Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1539593
him accountable, so they turned to the power of the ballot box to elect community leaders to the board who valued public schools and the educators who make them special. SCTA started in earnest with the 2018 school board election, which ended unsuccessfully but gave them important foundational experi- ence they would lean into in 2020 when educators supported a challenger to the long-serving school board president (who was openly antagonistic to SCTA). To support the effort, the local voted to raise the contributions to their political fund from $1 per member per month to $4.50 (later increased to $9). While the well-funded war chest from Sacramento's political establishment outmatched the grassroots effort of 2,500 SCTA educators and community, the latter pulled off a shocking upset on Election Night — with challenger Lavinia Grace Phillips winning by more than 14%. Also elected that night: SCTA-en- dorsed candidate Chinua Rhodes, a community activist who had worked cooperatively with SCTA in the past. " This started the shift on the school board," Fisher said. "Virtually every Sacramento political establishment figure was against us, including the Sacramento Bee, and we won anyway. It was a real moment of consciousness about our collective power and just how much we could accomplish together for our schools and students." 2022 Strike: Eight Days of #SacCitySolidarity e fight between SCTA and Superintendent Aguilar for the soul of Sac City Unified came to a head when educators walked out of their classrooms and onto picket lines for eight days of powerful solidarity. With Aguilar and district admin refusing to address a staffing crisis that saw 10,000 SCUSD students without a per- manent teacher in their classroom every day, SCTA and SEIU Local 1021, representing the school district's education support professionals, went on strike in Spring 2022. e strike made national headlines, with massive marches in the streets of the state capital, a rousing appearance in the pouring rain by legendary organizer Dolores Huerta and the occupation of Aguilar's office at district headquarters by parents demanding that Aguilar and admin negotiate in good faith with teachers to end the strike. rough the power of the strike, educators won agreements that continue to help the district attract and retain the educa- tors and school staff that Sacramento's public school students need for success. "From start to finish, our members have been united in the belief that schools should be adequately staffed with Thousands joined Sacramento educators on marches and rallies, like this one outside SCUSD headquarters. SCTA harnessed the power of their unity, winning in the streets, at the bargaining table and on Election Day. 37 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5