Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1515721
W H A T C A N Y O U D O when a superintendent reneges on a signed contract? ...when 10,000 students are without teachers? ...when a meddling mayor, an incompetent superintendent and an obstructionist school board are not on your side? " What Can You Do?," a new video, tells the story of Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) educators' six-year struggle from 2017 to 2022 to organize and win the support of the community, and build a stronger, more unified union. The lessons learned can help other unions and their supporters in their struggle. While the Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent and school board forecast huge budget deficits year after year and refused to fund essential school ser vices and educator salaries, at the end of each year there was always a big surplus as the district sat on healthy reser ves. SCTA managed to flip a cru- cial board seat , but most of the board still suppor ted the superintendent. In 2022, SCTA and community and labor allies went on an eight-day strike, including a high-profile, parent-led sit-in at district headquarters as they waited for the board to come to the bargaining table. Finally, SCTA reached a favorable agreement that gave students and educators the resources and support they deserved. But SCTA wasn't done: In 2022, the local's members and allies knocked on 44,000 doors and wrote thousands of letters in a campaign for a new school board. SCTA- backed candidates ended up sweeping the election, leading to the superintendent's resignation. Watch the video at bit.ly/SCTA_WhatCanYouDo. Lack of Oversight Leads to Corruption Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, founded in 2014 and based in the Twin Rivers Unified School Dis- trict, is for adult education and enrolls approximately 15,000 students, both in-person at multiple campuses across the state and online. Most are immigrants. Highlands is a public charter, meaning it is funded by tax dollars and is lightly regulated. As its enrollment has grown, so has its budget: $102 million in 2023–24. A recent, four-part investigative news report by ABC10 in Sacramento found that, with a lack of school administration transparency and close oversight by either TRUSD or Highlands' own school board, funds have been misused. Most egregiously, Linda Fowler, a longtime TRUSD board member who also joined the Highlands board was paid a consulting fee — which the state Fair Political Practices Commission later said was a conflict of interest. Fowler left the Highlands board but is currently a Highlands employee — paid $53K for halftime work that the ABC10 report found questionable. Fowler 's school board seat is up in March and the Twin Rivers United Educators have been actively working to elect Sasha Vogt to replace Fowler. To find out more, go to facebook.com/trueassociation. To watch the ABC10 report, go to bit.ly/HighlandsCharterSchool. After years of disrespect, SCTA members went on an 8-day strike in 2022. SCTA leadership strategize. What Can You Do When Great Educators Work Together? 29 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 24 F