Rachman is ‘solid as a rock’

Leona Rachman isn't a quitter.

In fact, she's solid as a rock.

At least, that's her campaign slogan, and what she wants voters to know as she campaigns for the Classroom Teacher Association's office of secretary.

"We [teachers] need strong leadership, so I am going to keep running for things because I am going to get elected, and we need to make change," said the UCF adjunct professor.

The position Rachman is running for, which is a two-year term, would involve lobbying the state as an officer, going to meetings and taking notes. Elections will take place Feb. 28 through March 4.

Currently, she teaches children's literature as a UCF adjunct. She plans to stay involved by teaching at Jackson Middle School in Orange County and is working on her doctorate in education at Nova Southeastern University — all while fighting for teachers' rights and finding the time to lobby legislators.

If elected, she has particular policies and procedures, which have not been changed in years, that she plans on looking into.

One of her concerns regarding Orange County Public Schools is accountability.

"UCF has so many accountability measures," Rachman said. "I am one to say everyone can always improve on something, but when you see a university with a system that is working, it's wonderful."

Rachman hopes she can mirror UCF's measures for OCPS, especially after a recent audit reported by ABC News, showing millions of dollars of wasteful spending.

Rachman said the school board says it has no money for teachers' raises. According to her, it's because the board is monitoring their money in other ways.

Not having money to give teachers raises leads to another set of issues Rachman is addressing in her campaign.

Disparity among teachers is one of her primary concerns.

Stimulus money is running out, so the district is cutting teachers and people are filing grievances in Orange County left and right, Rachman said.

She also said there hasn't been a pay raise in three years and that this greatly affects teachers.

"Teachers do not have security anymore," Rachman said. "If you want to value your kids, value your teachers."

Her planned speech for Feb. 22 about the equitable distribution among teachers has been postponed until spring.

Just six months ago, Rachman, who has been an educator in the OCPS system for 20 years, came in second for Orange County School Board Chair.

Despite that loss, she plans on running again four years from now.

Kimberly Dumas, an OCPS teacher, met Rachman on their bus ride to "Rally in Tally" last year, where they lobbied legislators against Senate Bill 6, which would have cut teachers' salaries by 50 percent if passed.

"She's well-rounded on the issues, very up to par," Dumas said. "When we went to ‘Rally in Tally,' she knew who all of the senators were and what districts they were from."

In addition to being educated on the issues, Dumas said Rachman is a well-rounded teacher, person and friend.

Edward Rodriguez, who ran for Orange County Soil & Water Seat 2, supported Rachman's past campaign and is in full support once again.

"She is a great person," Rodriguez said. "I'm delighted to see her six months later running again. You couldn't ask for a more worthy candidate."

Rachman sees a lot of improvements in the years to come for Orange County Schools and their teachers and hopes to be a part of it.

"This is not about me. This is about all teachers being treated fairly," Rachman said. "I believe in this. It's important."

For more information on the elections, visit www.orangecta.org.