Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/15938
A lesson plan it belongs, at the forefront of the discus- sion to revitalize California. The CTA Board of Directors, with direction from State Council, has de- vised a plan to build organizational capacity in locals throughout the state. CTA’s comprehensive plan lays the foundation for the major systematic tax changes that need to happen in California, and it lays the groundwork for CTA to pursue a tax initiative in 2012. The plan seeks to encourage all members to be a part of this important election and explains how all of the recommended candidates and initia- tives are connected and are a strategic part of achieving the goal of making sure every student has a good neigh- borhood public school fi lled wi th quality educators, who are respected and supported (see sidebar “CTA’s plan for victory” on page 22). The plan wi ll also provide CTA for victory How we begin to put California back on track Story by Dave Earl Carpenter The national economy has been devastated and is slow to recover. Our state government is dysfunc- tional and can’t seem to fix the broken tax structure that is crip- pling the state. And public edu- cation is under attack like never before. But with the upcoming November elections, California voters hold an incredible amount of power to make vast, positive change in the way our state funds public education. Our current political leaders seem unconcerned about letting California — which boasts the eighth-largest economy in the world — plummet to 20 California Educator | SEPTEMBER 2010 46th nationally in per-pupil spending. Current leaders want students to com- pete for money with federal programs like Race to the Top, and support foun- dations that blame everything on bad teachers. All this while large corpora- tions receive massive tax breaks that total billions of dollars annually, al- lowing them to shirk their responsibil- ity to the state and reducing funds for public education. In November, electing pro-public ed- ucation candidates — like Jerry Brown for governor and Tom Torlakson for state superintendent of public instruc- tion — and passing Proposition 24, the Tax Fairness Act, will be key priorities for getting public education back where members with the tools they need to help energize this campaign by volun- teering, using social media to spread the word, calling neighbors, family, colleagues and friends, posting stories about the difficulties faced in the class- room, and using every tool at their dis- posal to positively affect this election in favor of public education (see sidebar “Social media play key role” on page 24). A governor with our values Of utmost importance is the election of a California governor who shares our values about the necessity of good pub- lic education. “We need a governor who will give edu- cators a seat at the table, who will sit down with us to collaborate on the best solu- tions,” says CTA President David A. Sanchez. “That someone is Jerry Brown. He will respect us, our opinions and our commitment to the profession.” Editor’s note: Look for the special “Election” issue of California Educator due out in early October. Photo by Dave Earl Carpenter