Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1208082
" Make sure your school is organized and educated on SCF so we can get parents and even students involved. This is how we build the energy and momentum we need." —CTA Vice President David B. Goldberg E C L A I M I N G $ 12 B I L L I O N a year for the schools and local services that our com- munities deserve took center stage at the CTA State Council of Education meeting in January as educators continued work to qualify and pass the Schools and Communities First (SCF) initiative. Vice President David B. Goldberg described the action to close corporate tax loopholes and reclaim the resources our schools need and our students deserve as "the fight of our generation." As signature gathering con- tinues to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, Goldberg asked all educators to spread the word about SCF in their schools and communities to build the move- ment we need to win. "Make sure that your school is organized and educated on SCF so that we can get parents and even students involved. is is how we build the energy and momen- tum we need," Goldberg said. "Let's make this the fight of our generation and build our future!" In addition to a packed speakers' training that saw 150 members learn how to talk about SCF in their communities, State Council unleashed a tweetstorm on Sunday morning, with #SchoolsAndCommunitiesFirst holding the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter for more than two hours during a very busy news day. In his speech to State Council, CTA Executive Director Joe Boyd said that while the campaign will be tough and our opponents will spend endlessly to win, our spirit, planning and structure will carry us to victory. " We need to win this campaign in small ways every day, on school sites, and with our members and our com- munities," Boyd said. Thanking and honoring 'Friends of Education' State Council presented the California Friend of Edu- cation Award to two elected leaders who authored landmark charter school bills that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law, bringing accountability and transpar- ency to the charter school industry. Assembly Members Patrick O'Donnell (D-Long Beach) and Christy Smith (D-S anta Clarita) authored AB 1505 and AB 1507, Assembly Member Patrick O'Donnell was named a California Friend of Education. State Council focuses on putting Schools and Communities First Story and photos by Julian Peeples R Organizing for the Fight of Our Generation 54 cta.org CTA & You