Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1525262
Lucy Ugar te Sweetwater Education Association Running for: Chula Vista Elementary School Board lucyugarte.org Why are you running? I am a candidate because educators/teachers belong on school boards. Teachers, counselors and classified staff have first-hand experiences that lend a critical lens that is integral to the school board's decision making. The best way to sup- port students is to empower educators — those who work with students daily. My experience in the classroom the last 28 years, during which education has evolved exponentially, A B O V E A N D B E Y O N D : Members Run for School Board Fighting for all students in the classroom and on the dais By Julian Peeples " N O W M O R E T H A N E V E R , we need dedicated public school educators on school boards," says Victoria Chon, Fremont Unified District Teachers Association president and member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education. Running for reelection this fall, Chon's race is one of more than 2,000 school board elections statewide that will have significant impacts on our students and communities. e importance of these races to our public schools cannot be overstated — educators in Chino, Orange and Temecula (see page 26) organized and mobilized for the past two years to defend their students after decisions at the 2022 ballot box put extremists on their school boards. CTA President David Goldberg commends members who serve as elected officials and those taking the leap for the first time this year. He says it's up to all members to put in the work to elect fellow educators and union siblings to school boards and win for our students, families, communities and our very democracy. "People trust us — showing up on their doorstep matters to them. Every one of us has a role to play," Goldberg says. "We have to take these school board races seriously. Our opposition does. We all need to get stronger together. We cannot let them win." Meet a few of the CTA members running for election this fall and join the movement to win on election day. Visit cta.org/election to read about other members running for office and how you can be a part of our winning team on Election Day. provides me with a perspective of the impact of school board decisions. I support teachers daily and the work of a school board member is an extension of that support. What are your top priorities? • To increase collaboration between district leadership and labor; • To strengthen, expand and sustain community schools; To develop and support legislation that protects teachers' vulnerabilities and promotes teacher retention. • I will advance my priorities through continued work with administrators to ensure labor partners are included in decisions that impact them. This includes participating in local interdistrict collaborative efforts that develop com- munity schools' capacity and through supporting codified language that lends to sustainability, teacher retention and empowerment of the educator voice. Why is it so impor tant to have educators on school boards? Our voices are important on school boards so that students and educators are first and foremost in decision making, 32 cta.org Election 2024