Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/358877
excited about the coming year, and I hope you are, too. It will be my final year serving as your president, and it really is gratifying to oversee an organizational shift that will help our members as they grapple with the many changes and issues they face locally. I look forward to working with you on student-centered, union-led reforms that e n h a n ce o u r p ro f e s s i o n a n d t h a t m a ke p e o p l e l i k e S e c r e t a r y D u n c a n f i n a l l y understand that you are the real experts. Have a great year. Ask Dean F irst off, let me welcome everyone back for a new school year. This is an exciting — and challenging — time to be an educator in California, as both public education and CTA are transitioning to new ways of doing business. Schools are adapting to the new local control funding model and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and CTA is implementing a new long-term strategic plan that refl ects the priorities of CTA members and affects all levels of the organization. Amid these new changes, challenges continue in the form of attacks on public education, teachers and education sup- port professionals, and in wrong-headed "reforms" driven by extremists that scape- goat educators, overrely on standardized te s t s co re s , a n d d o n ' t a d d re s s t h e re a l issues facing our schools. U n f o r t u n a t e ly, U. S . E d u c a t i o n S e c - r e t a r y A r n e D u n c a n h a s t o o o f t e n p r o m o t e d t h o s e e f f o r t s , a n d w e h a v e s e e n t o o m a n y p o l i c i e s c o m e o u t o f Wa s h i n g t o n t h a t h u r t s t u d e n t s , p u b l i c s c h o o l s , a n d t h e p e o p l e w h o w o r k i n t h e m . E s p e c i a l l y t r o u b l i n g w e r e S e c - r e t a r y D u n c a n ' s d a m a g i n g c o m m e n t s following the flawed ruling in Vergara v. California, a lawsuit attempting to strip educators of basic due process rights. E n o u g h w a s e n o u g h . A t t h e N E A R e p re s e n t a t ive A s s e m b ly i n J u ly, CTA m e m b e r s i n t r o d u c e d a n e w b u s i n e s s item calling for Secretary Duncan's res- i g n a t i o n . T h e N B I p a s s e d w i t h s t ro n g support. CTA members at the RA knew the motion might be controversial, but we have never let controversy stop us from doing what is right. T h e c a l l f o r D u n c a n ' s r e s i g n a t i o n underscores the impact of the political process on our schools and why it is criti- cal that educators be involved in elections and in political debate. This fall, for exam- ple, it is imperative that we re-elect Tom To rl a k s o n a s s u p e r i n te n d e n t o f p u b l i c instruction. Tom is an educator himself who understands the importance of ade- quate school funding and the problems inherent in education reforms that force states to compete against one another for federal funding. He was instrumental in achieving the recent moratorium on test- ing and standing up to Secretary Duncan when he threatened to pull funding. To m ' s o p p o n e n t , M a r s h a l l Tu c k , stands for just about everything educators oppose. He supports the Vergara ruling, the terrible "parent trigger" law, overre- liance on standardized testing, and the expansion of the private sector into our public schools. As educators and school districts tran- s i t i o n t o t h e C o m m o n C o r e , w e n e e d educational leaders and lawmakers who see it and the new assessments as tools to enhance learning and student achieve- ment, not as simplistic ways to evaluate and label teachers and schools. CTA's long-term strategic plan, devel- oped with the feedback of thousands of members, will better prepare us to deal with all these challenges and more. I'm Dean E. Vogel C T A P R E S I D E N T T h a n k y o u a l l fo r t h e w o r k y o u d o , e v e r y d a y i n y o u r s c h o o l s , e v e r y d a y i n y o u r c o l l e g e s , e v e r y d a y i n y o u r c l a s s r o o m s a n d e v e r y d a y i n y o u r u n i o n , o u r u n i o n . Yo u m a y n o t h e a r i t r e g u l a r l y f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s , b u t I d o . " " W e d o n' t n e e d a n a d m i n i s t r a t i v e b u r e a u c r a t a s s t a t e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o f p u b l i c i n s t r u c t i o n . W e n e e d To m To r l a k s o n ! " DEAN ON THE ISSUES CTA members took center stage amid controversy during the NEA Representative Assembly. What was that all about? Do you have an issue or topic you'd like Dean to address? Let us know. Email editor@cta.org. 4 www.cta.org