Council Decides June 2004

 

 

Kerr: This year’s successes will pave the way for next year

 

CTA had several important victories this year that should inspire our chapters to continue fighting for all public schools, President Barbara E. Kerr told State Council at its June meeting.

 

First, teachers passed a statewide school bond in March that now means CTA has successfully won approval of a total of $36 billion for local school construction over the past 10 years.

 

"We have successfully reopened the debate on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and forced President Bush to make changes in his No Child Left Behind Law," Kerr said. "He and his administration are on the defensive now and we need to keep them there."

 

Reaching a state budget solution with the governor that protects education was another big win for CTA. The  agreement, which must be approved by the Legislature, protects the base of education funding and provides full cost of living and enrollment growth increases.

 

The governor has "kept his word to CTA on the K-14 budget. He has worked with us every step of the way," Kerr said. However, CTA will continue to fight for funding for the troubled higher education system where the California Faculty Association is battling the worst higher education budget package in years.

 

With so much more to accomplish, there is little time to rest.

 

"Tired as we may be, we still need to take time to reflect on lessons learned and to think about our hopes for the future. And get ready – because we have a lot more to do next year."

 

 

The place where minorities find themselves today "has not been by accident," according to Cheryl Brown-Henderson, daughter of one of the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit 50 years ago.

 

The decision that guaranteed an end to segregation was part of a pattern of challenges mounted over many years, she told Council Saturday morning.

 

The people who joined in the suit were "ordinary people in the midst of extraordinary change." she said. What they didn't know was how committed others were to "holding on to certain privileges." She urged teachers to get the full story of the Brown ruling by going to http://www.brownvboard.org/.

 

Voters in November should be mindful of the suggestion that the nation return to the "good old days," she cautioned. "Just ask, 'Good for whom?' "

 

Even though there are many battles still to be fought, especially in the arena of equal access to education, she believes the nation is not interested in going back to the days of privilege for only a few.

 

On a similar note, CTA President Barbara E. Kerr told Council delegates the Brown decision was not the result of the actions of one person. It was the result of many people working together over a period of years, "struggling to end segregation in our schools and in our country."

 

They succeeded because they were part of a network of people committed to achieving their vision, Kerr said.

 

"They were ready to stand together to fight for that vision for a better America. That's how I see CTA. We are fighters, too. We have a vision of a California where every child regardless of race, ethnicity, sex or sexual orientation receives a quality education, and where every teacher receives decent treatment and good working conditions."

 

The vision, "is definitely worth fighting for," she said.

 

 

Values dear to the hearts of the public, like educating the nation's children, should not be bipartisan issues, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer said in a speech that drew loud applause from Council delegates.

 

President  Bush's actions speak louder than words. By flat-funding public education, she said, he is "breaking the promise we made to children."

 

She criticized President Bush for touting his commitment to public schools with the No Child Left Behind Act, but then leaving it seriously under funded.

 

"We need to fully fund public education," she said, and be committed to our students. "This means that if you say that our children are our future, you cannot stop there. You have to show it."

 

Voting Bush out of office this fall should be our response, she said.

 

"I say to this president, ‘You have not kept your promise with the American people, and the American people have an answer. It’s called this: November 2.’ On Election Day, vote like your job depends on it."

 

To an enthusiastic audience, Boxer explained how she's a poster child for public education. She said her record shows her commitment to public schools.

 

Boxer reminded Council of her strong record in the U.S. Senate on education issues. Her amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act will provide after-school services to 3.5 million students by the year 2007, and she is now proposing that college tuition be tax-deductible.

 

Boxer said teacher support is vital in her fight to hold onto her seat in Congress against Republican challenger Bill Jones. Despite a strong early lead over Jones in the polls, Boxer is not taking the support of teachers and CTA lightly.

 

"I don’t want you to think for one minute that I take your support for granted."

 

She urged teachers to read more about her track record on her campaign website: http://www.boxer2004.org/.

 

 

As healthcare costs soar across the state and nation, CTA is fighting back to protect teachers, Executive Director Carolyn Doggett stressed to State Council.

 

"We must all work together to bring about the needed systemic changes or we will all share the blame for the collapse of the system," she said. "Our goal should continue to be what every other industrialized nation has achieved, healthcare that is there for everyone."

 

To that end, CTA is working on several fronts. The union is on the record of supporting a referendum on the November ballot to keep legislation signed into law by former Gov. Gray Davis that requires employers with 50 or more workers to take part in a mandatory healthcare benefits program for employees.

 

Doggett said CTA staff "are being trained on the latest cost containment ideas for maximizing health benefit dollars and will continue to work with local leaders at bargaining tables."

 

Doggett has appointed CTA staff to analyze all existing health reform plans. The group’s report is now being reviewed by the Board of Directors’ Healthcare Benefits Workgroup made up of leaders and staff that will report back at the Board’s July meeting.

 

The work group will look hard at the CTA-supported bill, SB 921, which offers healthcare for all Californians with a single-payer plan that could save more than $14 billion in administrative overhead. "This measure would help 7 million Californians, including children and teachers, secure healthcare," Doggett said.

 

 

In other business, State Council: