California Educator

February/March 2020

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1208082

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respectively, shepherding the bills through the Capitol for months to win this historic victory for all students. "When CTA united with parents, community groups and partners in labor to fix the broken charter school laws that have been long impacting our schools and communities, these two leaders were right beside us, leading the charge in the state Legislature," Goldberg said. "How lucky we are to have friends like Assembly Members O'Donnell and Smith." C TA's Fr i e n d o f E d u c a t i o n Aw a r d r e c o g n i z e s exemplar y support of public education by any Cal- ifornia resident, company or organization that has made extraordinar y ef forts to advance the cause of public education . CTA members, #RedForEd make a difference for students During his speech to State Council, Goldberg highlighted the activism and solidarity that powered educator victo- ries last year in historic strikes in Los Angeles, Oakland, New Haven, Forestville and West Sonoma County school districts — with one in seven CTA members on strike in 2019. ese struggles not only created change for stu- dents and educators locally, but also had an impact in state legislation and even in Gov. Newsom's recent pro- posed budget. e record $84 billion proposal for K-14 education includes nearly $1 billion to attract and recruit new educators and $900 million for special education. " This public ed budget is a ref lection of our orga- nizing and the power of the #RedForEd movement," Goldberg said. Setting the vision for this year's political advocacy, State Council authorized $3 million to support CTA positions on the 2020 ballot. Five members were elected to leadership roles: • Tara Jeane, NEA Board of Directors, District 1. • Roberta "Robbie" Kreitz, NEA Board of Directors, District 3. • Shane Parmely, NEA Board of Directors, District 10. • Toby Spencer, NEA Board of Directors, District 12. • Rebecca Marquez-Cihak, CTA/ABC Committee, District D. Powerful films examine significant issues On Saturday evening of State Council weekend , the CTA African American Caucus hosted a packed house for a showing of Pushout, a feature-length film by Monique Morris confronting the criminalization and miseducation of African American girls that have led to their alarm- ing high school dropout rate and increasing numbers in the juvenile justice system. e panel discussion that followed featured students, educators and health professionals, who shared their perspective and experiences related to the issues examined in the film. In recognition of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Dis- abilities Act, the Caucus for Educators of Exceptional Children showed Kelly's Hollywood, a touching documentary by Brian Donovan about his sister Kelly, who was born with Down syndrome. The film tells the story of how Donovan encouraged his sister to pursue her dream of being a Hollywood diva. "I'm so happy to share my film with teachers," Donovan said. The next State Council meeting is March 27-29. Courtesy Meghann Hughes 55 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 CTA Secretary-Treasurer Leslie Littman, Vice President David Goldberg and Assembly Member Christy Smith. At right: CTA Executive Director Joe Boyd addresses State Council delegates. Two CTA caucuses showed powerful and touching films examining issues affecting students and families.

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