Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/42291
ACTION Chapter leaders are making plans for the new school year WE CAUGHT UP with a few chapter leaders at Presidents Conference. Here's what they are planning for the new year. NEA RA highlights Vice President Joe Biden made an appear- ance at the NEA Representative Assembly in Chicago to make sure educators know that the Obama administration "stands for educa- tion and it stands with labor." "One thing you should not have any doubt in your mind about is that Barack Obama is on your side," Biden told some 12,600 partici- pants, 1,200 of whom were voting delegates representing CTA members. "We will fight alongside you." Biden said Obama believes it's "your funda- mental right to collectively bargain, not just about your wages and benefits, but about the environment in which you work: the size of your classrooms, the mix of special education students in the classroom, the competency of the administrators in your schools, after-school programs. It's about working conditions, but unlike almost any other organization, your fight is our children's fight. Your fight is about our children. Your fight is about giving them the best chance." During the four-day policy-making session, delegates voted to: Recommend President Obama for a second term in office. Increase NEA's crisis fund to help affiliates combat anti-union and anti-public educa- tion movements at the local and state level. Adopt guidelines for an evaluation and accountability system that focuses on enhancing the practice of teaching instead of identifying teachers for dismissal. Lyn Schrader, Barstow Education Association vice president I would like us to work on increasing face-to-face communication among chapter members, the school board, the administration and the community. We have already started working together very effectively. We will continue to invite board members and administrators to CTA functions (luring them with food) so they don't receive only one-sided information. The information CTA provides is more accurate than the information issued by the state, and those outside of CTA need to hear what we have to say. La Nita Dominique, Adelanto District Teachers Association organizing chair We need to educate our community about the important issues public education is facing and how important these issues are for the children. There's a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about many issues, especially when it comes to teacher evaluations and funding — and our own people need to come together so we can educate the community. If we promote unity among our members, we can begin working toward other common goals. Dixie Johansen, Ravenswood Teachers Association/Service Center vice chair I want every one of our members to become more politically astute. We are getting attacked on pensions, tenure, evaluations and our whole way of life. I want everyone to wake up and smell the disaster! Hopefully, more members can come to our Service Center meetings. Jessica Leishman, Lakeport Unified Classified Employees Association co-president I am hoping for more member involvement. People are drained because of the economy, and we need to pull them back in. We have a new co- president and new vice president who can provide some new energy. We plan on being more visible. We want to work more closely with our local teachers, the Lakeport Teachers Association. When we stand together, we are more powerful in our community. Arturo Balce, Sweetwater Counseling and Guidance Association president I want our members to work toward going back to a ratio of 367 stu- dents per counselor for students in grades 7-12. Fewer students per counselor means more counselor support. Our current ratio is 400 to 1, and we just found out our budget will be the same as last year. As the new president, I would like to see more face-to-face communication, as well as getting started on using social networking. MORE INFO For more information on the annual meeting, visit www.nea.org/ra. John Fincher, Citrus College Faculty Association president We would like to maintain the status quo. We have three local board members up for election this year, and we need to protect them. If we lose one of those seats, our chapter will probably suffer. We are in a unique situation — we want to protect our college president, while most want to get rid of theirs. Our president is very open to faculty recom- mendations and has demonstrated ethical practices. By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin 32 California Educator / September 2011