California Educator

February / March 2019

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1081161

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Below are campaign statements of candidates for CTA officers in the March 2019 State Council elections. The statements are unedited and limited to 400 words. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the candidates and not necessarily those of CTA and NEA. I believe integrity is essential. Integ- rity requires that our association follow our established rules and that we conduct our business with transparency. We are a member-run organization with policies that guide our decisions, by-laws that ensure practices are consistent, and an election process that ensures indi- vidual member voices are heard. These core tenets are the foundation of our organization. I want to safeguard these tenets so that CTA continues to be the organization that people look to and trust. Public Education is under attack from outside forces who do not have the best interests of students at heart. Now, more than ever, it's important for educators who are the experts in our field to unify our professional voices. We must work collectively and inclusively to maintain high standards within our organization and profession for the betterment of all our students. We must ensure that we look at our profession through our lenses of Equity and Social Justice while seeking a dedicated funding source that provides educators and our students with adequate resources. ALL our voices and viewpoints are needed in order to steer this orga- nization, fight for our student's educational needs, and provide them a quality education that will support them in being productive citizens. I am the leader who will serve with integrity, include ALL voices, consider ALL ideas and bring people together to forge the path forward in the difficult times ahead. Please support my candidacy to become your next president of the California Teachers Association. I will be that Voice for All of Us! Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Vice President. In meeting many of you these past four years, I have learned that our students ages may vary, but their future depends on what happens in our classrooms. As we approach this election, post-Janus, billionaires continue to attack public education. The need for a strong, visionary and unifying CTA leadership — one that listens to, respects, and encourages diverse voices and opinions within our organization — is greater than ever! That's why I am running for President, not as an individual, but as part of the Building Power Together team. A team committed to providing the inclu- sive, pro-active, and visionary leadership needed to address the many challenges facing us — low salaries, inadequate working and learning conditions, growing privatization, etc. Red State teacher rebellions have demonstrated that with parents, students, and other school employees, only the collective action of our members, not just elected leaders and staff, can build the necessary power to win sus- tainable and adequate state funding for public education and combat corporate school "reform." It is that collective unified vision that unites Building Power Together. Placing member power at the center, BPT (David, Leslie and I) is committed to a comprehensive platform. The platform: Responsive Leadership, Strong Locals, Improved Classroom Conditions and Strong, Sustainable Community Alliances for Racial and Social Justice was developed with many of you, it is a universal platform representing CTA's diversity. For me, the BPT platform represents almost forty years of advocacy and organizing for public education, both as a K-12 and higher education teacher. Beginning as a paraeducator, then twelve years as a Social Studies teacher, I served on UTLA's Board and CTA State Council. Later, as UTLA's first Professional Devel- opment Specialist, we established the Helen Bernstein Professional Development Center, where UTLA hosted teacher-led professional development. Today, as a college professor, I believe that professional development and social justice issues must be married to the need for decent salaries and working conditions. As VP, I turned that belief into action, working on cross-union, cross- constituent projects/grants for Dream Centers, music in school, after school and teacher pipeline programs. Building Power Together, has experience and vision, but only collectively can we build a strong, transparent, united, pro-active, democratic CTA. BPT will work hard to win your trust and confidence, hoping to ultimately earn your vote—so that we can continue to build power together. Candidate for CTA President Toby Boyd Member, Elk Grove Education Association; CTA Board of Directors member. Candidate for CTA President Theresa Montaño Member, California Faculty Association, CSU Northridge; current CTA vice president. 65 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 019 Montaño Boyd

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