December 15, 2025 • 10 mins
The Florida Commissioner of Education, Anastasios Kamoutsas, offered Preston ten-good-minutes to explain why the teacher's union is the enemy of not just education, but teachers as well.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's ose. I'm Preston and this is Florida's Commissioner of Education,
Anastasio Komutzis STOSSI, how you doing, sir.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning, my friend, how are you well?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You know, I was just talking about a story that
Congress decided to ask some guy to visit with them
on lowering the cost of higher education. And he just
shared about some cost saving platforms that colleges are using
and starting to bring down the cost of things. But
of course the interference comes from unions because finding efficiencies
(00:34):
maybe means that we don't need a professor of German
in five colleges within fifteen miles of each other, that
maybe we can do it with one. Unions are a
giant challenge. What are you proposing here in Florida that's
getting unions so upset?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, it seems to be a repeated pattern every time
I come on this show. The latest issue that we're
dealing with when it comes to unions. I want to
talk about out two lawsuits that are going on right now,
one that we are dealing with at the state level
and one at the local level. We passed the rule
at our recent state Board of Education meeting that strengthens
transparency and higher education by imagine this novel concept. It
(01:15):
requires Florida State colleges to publish syllabi for all courses,
not just general education classes, prior to students registering for
that course. And this is simply common sense. Students deserve
the opportunity to review a full syllabus before enrolling in
a course. We're talking access to assignments, required readings, and
(01:37):
grading criteria. That kind of information is important to a
student to allow them to make an informed decision about
whether a course aligns with their academic needs and supports
their long term term goals. But the union's opposition to
this rule that we pass underscores their unwillingness to prioritize students,
and it's the latest effort to limit transparency that I
(01:59):
believe students parents deserve. What boggles my mind and frustrates
me most about this frivolous lawsuit is that it represents
a waste of the dues of these hardworking teachers. But
this is the kind of stuff that they're using their
capital on.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
They are arguing that this somehow is infringing on their
academic freedom.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
How Yeah, No, we honestly here scratching our heads ourselves.
I mean, everybody knows that a syllabus is required by
a professor to provide to the student. Oftentimes, what happens
is the student registers for the class, shows up to
the class, and that's when they're provided with the orientation
and the syllabus in that first week. What we're just
trying to do is be more efficient when it comes
(02:42):
to the student registering for the courses and knowing all
the information prior to registering, so that you don't have
that ad drop period where students are often jumping around
and changing courses and trying to figure out where to
go next. We want them to have the best information
possible to make the best decision possible for their education.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So the argument cannot be that they don't have one
to present at that point, because they're going to present
one when the course begins. So the issue here is
just simply allowing students to know what to expect in
a course and decide if it measures up to what
they want to offer themselves in terms of I don't
want to do that. That course doesn't interest me the
(03:24):
way it's laid out, and they're they're fighting.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
This, Yeah, it boggles my mind. That is what the
lawsuit is over. And you know, we have a similar
situation down in Lee County, another frivolous lawsuit pivoting here
a little bit, going to the k tool sector. But
you know, the teachers union sued and fought against pay
incentives for teachers for choosing to teach in low performing schools. Again,
(03:52):
how is it that the teachers' union, who represents teachers
as it relates to their pay increases, would be an
obstacle here. But Superintendent Carlin down in Lee County stood
up to the unions and used the provision in bid
a law that allows districts to incentivize teacher pay to
improve outcomes for our lowest performing students. And the superintendent
(04:13):
she acted within the law to improve those outcomes for
the low performing students, and they won in court. A
judge just decided that districts can move forward with solutions
that puts students first. So I want to commend the
superintendent and all the school board members on that board
who stood firm in defending student centered policies against the
teachers union.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
All right, we got more, just one more segment to
talk with Anastasioskmutzis, Commissioner of Education. Friends, this is why
I hate the teachers Union. I love teachers, I'm married
to one. I hate the union. My wife is never
part of the union. If you want representation legal, there's
an organization out there that doesn't get involved in the politics, that,
(04:55):
by the way, will provide the legal protection if you
feel like you need it for less money. This is nonsense.
This is rubbish. Why in the world would they not
want to disclose the syllabus ahead of time and then
turn around and call that intimidation academic is infringing on
our academic freedom. Why to release what you've already written
(05:15):
a few days earlier? Lost their mind? I hate unions.
In case you didn't know that, I hate them. Let's
dig a little deeper into this ruling in favor of
Lee County. Why in the world is there an opposition?
I mean, what was the stated opposition to trying to
(05:36):
bring better educators to underperforming schools and helping those students
get a better education by incentivizing pay. What was the argument?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
The argument is that the teachers anion wanted to negotiate
their salaries, They wanted to assert their relevance because they
understand that with these policies that actually prioritize our lowest
performing students by getting the highest quality teachers in there
sooner rather than later, it cuts them out of the process.
And they want to assert their relevance because they see
(06:07):
that here in the state of Florida, their dying breed
parents and teachers are waking up to their shenanigans and
they want no part of it. And so again I
appreciate the superintendent for taking that strong stance. As you see,
we still are dealing with here in Leon County. Our
teachers have not received their pay increases. We talked about
this before. It's because the teachers union negotiation process takes forever,
(06:31):
and so that was the basis of the lawsuits. They
wanted to hold up the money and prevent those teachers
from immediately going over there and getting those pay increases
in the low performing schools by making it a requirement
that is subject to bargaining.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
You know, I remember years ago when Jeb Bush was
in office, the governor put out a basically a chart
that shows the steps that have to be followed to
get rid of a bad teacher. Most teachers I think
really are admirable in what they do and how they
do it and want to do a great job for
their kids. But when you have a bad one, it
(07:05):
just it sort of poisons the whole water hole for
everybody else. And it was ridiculous. Now we're seeing almost
an inversion of that, where you've got paid that's available
for teachers and it's being held up by unions. Is
it strictly a negotiating ploy by the unions? What is
a union going to gain out of this?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Well, their idea is trying to get greater support. They
continue to spout this narrative that Florida, according to the
Teachers Union, is fiftieth ranked and teacher paid. But I
want to talk facts here. Since twenty nineteen, Governor DeSantis
has dedicated more than five point nine billion dollars specifically
(07:47):
to increase teacher salaries. I hope folks understand that investment
did not exist before Governor DeSantis took over. So that's
in addition to the per student paying payments that the
districts are receiving that they're also supposed to budget appropriately.
This teacher salary increase is solely dedicated to teacher pay
(08:10):
and the governor has committed that he will continue to
ask for more money for these teachers because he fundamentally
believes in the profession. He fundamentally believes in the work
that public educators are doing. So this narrative that the
teacher union continues to spout and spend that we are
not supporting the public school system, it's just totally inappropriate.
This governor has put his money where his mouth is,
(08:32):
and the reality is his actions speak for themselves.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Well, it was a great change because while I love
a lot of things that the previous Governor Rick Scott did,
bonuses in education is not the same as salary increases,
as you well know, and so what Governor DeSantis has
done is life changing for a lot of teachers. Let
me just tag on another question that goes with this, though,
(08:56):
Why do we still have circumstances where a teacher that
is not a part of the union is bound by
the collective bargaining agreement of the union.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, look, it's funny you mentioned that because I know
there are quite a few legislators who have the same question,
and I think, you know, I'm hopeful there'll be an
appetite to address that this time around. But you're right.
I mean, why is it that we have a very
good bill that was passed and sent a bill two
fifty six that says you have to have sixty percent
of union membership to exist as a union, and then
(09:27):
you have to go through the recertification process if you
don't meet that threshold. But then you go to an
actual election. You have four thousand members that are part
of the bargaining union, but only one hundred and ninety
nine out of two hundred vote to keep the union.
Therefore they have a majority. And now this union stays
in existence because you have one hundred nine ninety nine
(09:48):
people speaking for the vast majority of the four thousand.
I think there are some things that need to be
readdressed in the law to address this loophole.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Good stuff, as always, I appreciate your time. If we
don't talk before Christmas, have a great Christmas.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Commissioner, thank you, Preston having blest one all.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Right, he's the commissioner of Education for Florida. These are
things that matter. I'm telling you, teachers, the union is
hurting you. They're political and they don't need to be.
They pick fights, they don't need to pick and they're
never on the right side. When was the last time
(10:26):
the Union backed an actual Republican Charlie Christ And maybe
I don't even know if they backed him.
He's ose. I'm Preston and this is Florida's Commissioner of Education,
Anastasio Komutzis STOSSI, how you doing, sir.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning, my friend, how are you well?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You know, I was just talking about a story that
Congress decided to ask some guy to visit with them
on lowering the cost of higher education. And he just
shared about some cost saving platforms that colleges are using
and starting to bring down the cost of things. But
of course the interference comes from unions because finding efficiencies
(00:34):
maybe means that we don't need a professor of German
in five colleges within fifteen miles of each other, that
maybe we can do it with one. Unions are a
giant challenge. What are you proposing here in Florida that's
getting unions so upset?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, it seems to be a repeated pattern every time
I come on this show. The latest issue that we're
dealing with when it comes to unions. I want to
talk about out two lawsuits that are going on right now,
one that we are dealing with at the state level
and one at the local level. We passed the rule
at our recent state Board of Education meeting that strengthens
transparency and higher education by imagine this novel concept. It
(01:15):
requires Florida State colleges to publish syllabi for all courses,
not just general education classes, prior to students registering for
that course. And this is simply common sense. Students deserve
the opportunity to review a full syllabus before enrolling in
a course. We're talking access to assignments, required readings, and
(01:37):
grading criteria. That kind of information is important to a
student to allow them to make an informed decision about
whether a course aligns with their academic needs and supports
their long term term goals. But the union's opposition to
this rule that we pass underscores their unwillingness to prioritize students,
and it's the latest effort to limit transparency that I
(01:59):
believe students parents deserve. What boggles my mind and frustrates
me most about this frivolous lawsuit is that it represents
a waste of the dues of these hardworking teachers. But
this is the kind of stuff that they're using their
capital on.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
They are arguing that this somehow is infringing on their
academic freedom.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
How Yeah, No, we honestly here scratching our heads ourselves.
I mean, everybody knows that a syllabus is required by
a professor to provide to the student. Oftentimes, what happens
is the student registers for the class, shows up to
the class, and that's when they're provided with the orientation
and the syllabus in that first week. What we're just
trying to do is be more efficient when it comes
(02:42):
to the student registering for the courses and knowing all
the information prior to registering, so that you don't have
that ad drop period where students are often jumping around
and changing courses and trying to figure out where to
go next. We want them to have the best information
possible to make the best decision possible for their education.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So the argument cannot be that they don't have one
to present at that point, because they're going to present
one when the course begins. So the issue here is
just simply allowing students to know what to expect in
a course and decide if it measures up to what
they want to offer themselves in terms of I don't
want to do that. That course doesn't interest me the
(03:24):
way it's laid out, and they're they're fighting.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
This, Yeah, it boggles my mind. That is what the
lawsuit is over. And you know, we have a similar
situation down in Lee County, another frivolous lawsuit pivoting here
a little bit, going to the k tool sector. But
you know, the teachers union sued and fought against pay
incentives for teachers for choosing to teach in low performing schools. Again,
(03:52):
how is it that the teachers' union, who represents teachers
as it relates to their pay increases, would be an
obstacle here. But Superintendent Carlin down in Lee County stood
up to the unions and used the provision in bid
a law that allows districts to incentivize teacher pay to
improve outcomes for our lowest performing students. And the superintendent
(04:13):
she acted within the law to improve those outcomes for
the low performing students, and they won in court. A
judge just decided that districts can move forward with solutions
that puts students first. So I want to commend the
superintendent and all the school board members on that board
who stood firm in defending student centered policies against the
teachers union.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
All right, we got more, just one more segment to
talk with Anastasioskmutzis, Commissioner of Education. Friends, this is why
I hate the teachers Union. I love teachers, I'm married
to one. I hate the union. My wife is never
part of the union. If you want representation legal, there's
an organization out there that doesn't get involved in the politics, that,
(04:55):
by the way, will provide the legal protection if you
feel like you need it for less money. This is nonsense.
This is rubbish. Why in the world would they not
want to disclose the syllabus ahead of time and then
turn around and call that intimidation academic is infringing on
our academic freedom. Why to release what you've already written
(05:15):
a few days earlier? Lost their mind? I hate unions.
In case you didn't know that, I hate them. Let's
dig a little deeper into this ruling in favor of
Lee County. Why in the world is there an opposition?
I mean, what was the stated opposition to trying to
(05:36):
bring better educators to underperforming schools and helping those students
get a better education by incentivizing pay. What was the argument?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
The argument is that the teachers anion wanted to negotiate
their salaries, They wanted to assert their relevance because they
understand that with these policies that actually prioritize our lowest
performing students by getting the highest quality teachers in there
sooner rather than later, it cuts them out of the process.
And they want to assert their relevance because they see
(06:07):
that here in the state of Florida, their dying breed
parents and teachers are waking up to their shenanigans and
they want no part of it. And so again I
appreciate the superintendent for taking that strong stance. As you see,
we still are dealing with here in Leon County. Our
teachers have not received their pay increases. We talked about
this before. It's because the teachers union negotiation process takes forever,
(06:31):
and so that was the basis of the lawsuits. They
wanted to hold up the money and prevent those teachers
from immediately going over there and getting those pay increases
in the low performing schools by making it a requirement
that is subject to bargaining.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
You know, I remember years ago when Jeb Bush was
in office, the governor put out a basically a chart
that shows the steps that have to be followed to
get rid of a bad teacher. Most teachers I think
really are admirable in what they do and how they
do it and want to do a great job for
their kids. But when you have a bad one, it
(07:05):
just it sort of poisons the whole water hole for
everybody else. And it was ridiculous. Now we're seeing almost
an inversion of that, where you've got paid that's available
for teachers and it's being held up by unions. Is
it strictly a negotiating ploy by the unions? What is
a union going to gain out of this?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Well, their idea is trying to get greater support. They
continue to spout this narrative that Florida, according to the
Teachers Union, is fiftieth ranked and teacher paid. But I
want to talk facts here. Since twenty nineteen, Governor DeSantis
has dedicated more than five point nine billion dollars specifically
(07:47):
to increase teacher salaries. I hope folks understand that investment
did not exist before Governor DeSantis took over. So that's
in addition to the per student paying payments that the
districts are receiving that they're also supposed to budget appropriately.
This teacher salary increase is solely dedicated to teacher pay
(08:10):
and the governor has committed that he will continue to
ask for more money for these teachers because he fundamentally
believes in the profession. He fundamentally believes in the work
that public educators are doing. So this narrative that the
teacher union continues to spout and spend that we are
not supporting the public school system, it's just totally inappropriate.
This governor has put his money where his mouth is,
(08:32):
and the reality is his actions speak for themselves.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Well, it was a great change because while I love
a lot of things that the previous Governor Rick Scott did,
bonuses in education is not the same as salary increases,
as you well know, and so what Governor DeSantis has
done is life changing for a lot of teachers. Let
me just tag on another question that goes with this, though,
(08:56):
Why do we still have circumstances where a teacher that
is not a part of the union is bound by
the collective bargaining agreement of the union.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, look, it's funny you mentioned that because I know
there are quite a few legislators who have the same question,
and I think, you know, I'm hopeful there'll be an
appetite to address that this time around. But you're right.
I mean, why is it that we have a very
good bill that was passed and sent a bill two
fifty six that says you have to have sixty percent
of union membership to exist as a union, and then
(09:27):
you have to go through the recertification process if you
don't meet that threshold. But then you go to an
actual election. You have four thousand members that are part
of the bargaining union, but only one hundred and ninety
nine out of two hundred vote to keep the union.
Therefore they have a majority. And now this union stays
in existence because you have one hundred nine ninety nine
(09:48):
people speaking for the vast majority of the four thousand.
I think there are some things that need to be
readdressed in the law to address this loophole.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Good stuff, as always, I appreciate your time. If we
don't talk before Christmas, have a great Christmas.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Commissioner, thank you, Preston having blest one all.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Right, he's the commissioner of Education for Florida. These are
things that matter. I'm telling you, teachers, the union is
hurting you. They're political and they don't need to be.
They pick fights, they don't need to pick and they're
never on the right side. When was the last time
(10:26):
the Union backed an actual Republican Charlie Christ And maybe
I don't even know if they backed him.
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