President Negron and Honorable Senators:

My name is Ryan Haczynski and I am a veteran high school teacher living and working in Hillsborough County. I am writing to all of you today to respectfully request that you flatly reject HB7055. There are numerous problems with this bill, many of which were recently outlined in this editorial from the Tampa Bay Times.

The most troubling aspect to me, personally, is the subversion of our Florida Constitution. One would surmise that true conservatives would be outraged by these attempts to legislate around our most cherished legal document in the Sunshine State, but it would appear that is not the case. Last year, for instance, the Senate narrowly passed HB7069, which clearly goes against Article III, Section 6 that states: “Every law shall embrace but one subject and matter properly connected therewith, and the subject shall be briefly expressed in the title.” Last year, during the floor debate on HB7069, Senator Simmons presciently warned of an impending legal battle over this very matter. This year is no different. Not only does HB7055 have multiple subjects, the subject introduction(s) carry on for 11 pages; therefore, it should be struck down on constitutional grounds alone.

There is also the constitutional attack on workers’ rights to collectively bargain. Realizing that HB25 would not receive any traction in your chamber (much like last year’s HB11), the House has decided to package it into this train bill. Ostensibly, members of the House have stated that it only seeks to decertify teachers’ unions because it is an education bill, but the vast majority of the public, especially the nearly 200,000 teachers working in the state of Florida, believe it is an attack on our unions because we have been decrying the slow and steady starvation of public education funding that has left the entire state in financial dire straights. Again, how is this constitutional when Article I, Section 6 clearly guarantees “the right of employees, by and through a labor organization, to bargain collectively”? The very same section states that this right shall not be abridged or denied, but by attempting to decertify unions this legislation does exactly that.

Finally, in Article IX, Section 1 of our Florida Constitution, it calls for “adequate provision” of “uniform…high quality schools.” While the Legislature continues to be woefully behind on providing funding to keep up with rising costs across the last decade, HB7055, in a sudden show of largesse, will alter the PECO funding structure so that well over 3,000 traditional schools must split $50 million dollars while 650 charter schools, many of which are managed by for-profit companies such as Academica, Charter Schools USA, and Charter School Associates, will receive over $120 million and in future years will be chained to CPI (why has not all education funding handled this way?). How is this uniform? More critically, how is this not corporate welfare?

Senator Bradley has already taken a stand against the connection of funding attached to HB7055. Now I am encouraging the rest of the chamber to join him. At a minimum the above mentioned provisions must be removed, but my ultimate hope is that HB7055 will be completely rejected so that the House must go back to the drawing board, begin anew, and serve the will of the citizens of Florida rather than their political campaign contributors and other special interest groups who are clearly the only ones clamoring for such bad legislation.

Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

Respectfully,

– Ryan Haczynski