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Frederick Ingram

Fedrick Ingram is the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union. 1 This position pays close to $400,000 a year derived from teachers’ union dues. 2 Ingram served as the president of Florida’s largest teachers’ union, the Florida Education Association (FEA). 3  Compensation for the president of the FEA is over $200,000 from teachers’ union payments. 4

Ingram gained national publicity in a lawsuit attempting to force Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) to close Florida public schools due the COVID-19 pandemic. 5 Ingram has described Gov. DeSantis as a bully,6 President Donald Trump as dictatorial,7 and endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential election. 8

Fedrick Ingram’s policy positions include increasing Florida education spending by $22 billion,9 reducing standardized testing of students,10 and opposing the Florida Schools of Hope charter-school program. 11

Political Advocacy

Florida Education Association v. DeSantis

Fedrick Ingram championed the lawsuit against Governor DeSantis, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, and others supporting Florida public schools reopening after closures in the wake of COVID-19. 12 Ingram claimed without evidence that death at schools would become customary and affect students’ mental health. 13

He described Governor DeSantis’s school reopening mandate as making Florida the nation’s petri-dish,14 and as “shameful and reckless behavior.” 15 Ingram alleged that DeSantis was putting politics before the lives of children, teachers, and school staff. 16 During a CNN interview, Ingram said the back-to-school order placed school employees in “life or death” peril. 17 He suggested that teachers were measuring all options including not reporting to school. 18

Ingram sought for the local school districts to have the authority to make reopening decisions rather than the state,19 and suggested schools could open if the state provides sufficient funding. 20 The 1st District Court of Appeals ruled that Ingram’s case lacked legal standing, had political basis rather than legal basis, and decided in favor of the State of Florida. 21

Florida Schools of Hope Charter School Program

Fedrick Ingram opposes the Republican-sponsored school choice policy, known as Schools of Hope. He has labeled the program, “Schools of Despair,”22 and alleged it deprives underfunded public schools of $1 billion in state funds. 23 Ingram claims that rather than providing parents a choice of schools, it takes money from less fortunate communities. 24

He started a petition to prevent Trump administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos from conducting a commencement address at his alma mater, Bethune-Cookman University. Ingram based his argument upon her support of charter schools. 25

Increased Government Spending

In what Fedrick Ingram referred to as, “the Decade of Progress,” he proposed a $22 billion increase in education spending in the state of Florida. Ingram defended his proposal by alleging that the state has underfunded education the previous decade and more spending will correct it. 26 He claimed the money goes to students first, for programs like art and band. It would also provide each teacher a ten-percent salary increase. 27

Standardized Testing

Fedrick Ingram opposes standardized testing for measuring student achievement and teacher compensation. He cites technical issues as providing an unreliable and stressful infrastructure for students and teachers. 28 Ingram opposes a $10,000 merit-based bonus program for teachers that relies on student success in ACT and SAT test scores. 29

Background

Fedrick Ingram is a native of Miami, Florida, and graduated from Bethune-Cookman University with a degree in music education. He won the Miami-Dade County teacher of the year award and was a finalist for the state teacher of the year in 2006. Ingram previously worked as the president of the local teachers’ union, United Teachers of Dade, until his election as president of the Florida Education Association. 30 He is currently the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers. 31

References

  1. Solochek, Jeffrey S. “Florida’s Teacher Union Shifts Leaders, as President Goes National.” Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times, September 1, 2020. https://www.tampabay.com/news/gradebook/2020/09/01/floridas-teacher-union-shifts-leaders-as-president-goes-national/.
  2. American Federation of Teachers, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017,Part VII A https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/360/725/2018-360725240-1092c8b9-9O.pdf
  3. Solochek, Jeffrey S. “Florida’s Teacher Union Shifts Leaders, as President Goes National.” Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times, September 1, 2020. https://www.tampabay.com/news/gradebook/2020/09/01/floridas-teacher-union-shifts-leaders-as-president-goes-national/.
  4. Capitolist Staff. “Florida’s State Teachers Union Has 43 Employees Making over $100K a Year.” The Capitolist, August 11, 2016. https://thecapitolist.com/floridas-state-teachers-union-has-43-employees-making-over-100k-a-year/.
  5. Haughey, John. “Florida Governor Implores, but Doesn’t Order, School Districts to Offer in-Person Instruction.” Washington Examiner. Washington Examiner, July 23, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/florida-governor-implores-but-doesnt-order-school-districts-to-offer-in-person-instruction.
  6. Ingram, Fedrick. “Ingram Twittter Feed.” Ingram Twitter Feed, September 29, 2020. HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/FEDINGRAM/STATUS/1311057960865615878.
  7. Ingram, Fedrick. Fedrick Ingram Twitter Feed, September 24, 2020. HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/FEDINGRAM/STATUS/1309183269636911104.
  8. “More than a Dozen Florida Leaders Endorse Joe Biden Ahead of Tomorrow’s Presidential Primary.” Biden for President Florida endorsements in advance of the March 17, 2020 primary, March 16, 2020. https://democracyinaction.us/2020/biden/bidenflendorse.html.
  9. Warmoth, Justin. “FEA President Discusses Teacher Pay on ‘The Weekly.’” WKMG. WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando, December 9, 2019. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2019/12/02/fea-president-discusses-teacher-pay-on-the-weekly/.
  10. Ingram, Fedrick. “State Mandated Testing Opened With An Epic Fail.” Miami’s Community News, May 1, 2015. https://communitynewspapers.com/aventura-news/state-mandated-testing-opened-with-an-epic-fail/.
  11. Fedrick Ingram, Florida Phoenix April 30. “Teacher Union President: Do State Lawmakers Want Florida’s Kids to Fail?” Florida Phoenix, April 30, 2019. https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2019/04/30/teacher-union-president-do-state-lawmakers-want-floridas-kids-to-fail/.
  12. Grayer, Annie, and Randi Kaye. “Florida Educators File Lawsuit after State Forces Schools to Reopen This Fall.” KEZI News, July 21, 2020. https://www.kezi.com/content/national/571844281.html.
  13. Johnson, Alex. “Two Florida Teenagers Die from COVID-19 as Schools Push to Reopen.” World Socialist Web Site, August 6, 2020. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/06/flod-a06.html.
  14. Leary, Alex, Tawnell D. Hobbs, and Andrew Duehren. “Trump Administration Pushes for Schools to Reopen.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, July 7, 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-pushes-for-schools-to-reopen-11594137764?mod=searchresults.
  15. Ingram, Fedrick. “Head of Florida Teachers Union: Educators Preparing Wills amid School Reopening Order.” MSNBC. NBCUniversal News Group, July 22, 2020. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/head-of-florida-teachers-union-educators-preparing-wills-amid-school-reopening-order-88101957919?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_lw.
  16. Grayer, Annie, and Randi Kaye. “Florida Educators File Lawsuit after State Forces Schools to Reopen This Fall.” KEZI News, July 21, 2020. https://www.kezi.com/content/national/571844281.html.
  17. Haughey, John. “Resistance Mounts to Order Requiring Florida’s K-12 Schools to Reopen Fully in August.” Washington Examiner, July 8, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/resistance-mounts-to-order-requiring-floridas-k-12-schools-to-reopen-fully-in-august.
  18. Sherfinski, David. “Head of Florida Teachers Union Says Teachers Might Not Show If Schools Reopen.” The Washington Times. The Washington Times, July 21, 2020. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/21/head-florida-teachers-union-says-teachers-might-no/.
  19. Cotterell, Bill. “School Reopening Ruling Is an Encouraging Sign: Bill Cotterell.” Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee Democrat, August 26, 2020. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2020/08/26/coronavirus-school-reopening-ruling-encouraging-sign-bill-cotterell/5631065002/.
  20. Geraghty, Jim. “President Trump Keeps Shooting Himself in the Foot.” National Review. National Review, July 29, 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/president-trump-keeps-shooting-himself-in-the-foot/.
  21. Johnson, Alex. “COVID-19 Outbreaks Erupt in Florida Public Schools as State Demands Further Reopenings.” World Socialist Web Site, October 13, 2020. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/14/flor-o14.html.
  22. Fedrick Ingram, Florida Phoenix April 30. “Teacher Union President: Do State Lawmakers Want Florida’s Kids to Fail?” Florida Phoenix, April 30, 2019. https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2019/04/30/teacher-union-president-do-state-lawmakers-want-floridas-kids-to-fail/.
  23. Ingram, Fedrick. “Opinion | Charters: A Drain on Classic Public Schools.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, October 30, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/charters-a-drain-on-classic-public-schools-11572472239.
  24. Ingram, Fedrick. “A Systematic Defunding of Public Schools, School Grading Systems That Target Vulnerable Communities, a Wave of over Testing Students, Performance and Bonus Pay Schemes, Creating Parallel School Systems by Funding Charter Schools and Voucher Programs That Prey on Poor Communities.” Twitter. Twitter, February 28, 2020. https://twitter.com/fedingram/status/1233466680522813440.
  25. Ingram, Fedrick. “Betsy DeVos Invited to Speak at… Bethune-Cookman Commencement??” deutsch29, May 7, 2017. https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2017/05/06/betsy-devos-invited-to-speak-at-bethune-cookman-commencement/.
  26. Hatter, Lynn. “Florida Teachers Union, FEA, Calls For 10-Year, $22B Boost To Public Education.” WLRN, August 11, 2020. https://www.wlrn.org/2019-08-26/florida-teachers-union-fea-calls-for-10-year-22b-boost-to-public-education.
  27. Warmoth, Justin. “FEA President Discusses Teacher Pay on ‘The Weekly.’” WKMG. WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando, December 9, 2019. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2019/12/02/fea-president-discusses-teacher-pay-on-the-weekly/.
  28. Grimm, Fred. “Herald’s Fred Grimm: Florida Flunked the Test, Failed the Kids.” Daily Kos, March 17, 2015. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/3/17/1371636/-Herald-s-Fred-Grimm-Florida-flunked-the-test-failed-the-kids.
  29. Fineout, Gary. “Politico .” Florida Playbook, January 15, 2016. HTTPS://WWW.POLITICO.COM/TIPSHEETS/FLORIDA-PLAYBOOK/2016/01/POLITICO-FLORIDA-PLAYBOOK-ANOTHER-MOMENT-WITHOUT-MOMENTUM-FOR-RUBIO-JEB-DONORS-READY-TO-JUMP-SHIP-FL-SENATES-NEW-REBEL-FREE-FLAG-HENDRY-COUNTY-FACE-MONKEY-BUSINESS-TRIAL-LITERALLY-212182.
  30. “Fedrick-Ingram-Bio.” DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION COMMITTEE OF ST JOHNS COUNTY. Accessed October 19, 2020. https://www.mlkcelebrationcommittee.com/fedrick-ingram-bio.html.
  31. Callahan, Angela. “Why Black Male Teachers Matter.” American Federation of Teachers, June 10, 2020. https://www.aft.org/news/why-black-male-teachers-matter.
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