As an organization, CTA has been through tough times before. In fact, CTA has become a stronger organization for it, CTA President Barbara Kerr said in her remarks Saturday to State Council.

 

"We've all been here before. We've worked through tight budgets. We lived through 16 years of Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian. We defeated two school voucher attacks. We silenced those who wanted to silence the voice of teachers and working families. Yes, not only did we survive those hard times, but we grew stronger," Kerr said.

 

CTA will continue to persevere through these tough times, too, Kerr said. Although CTA did not support the Recall Election of Gov. Gray Davis, it is committed to working with Gov.-elect Schwarzenegger to implement his promise to make children and quality education the number one priority in the state budget. Kerr delivered some advice to the governor about working with CTA.

 

"CTA is a problem-solving organization – when you involve us in the process. If you try to leave us on the sidelines, we'll be your biggest nightmare," she said.

 

Kerr listed a few recommendations for the new governor. Among them were to: put partisan politics aside; hire a finance director that understands school finance; never fund public schools below the Proposition 98 minimum funding guarantee; reject proposals for a permanent spending cap; support the March state school bond; and eliminate the office of the Secretary of Education.

 

The Recall Election was just the beginning of a political year, Kerr said. That election is to be followed by a November ballot which features more than 1,000 local school board elections and the March 2004 election. Along with the presidential primary, the March ballot includes two important CTA-supported initiatives. They are Prop. 55, a $12.3 billion state school bond that will finish the work started in 2002 to provide adequate school and college facilities; and Prop. 56, the Budget Accountability Act which reforms the state budget process.

 

 

An education initiative that will provide substantial new resources for the state's K-12 classrooms as well as access to voluntary universal preschool received the full support of CTA's State Council of Education on Sunday morning.

 

The initiative will pair CTA with children's advocate and filmmaker Rob Reiner to bring new funding to the state's schools and preschools. The initiative, which increases the tax rate on commercial property by .55 percent, will raise more than $3 billion annually for K-12 schools and $1.5 billion for preschools. It does not raise residential property taxes or taxes for California homeowners. It will also provide personal property tax relief for small businesses.

 

The money for K-12 education may only be spent for reducing class sizes, buying up-to-date textbooks and materials, and improving teacher compensation and training. The initiative includes strict annual audits and prohibits the use of any funds on administration.

 

In an appearance before Council at a dinner Friday night, Rob Reiner talked about the importance of access to preschool. The preschool movement is "designed to help strengthen K through 12. We are all trying to do the same thing," he said, also observing that education is the ultimate basis for a healthy economy in California.

 

Noting that CTA led the charge for the Class Size Reduction program, Proposition 98, two of the largest statewide school bond initiatives, and in bringing additional resources to Schools of Greatest Need, Kerr acknowledged that the initiative will not be an easy sell.

 

"But again I say, we are in this together and I ask you, if not us, who else? We must continue to be the voice of our students," she said.

 

With Council's vote, CTA will join with Rob Reiner to file the initiative and begin collecting signatures to place it on the November 2004 ballot.

 

 

Impressed by his strong commitment to public education and teachers, CTA's State Council of Education voted overwhelmingly to recommend Howard Dean in the March presidential primary election.

 

"This primary election is too important to ignore," said CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. "Our voices must be heard in this critical race. Howard Dean has a long history of supporting public schools and children, and he understands the dangers we face from the federal government's growing influence over our classrooms and how we teach."

 

Kerr noted that Dean shares CTA's concerns about President Bush's so-called No Child Left Behind Act and the unfunded mandates it imposes on public schools across the nation. He opposes the law's rigid and unrealistic penalties, and will work with teachers to overturn its reliance on standardized tests. He also supports full funding of the federal government's commitment to special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and believes all children have a right to health care.

 

CTA's recommendation of Dean in October follows his impressive appearance before Council in June.

 

CTA State Council delegates also dug deep into their own pockets at the Fall Council in a spontaneous show of support for striking grocery workers in Southern California. On their own, Council members collected $9,000 for the strikers, which was then matched by CTA for a total contribution of $18,000.

 

The donations came after President Kerr reminded the State Council that one of the strike's central issues is employers wanting to sharply raise health care costs, a battle that many teachers are also fighting at bargaining tables in local school districts.

 

Kerr introduced Connie Leyva, president of Local 1428 of the United Food and Commercial Workers international union who told council, "We are fighting to preserve the middle class."

 

In other news, Council also approved a motion to eliminate the state's office of the Secretary of Education. The Council reasoned that the position is a wasteful bureaucracy that doesn't help students. 

 

Elected by Council to fill the position of CTA Board of Directors for District O is Mikki Cichocki, a State Council representative and former president of the San Bernardino Teachers Association.

 

Tamara Connors of the Teachers Association of Paradise was elected NEA Director from District 1, and Pat Whyte of the Vallejo Education Association was elected NEA District 2 board member.

 

 

With dark, smoky skies threatening in Los Angeles, and Southern California firestorms at the doorstep of many State Council delegates and members, CTA's Executive Director Carolyn Doggett urged that thoughts and prayers be sent out to friends and colleagues. She also urged contributions be made to the Foundation to Assist California's Teachers (FACT), which provides disaster relief for members.

 

Yet, the fires weren't the only concern for State Council. Doggett outlined several other ongoing challenges for CTA, including the rising cost of health benefits, the federal No Child Left Behind requirements for highly qualified teachers, the $12.3 billion school bond issue, and the Budget Accountability Act, both on the March primary ballot.

 

CTA is tackling all of these issues head-on, Doggett said. Staff will be receiving special training it will pass on to members regarding maximizing health benefits in bargaining and CTA is researching how to address the problem statewide and nationally. Staff is also being trained to help teachers respond adequately to the highly qualified teacher issue. In addition, CTA is also preparing for the two campaigns in the spring.

 

"Are we up to these challenges? Absolutely! ...We are all part of the CTA family. The more challenges we face, the stronger we will become and the more we will be drawn together. This great state of California will recover. CTA, our union, will grow and prosper, as we have been doing for the past 140 years. We will continue to show the nation that we are up to these challenges," Doggett said.