Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
NEA/CTA Elections Here are NEA/CTA election results from January State Council: Paula Merrigan for NEA Board of Directors, District 3 Term of office: Sept. 1, 2026, to Aug. 31, 2029 Vanessa Barrera for NEA Board of Directors, District 10 Term of office: Sept. 1, 2026, to Aug. 31, 2029 Meg E'amato for CTA Board of Directors, District M Term of office: Jan. 25, 2026, to June 25, 2027 Our Union's Recommendation Process Our recommendation process involves interview teams of local educators from throughout the state, who interview candidates and evaluate them on a variety of criteria, including: • Their positions on and vision for K-12, community college and higher education issues. • Their historical support for public education, students and educators, in such areas as education funding, budget stability, safe schools and campuses for all students, collective bargaining, educator professional rights, charter school accountability, and equal access to higher education. • Their viability for success in the office that they are seeking. Teams then make their recommen- dations to the CTA Board of Directors for discussion before being brought to CTA State Council, which debates and makes final recommendations. O U R U N I O N R E C O G N I Z E S E D U C A T O R S and members of the community who promote quality public education and impact their students and community. Awards include effective communications by and for local chapters, strong social justice and human rights work and more. For the full list, including details and application information, visit cta.org/awards. Here are some of the opportunities coming up: CTA Awards & Scholarships CTA César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta Education Awards Program The program recognizes educators and their students who demonstrate an understanding of the vision and guiding principles embraced by Chávez and Huerta. Submissions include written essays and visual artwork. Deadline: March 6, 2026. John Swett Media Awards These awards celebrate outstanding coverage of community and campaign issues that have impacted California's public schools, community colleges and the labor movement. Deadline: March 20, 2026. Gloria Pedretti Credential Candidate Scholarship This scholarship was created by CTA/NEA-Retired member Gloria Pedretti and CTA/NEA-Retired to help potential educators in their credential preparation journey. For details email CTA-Retired@cta.org. Deadline: May 15, 2026. Sharilynn Gardella Russo Memorial Scholarship Named for former CTA/NEA- Retired leader and speech language pathologist Russo, these scholarships provide financial aid to students pursuing a college degree/ certification in a speech pathology and/or audiology-related career in public education. For details email CTA-Retired@cta.org. Deadline: May 15, 2026. LGBTQ+ Safety in Schools Grant & Scholarship Program in Honor of Guy DeRosa Named for CTA member and lifelong advocate Guy DeRosa, the grant program supports groups, projects and presentations that promote understanding of and respect for LGBTQ+ persons. The scholarship program supports LGBTQ+ active CTA and CTA/ Aspiring Educators members enrolled in a credential or graduate program in public education. Deadline: May 29, 2026. Communications Awards These awards are designed to recognize and honor those CTA chapters, Service Centers and UniServs who communicate regularly and effectively with their members. Deadline: May 29, 2026. 47 W I N T E R 2 0 26 O