Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/129419
> S TAT E C O U N C I L State Council delegates rally in support of commonsense immigration reform, anticipating the May Day Immigrants' Rights March in Washington, D.C., attended by Council members Raul Gonzalez of Visalia Unified TA, Sonia Martin-Solis of UTLA, George Sheridan of Black Oak Mine TA, and Sergio Martinez of Hacienda-La Puente TA. State Council advocates for students and the profession BY DINA MARTIN CTA President Dean E. Vogel discusses the plummeting number of pink slips, from 20,000 last year to 3,000 in March, with Cecily MyartCruz, UTLA, who chairs the Civil Rights in Education Committee. The fall can be directly attributed to the historic passage of the CTAsupported Proposition 30. Says Vogel: "We changed the number of pink slips that were sent out this year, and we changed the public conversation." Read Vogel's remarks to State Council at cta.org/april2013statecouncil. As CTA embarks on its 150th anniversary celebration this year, State Council continued the tradition of standing up for the cause of public education. Your elected State Council delegates: • Took positions on some 150 legislative bills that went through the State Legislation Committee. Among them were Support positions on AB 375 and AB 1338 by Assembly Member Joan Buchanan, which would streamline procedures for teacher dismissal while preserving due process rights. Council also took positions on 22 Community College Association bills, including AB 283, which would provide community colleges with a property tax backfill. • Elected Dean E. Vogel to a second two-year term as president. Vice President Eric C. Heins was also elected to a second term of office. • Approved a New Business Item putting CTA on record for endorsing and encouraging members to attend the "May Day Immigrants' Rights March" and using social media, CTA Facebook, Twitter, email blasts and newsletters to advertise this historic event. Delegates staged a brief "rally" in support of immigration reform. • Heard NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle deliver a passionate address about NEA's support of commonsense immigration reforms that value keeping families together, and about the proposed $3 dues increase to support teacher-led professional development programs, which will be decided at the NEA Representative Assembly in July. Get details from your locally elected delegate. Read more at www.cta.org/ april2013statecouncil. 30 California Educator May 2013 Secretary-Treasurer Mikki Cichocki-Semo discusses numbers with Annette Bonifacius, Gridley TA, during a Service Center meeting.