Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/20186
GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN RIGHT: Jerry Brown surrounded by media and partygoers at the Oakland Democratic Party event on election night as he hears he has just won the race for governor of California. allowing schools to plan their budgets in advance. Unfortunately, CTA-spon- sored Proposition 24, which would have closed tax loop- holes for large corporations and helped to increase fund- ing for schools, was rejected by voters. CTA leaders on the election results “This was a very important election,” said CTA President David A. Sanchez. “The end re- sult was that voters made it clear their vote was not for sale — and this election could not be bought. And it was really the working class that turned out to vote and send this message. Voters also sent a clear message with their candidate choices that they wanted leaders who respected teachers and would work with us to improve our struggling schools. The real winners tonight are our stu- dents, schools and colleges.” Sanchez also expressed ap- preciation to members and staff for the hard work that went into the 2010 campaign. “Take it from me, CTA mem- bers made a big difference in this election. And their work to mobilize our members was the key to making that happen.” “What stood out in this campaign is that the entire la- bor community came together NOVEMBER 2010 | www.cta.org 27 to support Jerry Brown for gov- ernor,” said CTA Vice President Dean Vogel. “It was a great team effort. So much of this campaign was about labor bashing coming from the far right, trying to energize their base. But even though union bashing was on television all the time, it didn’t mean this was the view held by the public, or that this message resonated with the general public. Cali- fornians still believe in public education — and believe in teachers.” CTA wins scores of local and stateraces CTA members and resources made the difference in scores of local and state races, showing that the election was a vote for public schools and those candidates who support them. In the races for Congress and the state Legislature, CTA had a success rate of 70 percent, based on unoffi cial elec- tion results at press time. CTA also helped pass Proposition 25, a major victory that means the state will now join 47 others in the nation re- quiring only a simple majority vote in the Legislature to pass a state budget. Local CTA chapters won 66 percent of the candidates and local measures they endorsed and fought for with phone banking, precinct walking and community mobilization. Statewide, a healthy 46 of 63 school bond mea- sures were approved by voters, providing $3.6 billion for school construction and modernization, the California Department of Education reported. The ongoing recession hurt the chances of teachers seeking the two-thirds supermajority vote needed to pass parcel taxes, with only two of 18 securing passage. Eleven more parcel taxes would have passed if the threshold for approval had been 55 percent, the same as for school bonds, an overdue change that is supported by CTA and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell. Members of the Fremont Unifi ed District Teachers Asso- ciation in the Bay Area were ecstatic that their modest $53 parcel tax was one that mustered enough votes to pass, with 69.4 percent. It will provide up to $3.3 million a year for fi ve years to keep class sizes small in the Fremont Unifi ed School District, and restore at least some of the cuts in pro- grams, said an elated FUDTA President Brannin Dorsey. “This is a huge win for us,” Dorsey said. “It is not a silver bullet, but the funds will help stop the bleeding.” “It proves that there is noth- ing that teachers can’t accom- plish if they work together,” said CTA Secretary-Treasurer Gail Mendes. “And that’s ex- actly what we did. Even though Proposition 24 did not pass, we have laid the groundwork Photo by Scott Buschman