Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/34960
Kerr, and California labor leaders and activists. CTA President- elect Dean E. Vogel, who takes of- fice on June 26, praised Sanchez for helping him learn the ropes. “I feel incredibly prepared to take over the leadership of this organization,” said Vogel, who has served as CTA vice president the past four years. Carolyn Doggett has outrage and optimism Attacks on public education are cause for outrage, but hopeful signs such as CTA’s teacher-led re- forms and the progressive work of the union’s Teacher Evaluation Workgroup are cause for opti- mism as well, CTA Executive Di- rector Carolyn Doggett told Council delegates. Doggett said that CTA mem- bers have proved “time and time again that through organizing and collective action, we can control our destiny and build a better fu- ture for our students, our schools, and our communities.” She shared the outrage ex- BELOW: At State Council, President David A. Sanchez is joined by his mother, Amparo D. Sanchez, a retired teacher. RIGHT: CTA’s newly elected leadership team: President Dean E. Vogel, Secretary-Treasurer Mikki Cichocki, Vice President Eric C. Heins. pressed by Kathie Marshall, a mid- dle school teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District with near- ly 40 years of experience, who wrote a remarkable column that appeared in Education Week and the Washington Post this spring. In the column, Marshall writes: “I’m outraged that the workforce at my large high-needs middle school, where we accomplished the nearly unheard-of goal of in- creasing the state Academic Per- formance Index score by 47 points last year, continues to be gutted.” Marshall says politicians have helped wreck California’s econo- my to the point where our schools are suffering. And she decries the indifference to her low-income students who are “expected to per- form better than ever while being provided with fewer resources in and out of schools.” MIKE MYSLINSKI In other action, State Council: • • • • • • • • • Elected Terri Jackson (District C), José Alcalá (District O), and KC Walsh (CTA/NEA Coordinating), and re-elected George Melendez (District H) and Mary Rose Ortega (District J-LA), to the CTA Board of Directors. Elected Christopher Bushee (District 1) to the CTA/ABC Committee. Adopted a set of 17 “guiding principles” concerning teacher evaluation reforms that were generated by the CTA Teacher Evaluation Workgroup. These principles stress that reforms must focus on strengthening the teaching profession and improving student learning, and must be collectively bargained at the local level. (See pages 24 and 25.) Opposed making an early recommendation of Barack Obama for a second term. The vote gives guidance to CTA delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly. The concerns voiced were that the timing is too early in the process, especially since many educators are upset with Obama’s education policies. Approved a statement on “characteristics of an optimal school funding system” developed by Council’s Financing Public Education Committee. The statement reiterates CTA policies and makes clear that “money spent on education is an investment and not an expense.” It says school funding should be stable, sustainable, equitable and expandable. Schools should be funded through progressive taxation that minimizes the burden on the socioeconomically disadvantaged, and funding should be sufficient “to provide Californians with an educational system that restores California to a position of prominence worldwide.” Took no position on a friendly incumbent recommendation of Dennis Van Roekel for NEA president, but approved a friendly incumbent motion for Lily Eskelsen for NEA vice president. Endorsed the “Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action” planned for July 28-31 in Washington, D.C. (See page 22.) Recommended Dr. Phyllis Hall for the community college position on the CalSTRS Board, and recommended Michael Bilbrey for the member-at-large position on the CalPERS Board. Approved a new CTA budget for the coming fiscal year. JUNE 2011 | www.cta.org 33 CTA photo by Marc Sternberger CTA photo by Jonathan Goldman