JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “This will never happen again!” 

These are words from the new leadership of Duval Teachers United following the federal indictments of their former leaders.

The former president and vice president of Duval Teachers United are accused of scheming to take more than $2 million from the teachers union. The union’s new president of said it will never happen again and teachers told First Coast News they hope that’s the case.

“It was just like a wow, wow, wow thing, really shocking,” said Mary Webster, a Duval County teacher.

Webster has been a DTU member for nearly 10 years. She said she was shocked to learn the union’s former longtime leaders, Terrie Brady and Ruby George, are facing federal fraud and conspiracy charges. The women are accused of falsifying leave time records for almost a decade and selling unused time back to the union to claim over $1 million each, the indictment says.

“I am quite confident with the new organization,” Webster said about the new union leaders. “The way they’re doing things is quite different. Hopefully there’ll be greater integrity and honesty in the union.”

Tammie Brooks-Evans is the president of DTU and said her team has made changes in the last 14 months since she took over leadership.

“We have put systems in place to make sure that we are doing everything we can to safeguard the funding of DTU,” Brooks-Evans said.

Brooks-Evans has a list of additional checks and balances she said her team has implemented.

“We have put processes in place to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Brooks-Evans said. “We make sure that we have everything that goes through our board, approval through them, we have an outside accountant that takes care of all of our billing and helps us with making sure that we are following all of the laws that are required for IRS and all the things that we need to file. That is all in place and we are following that to make sure that we do the very best job that we can as the new leadership of Duval Teachers United.”

Another person who said this shouldn’t happen again is Representative Dean Black, (R) District 15. He backed a 2023 law that made changes for teachers unions, including requiring them to provide an audited financial report to members.

“I will make sure that House Bill 1445 and Senate Bill 256, particularly the audit provisions, are meticulously adhered to,” Black said.

Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said those laws have made it more complicated for teachers to pay union dues. He commented on the indictments.

“I think the local has done what they need to do to make sure that they have transparency, that they are taking the steps so something like this doesn’t ever happen again,” Spar said. “And now it’s really up to the courts.”

An attorney for George could not be reached Tuesday, but Brady’s lawyer provided the following statement:

“For decades, Teresa Brady has been applauded as an advocate for our local teachers and quality education. Throughout her career with Duval Teachers United, Mrs. Brady accurately reported her compensation to the federal government in her tax returns. We are confident as we move forward, and Mrs. Brady appreciates the outpouring of support.” 

See the entire statement from DTU below:

“This will never happen again! Over a year ago, DTU was made aware that the FBI and IRS were investigating former President Terrie Brady and former Vice President Ruby George related to misappropriation of funds. Neither the Duval Teachers United organization nor any current employees were subjects of the investigation which was conducted. The new leadership has been cooperating fully with law enforcement to support a full and thorough investigation. DTU will pursue all legal channels to recoup lost funds and hold those responsible accountable. 

We want to be clear: members and current leadership of DTU and affiliated unions do not tolerate the undermining of our members or the misuse of valuable membership dollars.

The Board of Directors elected new leadership in the Fall of 2023: Tammie Brooks-Evans, President; Jessica Reyst, Vice-President; Melisa James, Secretary/Treasurer for Duval Teachers United.

Under the new leadership of Tammie, Jessica, and Melisa, the Board of Directors have taken several steps to ensure the safeguarding of member investment in their union.

• We have put in place new best practice systems that create additional checks and balances while also auditing the prior leadership’s accounting.
• These measures have included hiring an independent outside bookkeeper.
• Staff and leadership reimbursements must be submitted and approved by President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer and outside accountant before payments are processed.
• The selling of leave days must first be approved by the Board of Directors.
• Initiating a forensic audit and ensuring that the continuing financial obligations are put in front of the DTU board of directors for review and approval prior to implementation.
• The Board of Directors has received training to empower it in their role as the governing body of DTU. Board members have formed specialty committees that oversee the critical functions of DTU operations, so transparency and accountability are always a part of our culture moving forward.

The organization of DTU and its new leadership are committed to their role as good stewards of the membership dollars that are entrusted to the professional organization. DTU believes that ensuring all employees have the best working conditions, resources, and compensation translates to a world-class education for our students. Recruiting and retaining high quality education professionals will ensure that Duval County’s future remains bright. DTU is in a better position than ever to ensure that every Duval County student has access to a quality public education and an educational community that cares deeply about their success.”