Voters demonstrate support for schools in off-year elections at the local level
Despite predictions of a lukewarm voter turnout and concerns about the economy, teacher activism in the off-year November 6 ballot elections resulted in approval of $4.7 billion to repair and build schools, and the election of almost 150 teacher-friendly candidates to school boards around the state.
La Quita Cole and her Cleveland Elementary kindergartners were featured on the campaign materials for Oakland's Measure B.
Certainly propelling the high success rate for bond elections was Proposition 39, the ballot measure approved in November 2000 that lowered the majority needed to approve school bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent. California voters approved all but eight of the 52 school and community college bond measures on local ballots this year.
CTA, through its Association for Better Citizenship political action committee, supported a number of winners. In fact, CTA and its affiliates achieved success in 11 of the 14 local bond and parcel tax elections (79 percent) and 146 of the 191 local school board candidates they supported (76 percent). In addition, there were several other successful elections in which CTA and Community College Association chapters who did not receive campaign funds were active.
By 3 to 1, voters decisively defeated a measure that would have allowed the city of Carson to break away from the Los Angeles Unified School District. The proposal to carve out a 21,500-student 17-campus district from Los Angeles was defeated with the help of activists from United Teachers Los Angeles, including many Carson teachers who strongly opposed the move. The measure was the first secessionist proposal to reach voters in 50 years.
Members of the Oakland Education Association played a visible part in the campaign to pass Measure B, a parcel tax that will provide textbooks, continued class size reduction and enhanced teacher salaries. Teachers discussed the measure with parents, carried out an absentee voter blitz and conducted a get-out-the-vote campaign in the community and among their own members.
"Oakland voters always step up to the plate when it comes to supporting public education," says OEA President Sheila Quintana, "but this particular measure mentioned teacher salaries right on the ballot. I think that was a vote of confidence from the voters for our teachers. Not only have we received a 24-percent salary increase over the past few years, but voters have said they want money set aside for salary increases."
After a previous bond measure failed by less than 1 percent - before the passage of Prop. 39 - the Sequoia Union High School Teachers Association (San Mateo County) once again joined in a coalition with the district and community in the effort to obtain passage of Measure G, an $88 million bond that extends a measure passed in 1996.
"We solicited 150 donations from our members, conducted meetings on-site and held phone banks to get out the vote," says SUHSTA President Mike Radoye.
Not only will the passage of the bond help renovate and upgrade facilities in the district, but its success is expected to help the chapter politically as it goes into bargaining later in the school year.
"We hope to point out our unit's support of the bond when we go to the bargaining table," says Radoye.
Political activism also defeated a number of incumbents and elected teacher-supported candidates to school boards. Among them were three candidates supported by the Bellflower Education Association. Throughout the campaign, BEA claimed that board members had not been responsive to teachers, parents or students. Under the leadership of President Marianne Reynolds, the chapter staffed phone banks to contact voters and campaign on behalf of their candidates.
"We're happy that voters were not fooled by the smear campaign conducted by the opposition," says Reynolds. The election also made it obvious to members that "teachers do have the respect of the community."
Among the three elected to the board was special education teacher Bill St. Marie, a member of the Los Angeles County Teachers Association who described the election as "a clear mandate for change."
In Santa Clarita Valley, several chapters banded together to support local candidates and won eight out of nine seats, three in the William S. Hart Union High School District, two in the Cataic Union and three in the Sulphur Springs Union Elementary.
"We have a long-standing history of working together, and truly coordinating our message among our members in five chapters and one ESP chapter," says Hart District Teachers Association President Orval Garrison. "In addition, we've actively participated in CTA and have taken advantage of the political action committee funds."
As a result of the election of three new board members in the Hart District, Garrison says he expects communications to improve between the local chapter and the board so that the association won't have to have its message filtered through district administrators.
In Compton, three out of five candidates supported by the Compton Education Association were elected to the school board. The election marks the first time voters have chosen candidates who will have control over the troubled district since it was taken over by the state more than eight years ago.
In Solano County, hard work by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association (F-SUTA) resulted in the election of a Vacaville teacher, Barbara Daw-Mallon, to the Fairfield Unified School District board. She tallied the most votes among 12 candidates running for three seats.
The 10-day F-SUTA strike in June galvanized teachers to change the school board's direction. A second candidate backed by teachers was 656 votes shy of being elected.
Also winning in the November elections were several CTA teacher-leaders. Among those elected to school boards were Mike Lara, a member of the El Centro Elementary Teachers Association; Marty Meeden, a member of the Westside Unified Teachers Association in Los Angeles; Ana Valencia, a member of the Teachers Association of Norwalk; Resa Foss, a member the Monterey Bay Teachers Association; Bill Hedrick, a member of the Corona-Norco Teachers Association; David Sanchez, a member of the Beaumont Teachers Association; and John Aaron, a member of the Alisal Teachers Association.
La Quita Cole and her Cleveland Elementary kindergartners were featured on the campaign materials for Oakland's Measure B.
