Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/34960
¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! B Y C TA P RESIDENT D A VID A. S ANCHEZ dent achievement, and to build organiza- tional capacity. As I developed those goals four years ago, no one had any idea that we would soon be facing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Needless to say, it’s been an extremely F challenging four years, not just for me, but for all of us, for our profession, and for our students. Fortunately, we have been up to those challenges, and together we’ve made sure that our schools and colleges are still funded through the minimum school funding guarantee, with a constitutional requirement that past monies must be re- paid. We protected funding for CTA’s groundbreaking Quality Education Invest- ment Act and demonstrated that this teacher-led reform works. And the State of Emergency campaign we successfully im- plemented in just six weeks proves our or- ganizational capacity is strong and is only getting stronger. Opponents of public education, and those who seek to “support” education by treating it as a for-profit business venture, have used this economic downturn as an opportunity to attack public education funding and push their unproven reforms. And when the merits of their ideas didn’t sway public opinion, they began strategic, well-orchestrated and well-financed at- tacks on the front-line educators who nur- ture children every day. I want to thank all of you for standing in solidarity against those attacks. Yes, our schools and colleges have faced devastating cuts, and thousands of our members have lost their jobs. But without your standing up to the enemies of public education, believe me, it would have been much, much worse. As our schools had their resources slashed, their class sizes increased, and their instructional year shortened, some people thought scapegoating teachers would take the public’s mind off what was really harming our schools. We saw attacks on a fair layoff system, attacks on due pro- ¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! [Yes we can! Why not?], words inspired by César Chávez, encourage us to remember that, together, we can achieve great things. 4 California Educator | JUNE 2011 our years ago, I started my presiden- cy with some important goals — to protect Proposition 98, to show that educator-led reform improves stu- cess rights, merit pay proposals, and at- tacks on secure retirement. And we saw top-down education reform attempts that do nothing to help students or schools. Time and again, when we’ve faced at- tacks, we’ve come together and fought them off, and we’ve shown how reform works best when educators are involved. First, we stopped a harmful ESEA reautho- rization authored by Congressman George Miller. Then, with the initial success of QEIA, we proved teacher-led reform that is built on local collaboration and the exper- tise of educators improves student learn- ing. In the last election, we showed the strength of the “education vote” by over- whelmingly electing pro-public-education candidates in California. But even with these victories, our schools and colleges still suffer from chronic underfunding. Our state is starv- ing itself and chipping away at our collec- tive future in the process. California has the eighth-largest economy is the world, yet ranks 43rd in the nation in per-pupil finding. We’ve cut $20 billion from public education over the past three years, and at the same time handed over billions to our largest corporations in tax breaks without a requirement that they create California- based jobs with the savings. On top of that, most of the state’s revenue comes from per- sonal income tax, a highly volatile tax. No wonder we have a state budget crisis ev- ery year. We must reevaluate how we are funding our government and make it fair and equitable. We can and must do better for our stu- dents and our state. It has truly been an honor to serve as your president and to further the proud mission of the California Teachers Associa- tion. I know that with your dedication and the leadership of the new officers and the CTA Board of Directors, educators can lead the way to a better future for California. EDITOR IN CHIEF Malaika Costello-Dougherty STAFF WRITER Sherry Posnick-Goodwin CTA WEB EDITOR Karyn Ferrera Donhoff CTA WEB EDITOR Tiffany Hasker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Craig Hamilton CTA ELECTED OFFICERS PRESIDENT David A. Sanchez VICE PRESIDENT Dean E. Vogel SECRETARY-TREASURER Gail M. Mendes BOARD OF DIRECTORS José Alcalá, Larry Allen, E. Toby Boyd, Donald L. Bridge, Tyrone V. Cabell, Mikki Cichocki, Elana Davidson, Don Dawson, Dana Dillon, David Goldberg, Jim Groth, Eric C. Heins, Terri Jackson, Marty G. Meeden, George Melendez, Theresa Montaño, Mary Rose Ortega, Cynthia Peña, Jim Rogers, Bonnie Shatun, Marc Sternberger, Michael Stone, KC Walsh, Curtis Washington EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Carolyn Doggett ASSOCIATE EXEC. DIRECTOR Rebecca Zoglman COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jonathan Goldman CONTRIBUTORS Scott Buschman, Dave Crosland, Len Feldman, Dina Martin, Mike Myslinski, Kamran Nasser, Frank Wells EDITORIAL INFORMATION California Educator is published for the information and edification of its members. The editorial philoso- phy is governed by the policies of CTA. Articles and advertising reflect that philosophy. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@cta.org. Publication of advertising in the California Educa- tor does not indicate CTA approval of the product or of the companies that purchase advertising. 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