Harbor Learning and Literacy Center, Millennium Middle and Seminole High schools. He currently volunteers with the Friends of the Seminole County Environmental Studies Center and the Families in Transition Program, which serves homeless students.
Barnes, a Democrat, opposed SB 6, which tied teacher pay to FCAT scores and created an unfunded mandate that would have cost local school districts millions of tax dollars to implement new standardized tests for subjects like art, music and physical education. Rep. Dorworth voted in favor of the bill, which was later vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist.
The Florida Education Association represents more than 250,000 teachers and educational staff professionals in Florida’s 67 school districts.
“Rebuilding Florida’s economy will require a well-educated workforce capable of performing the high-tech jobs of the 21st Century,” said Barnes. “I am absolutely committed to ensuring that Florida’s schools prepare every student for those opportunities.”
Barnes also received the endorsement of the Florida AFL-CIO, which represents more than 500,000 Floridians including construction workers, health care professionals, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, retirees and their families.
“I am honored to have the support of so many of Florida’s working families,” said Barnes. “Over the past two years, my opponent has proven that he is out of touch with the people he is supposed to represent. He voted to nearly double fees on auto tags, drivers’ licenses and fishing licenses while pushing for tax cuts on the sale of private planes and yachts costing more than $300,000.”
“Despite his rhetoric, it is clear that Rep. Dorworth is out of touch with the middle class. The people of Seminole and Orange counties deserve better. If I am elected this November, I will work tirelessly to rebuild our economy and to faithfully represent the people of this District.
Barnes, who lives in Sanford, is a former journalist and teacher. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with degrees in political science and journalism and was elected to the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District in 2008.
Local teachers will be hosting a fundraising party for Barnes Saturday, May 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Cork and Olive, 4247 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Lake Mary, Fl 32746. Suggested donation is $20.10. The event is open to the public. For more information, please visit www.SteveBarnes2010.com
