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National teachers union brings its "back-to-school" tour to Florida

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel

By Lynn Hatter

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-986038.mp3

Tallahassee, FL – The National Education Association is on a "back-to-school" tour to talk with students, parents and teachers. Lynn Hatter reports the union's top officials are in Florida this week to talk about making schools a priority.

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel says the idea behind the tour is to put real faces on issues like budget cuts. Roekel is concerned about the political conflict in Washington and wants to see it stop. He also wants to see the Presidents' Jobs' proposal get through.

"It's time that we had jobs and put people back to work. The president talked about modernizing schools it's an insult to the American public that we have buildings over 40 years old and aren't' equipped to educate a child for the 21st century. Meanwhile congress continues to bicker, and bicker and bicker."

Roekel says he supports the U.S. Department of Education's plan to waive a federal requirement that 100-percent of students be at grade level in Math and Reading by 2014. Several states including Florida have indicated interest in the waiver. Roekel says while well intentioned, the law is unrealistic.