Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/166026
CTA &You You're from a large family, and your parents worked in the fields of the central coast. How important was public education for you growing up? Going to school was a refuge, and it certainly was more exciting than picking broccoli and strawberries! [Laughs.] I lived in Guadalupe, and I went to college because my teachers insisted. I returned to teach with my teachers. I called them Mr. Clement and Mr. Rose — they said no, my name is Stan or Dell! Public education has been the pathway to the middle class for many of us. Look at the demographics — we teachers all have similar backgrounds, we teach close to where we grew up, we're the first in our family to attend college. I loved teaching. You see in their eyes when kids don't get it, so I'd think of a better way to demonstrate the concept, some visual to show them. I was thrilled to see when the lights went on. I was a high school agriculture teacher, so there was a lot of project-based learning, a lot of community outreach. I took students to national Future Farmers of America (FFA) conventions. We raised money working bingo, bake sales, reverse drawings, selling fireworks. I've done every fundraiser there is with kids and parents. How did you shift into union and association leadership? In the 1960s district administrators recruited nationwide for teachers. Many came from Michigan, a unionized state, to the conservative agriculture town of Santa Maria. [Laughs.] Before I graduated high school in 1971, teachers were organizing to pass the Rodda Act.* In fact, when teachers picketed, administrators "entertained" us for the day. I started teaching in 1975, the year the Rodda Act was signed, and our teachers were engaged in organizing. There was a strike that year, too. So I was there for the first two strikes, and we remained active. For me personally, within my first four years of teaching, self-interest reared its head in bargaining. Somebody had to represent us on the bargaining team. I'm grateful I drew the short straw to serve on the bargaining team. I ran for local president and lost the first election. I was elected the second time. I was asked to present to the school board. I did, and I made the board president cry. I was stunned by her reaction and by the power of speaking in a public forum and getting that reaction. I thought she would say her piece, I would say what I would say, and then we'd move on. It was a huge lesson about the power of advocacy and the ability to move people. It was a seminal moment for me about my ability to communicate with people. 98 we're vigilant about getting state money to schools, and we just did that through Prop. 30. We're doing it through Common Core by advocating for flexibility in teaching the curriculum that educators told us they want to teach. Decisions made in Sacramento impact the classroom, and it's through the political advocacy in Sacramento that teachers get resources to support their work in the classroom. * Editor's note: On Sept. 22, 1975, then-Gov. Jerry Brown Teachers are busy. Our advocacy affects whether teachers can do their jobs or not do their jobs. We come together to work on their behalf because collectively we are stronger. signed CTA-sponsored Senate Bill 160 introduced by state Sen. Al Rodda, known as the Educational Employment Relations Act or the Rodda Act, to give California public school teachers collective bargaining rights. The legislation also established the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Fast forward, then, to all your union activities and CTA experiences. You've been running Governmental Relations since '04, there were election and legislative battles in '05, the Schwarzenegger years, the victories with Propositions 30 and 32. What have you learned? I learned to hone my arguments to be concise, because my first time as a lobbyist they'd say you have two minutes. I was a teacher, so I handed them a paper with our rationale on it and said I'll be back, giving them the assignment to read the paper. I'd follow up a few days later, and they said, "Oh, you're serious." I'd follow up again. They learned I was serious about what I wanted them to do — just like a teacher. My meetings with the last three governors and their chiefs of staff taught me to always be clear. We have to advocate clearly and precisely because they're always looking for a way out. You can't sugarcoat it. But I've learned teachers have power when they come together. And when we join with coalitions and labor partners, we are unbeatable. This is exciting, hard work. It results in things like the passage of Prop. 30. I have nieces and nephews in public schools, and every time we do good work, I know they're benefiting, because we're funding their schools. Advocacy is a thread throughout your career. What should members understand about CTA's advocacy? Our members want to build and sustain positive learning environments for kids. To do that they need resources, freedom to do their work, clear directions about expectations. Through Prop. Again, I've seen CTA's power of advocacy in various settings. Teachers have power. We exert our voice. That's our job. That's our role. I'm proud to be part of that. While you've been "the" executive director for a week, you've been deeply involved for several months. Yes, and everyone has been so gracious and welcomed me into this new job. I know no one does this alone. Personally, my goal is to communicate regularly so we can all do this together. Members should know that you, Dean, represent the leadership and the elected members of CTA. Our leadership team makes the policy, sets the direction. I represent management and staff, and it's our job to implement that vision. We have many opportunities and challenges ahead of us, starting with the Strategic Plan, which will be voted on by State Council in January. This is about CTA members working together, from the local level to the state level. One member-recommended goal centers on defining an organizing culture. How do we come to a common understanding of that concept? How do we organize the implementation of the Common Core? The Local Control Funding Formula? Charter school organizing? How do we provide resources and opportunities? All these puzzle pieces will fit together nicely, and not without challenges — managing expectations, creating consensus, knowing some will be unhappy no matter what we do. My job, through the Strategic Plan, is to focus on what our members want and need, and to make sure resources are flowing to meet those needs. SEP TEMBER 201 3 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.6 int.indd 61 www.cta.org 61 9/3/13 2:27 PM