Recent efforts by some districts to eliminate class-size reduction must be met with unequivocal opposition, CTA President Wayne Johnson warned State Council members in his Saturday morning remarks.

"This is the most irresponsible proposal I have ever heard in my 40 years of teaching," Johnson said of moves by three school districts to eliminate class-size reduction in order to save money.

"Polls tell us that 70 percent of the people believe smaller class size is the key to improving public schools," Johnson said. "As Vital Search Incorporate found in 2001 when they studied 20,000 LAUSD kids, reduced class size improved test scores, especially math and language arts."

"Now along comes some bloated bureaucrats in these school districts, isolated in a central district office, obviously with too little oxygen in the room and they say, 'How can we save money to keep our bloated bureaucracy? Then some administrative genius pops up and says, 'Let's cut class-size reduction in K-3.' "

Johnson admonished, "They want to cut a program that we should be moving up to the 4th, 5th and 6th grades, not cutting in K-3. They want to cut a program that we should implement in high school. In addition, legislation is being proposed by these same bureaucrats to raise class averages in K-3 to 22 pupils.

"We are going to expose these educational phonies, and we are going to win this fight, make no mistake about it," he said.

Johnson told the Council that CTA will remain vigilant in guarding against bad legislative proposals that attempt to blame and punish teachers. Policy makers continue to ignore the fact that 25 percent of California kids live in poverty, while the state has the greatest number of students who are limited-English-speaking.

"Child poverty is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about when you talk about the problems of public schools," Johnson said. "Nobody wants to admit that California and the United States have a severe child poverty problem, it's almost un-American to raise it as an educational issue." Yet, the response of policy-makers to the problem is that teachers must be held accountable, work harder and give students more tests, Johnson said.

CTA led the fight to provide more funds for low-performing schools, Johnson said, and will continue its effort to change the bargaining law so that teachers have more decision-making authority over curriculum, school spending and teaching methods to help their students.

If California is going to truly improve its schools, "We must be given the professional control of our classroom to do the job," Johnson said.

Council readies for NEA/CTA Read Across America Day

Mira Costa High School drama students staged "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" at State Council in honor of Read Across America.'

Once again, State Council members were given their marching orders on Saturday morning to urge their colleagues around the state to participate in the NEA/CTA Read Across America Day on March 1. The event celebrates Dr. Seuss's birthday and offers CTA an opportunity to participate in a well-received public service campaign about the importance of reading. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is honorary chairperson while CTA's NEA Directors Dana Dillon, Barbara Ferges and Diana Garchow join CTA Director Deborah Harrison in heading up the California event.

Council urged to re-elect Davis

In the interest of public education and students in California, Gov. Gray Davis must be re-elected to a second term, CTA President Wayne Johnson told the 700 teachers who traveled to Los Angeles for the first State Council of Education meeting of the new year.

Furthermore, CTA members must become active to see that the governor is re-elected.

Johnson candidly acknowledged that the Governor is not universally popular among California's 335,000 CTA members. Despite that, Johnson noted, Gov. Davis was key in obtaining $1.84 billion in ongoing education funds for teachers' salaries, and has worked for increased funding for education each year that he has been in office.

Given the Republican alternatives, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, Secretary of State Bill Jones, and millionaire businessman Bill Simon, "The choice is clear," Johnson said.

The most likely opponent, Dick Riordan, a voucher supporter who believes school board members should be appointed by mayors, "would be a disaster for California public schools" Johnson proclaimed.

Although Davis hasn't been perfect, he has worked closely with CTA in recent months in making necessary cuts to the state's budget, including $850 million in cuts to education funding.

"The cuts that Davis proposed will hurt, but they could have been much worse," Johnson said. "And when the Governor laid out his 2002-03 preliminary state budget, he did not propose suspension of Prop. 98 as the legislative analyst had suggested," Johnson said. In addition, he proposed full growth and a 2.1 percent COLA.

In subsequent remarks to Council the next day, CTA Executive Director Carolyn Doggett reiterated the election-year message.

"The three most important elected offices to us in California are: the governor; the governor; the governor. In the world of term limits, the power of California's governor has increased exponentially."

Doggett's five key criteria for governor includes a candidate's opposition to vouchers; support for an increase in school funding, particularly for teacher pay; a commitment to the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively; supporting increased retirement benefits; support of positive educational initiatives.

In all of these areas, Doggett said, Davis has met all criteria. He opposed both voucher initiatives, funded education over the Prop. 98 guarantee every year ; has not threatened collective bargaining in any way, as did previous governors; provided the largest single improvement to retirement benefits in modern history; and supported a state school bond measure.

While the governor "is not all that we want," Doggett urged teachers to consider the alternatives – and to vote for Gray Davis.

State Council elects board members

State Council filled a CTA board seat vacated by Angela Marese Boyle, elected three new NEA board members and re-elected two. Cynthia Peña was elected to fill Boyle's remaining term as CTA Director of District G. Peña is a teacher in the Alisal Union Elementary School District in Salinas. The unfinished term expires in June 2003. New NEA Directors include Mike Jauregui, to District 1; Marc Knapp to District 10; and Eugene Fernandes to the new District 16. Re-elected were NEA Directors Eric C. Heins; District 3; and Mary Rose Ortega, District 6/14.

CTA recommends statewide candidates

CTA's State Council of Education, in a vote from the floor, recommended three statewide candidates for office in the March 5, 2002 election. Those receiving the council's support are:

Carol Migden for Board of Equalization, District 1; Bill Leonard for Board of Equalization, District 2; and Kevin Shelley, for Secretary of State. The council voted to remain neutral in the race for Insurance Commissioner. In addition, the council made recommendations in dozens of local state Assembly and Senate races, as well as in Congressional races. Click here for more information on the official recommendations from the CTA website.