Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1539593
Home Again: This year's start of the new school year came with the usual excitement and anticipation, as educators create safe, supportive spaces for students and families under attack. Photo courtesy Alex Orozco. T H E P R O M I S E O F another fresh year and all the opportunity it entails makes Back to School a special time for students and educators alike. While the Trump Administration continues to slash funding for public schools, health care and food for our most vulnerable, educators continue to organize and fight back against the cruel immigration raids that are terrorizing our communities and the funding cuts that are impacting our schools. "As educators, we see and feel the broader impact on our com- munities," says CTA President David Goldberg. "When we start the new school year, how many empty desks will be in our class- rooms? To know that a student has been separated from their family and sent to a detention center? Or are they too terrified to come to school? at's not just heartbreaking — it's enraging." Our efforts to build the safe, stable public schools that all students deserve continue in this new Gilded Age, where an austerity mindset is choking off vital funding for schools and other public services to provide tax cuts for the richest people in our society. All year, educators have been stepping up from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe to defend our students from Trump's policies and ensure everyone feels safe, welcome and supported in our public schools. "Teachers in struggle are also teaching," Goldberg says. "With so much going on, it's important to remain focused on our stu- dents and grounded in our collective work to help them learn, grow and thrive." School resumes this year with a lot of challenges and uncer- tainty, with federal funding cuts impacting our state budget and school districts' ability to plan ahead confidently (see Page 30), as well as impacting our students and families who rely on ser- vices and programs that are being slashed or even eliminated. Our union continues to fight in the halls of our State Capitol to win the public education funding our schools need, with mem- bers and staff visiting lawmakers over the summer to talk about the state budget and other important issues. Other important items this school year include: Creating Safe Spaces as New School Year Begins Organizing to protect our students and public education By Julian Peeples 21 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 Feature