Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/27719
position are Eric C. Heins, Gail Mendes, and A.J. Duffy. Heins is a member of the CTA Board of A CTA to hold election for vice president CANDIDATES FOR CTA VICE PRESIDENT t the April State Council meeting, an election will be held for the office of CTA vice president. Running for the Directors and the Pittsburg Education Asso- ciation. Mendes is the current CTA secre- tary-treasurer and a member of United Teachers of Richmond. Duffy is president of United Teachers Los Angeles. Following are unedited campaign state- ERIC C. HEINS Let me begin by saying “Thank you!” Thank you for your participation in the day-to-day challenges of being a public school em- ployee and a public edu- cation advocate. Thank you for your participation in the dai- ly life of our students as a hands-on worker and leader. Finally, thank you for your participation in the demo- cratic process of our union. I am a 20 year elementary teach- education to meet the needs of all our stu- dents and to ensure that CTA remains strong and relevant. Like you, I know that Heins every strong and healthy organization needs to stop periodically to ex- er in Pittsburg, CA. I value the many years I’ve spent working with my students and gaining experience at every level of our Association. I am currently serving on CTA Board of Directors. I’ve learned more fully with each passing day that, whatever your life experiences or backgrounds may be, we really are one CTA family. We share the same characteristics and ideals: strength, compassion, hope, vision, honesty, and the touch of humor that can get us through dif- ficult times. We are currently in a time of transition. Public education, pre- school through graduate school, is being attacked as never before. How we, CTA and public education, emerge from this time depends on the actions we have taken today. We will have to change. With you, I want to be on the cut- ting edge of that change, using our core values to reshape public 30 California Educator | SEPTE 36 MAR MBCH 2011 amine and reexamine itself. We can do that with our CTA: take a good look, ask tough questions, have the difficult conversations, hold on to all that is good, and have the courage to cast away what is no longer of service. When we do, we will emerge even stron- ger and healthier. Let’s connect our core values with the power we’ve gained, through our organizing, at the bargaining table, and in the legis- lative arena to strengthen our union. Let’s build up our profes- sion with our hearts and minds to claim and respect that is rightfully ours. We can marry the strong profession with the strong union — for a better CTA and a public education system that provides an education second-to-none for all students. Please visit my website, www. Eric4CTAVP.com, or send me an email at eric4ctavp@comcast.net. Share with me your thoughts, questions and vision. I am Eric Heins, Candidate for CTA Vice President. Bold Leadership Lighting the Way! Believe! Energize! Advocate! ER 2009 GAIL MENDES I’m Gail Mendes, your CTA Secretary-Treasurer and I’m running for Vice President because I’m tired. I’m tired of our teachers being forced to take cuts to their sal- aries and benefits. I’m tired of our students losing valuable instruc- tional time to furlough days. I’m tired of our Educational Support Professionals having their hours slashed and our educators out- side of the core curriculum areas being treated like disposable ed- ucational fluff. I’m tired of our students arriving at the door- steps of California’s colleges and universities, fully prepared to learn, only to discover that all the classes are full. I am tired of the media targeting educators as the problem rather than the so- lution. Most of all, I’m tired of us not organizing to take control of our profession. To take public education back from the profiteers, we must start playing offense not just defense. It is vital that we create a vision for public educa- tion! It is critical that we craft a vision that reflects our values and concerns, and then as if we were writing an Individual Edu- cational Plan for a student, we have to build an organizing plan to achieve our vision. We must create a long term ments submitted by the candidates, lim- ited to 400 words. Duffy did not submit a campaign statement. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the candidates and not necessarily those of CTA. Mendes organizing plan that engages all 320,000 of our members, draws upon the expertise of each department with- in CTA and utilizes the experience and energy of our entire union. Tired as we are, each of us must recommit to ourselves, our students and to each other that we will organize to take back public education. Failure is not an option. We must hold our- selves and each other account- able as if our lives and the lives of our students depend upon it, be- cause they do. The vision upon which we build our organizing plan can- not be written on stone tablets handed down from on high, it must be a vision shared by all of our members. Your input is vital to our success. Please share your vision for public education and the ways CTA leadership, staff and the other 319,999 members of CTA can support you to take back public education. Send your thoughts to TalkWithGail@ aol.com. I will compile and distribute your vision and orga- nizing plan to the members of State Council at the April State Council meeting. Ask your local union President who represents you on State Coun- cil, and ask your representative to vote for Gail to be your voice, your Vice President.