Elections+2010

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November
To make the best decisions for schools, please vote for Alex Sink, against Amendment 8, and against candidates who voted for Senate Bill 6 last spring. Bring balance to the schools discussion in Florida.

Alex Sink is the only gubernatorial candidate who I have heard express support for local control of the schools. Her opponent, Rick Scott, said he would have voted for Senate Bill 6 last year, the legislation which would have paid teachers for test scores, cut salaries, and increased state control over our children and communities.

Further, a former student of mine who works in the Scott campaign expressed concern to me the other day that part of Scott's platform is to take away local control of the schools. Imagine giving full power of the public schools over to the people in Tallahassee that gave us the madness of Senate Bill 6. Sink has vowed to veto such legislation. [|Alex Sink on Senate Bill 6 - Internet search] [|Rick Scott on Senate Bill 6 - Internet search]

Also, vote against the people that brought us the Senate Bill 6 chaos. Here’s a list of them highlighted:

http://teachdade.wikispaces.com/file/view/SB-6+Vote+Dade+Broward+Delegations.xls

Among those running in this election who voted for Senate Bill 6 and whom you should vote against are Erik Fresen, David Rivera, Carlos Lopez-Cantera, and Anitere Flores.

Finally, vote against Amendment 8; vote against weakening the Class Size Amendment. The Class Size Amendment is actually a limitation of government, telling entities like the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which has a budget of 14 grand per student, to put the money where it belongs, in the classroom, and not in the pockets of the special interests.

Thank you.

Otto Zequeira

Round 1
As early voting is poised to begin, I am writing first of all to remind you to vote in the upcoming primaries. I also urge your support of [|Natasha Alvarez]and Maria Peiro for School Board district 7, Westchester / Kendall, and district 6, Little Havana, respectively. Finally, please remember that, in the Little Havana / Coral Gables / South Miami area, FL Representative Julio Robaina stuck his neck out for teachers.

Natasha Alvarez and Maria Peiro are two teachers who have put their jobs on the line to ensure that the public schools are indeed best serving the interests of students and families.

In particular, Ms. Alvarez’s understanding of technology, communications, and the schools were crucial in the local struggle to kill Florida Senate Bill 6, which would have further reduced schooling to test preparation and increased state control of children. Her technology support was critical in our press conference with Channel 7 news to send off a petition with over 1,000 signatures against SB6.

Representative Robaina held a crucial press conference in support of teachers around that same time. Additionally, you may wish to vote for other state legislature candidates who supported teachers and students, or vote against or refrain from voting for candidates who voted for SB6 in the list below:

[]

Anitere Flores was head of the education committee which pushed SB6, so please think twice about her candidacy.

For more information on the SB6 fiasco, please visit:

http://teachdade.wikispaces.com

Again, remember to vote, and thank you for your time and consideration of these pro-education candidates.

Sincerely,

Otto Zequeira