Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/602151
President urges member engagement Opening the meeting, CTA President Eric Heins chal- lenged m emb ers to mast er n ew skill s to organi ze members, colleagues and communities in support of our students. "I want to thank you all for having the foresight and the courage to reimagine Council to meet our chang- ing needs," Heins said. "CTA and its locals are putting renewed energy into organizing, membership recruit- ment and engagement. In fact, CTA has set a goal that every local will have a membership engagement plan in place by the fall of 2016." Heins spelled out the challenges that CTA has taken on, including boosting funding for public education by extending Prop. 30 — an effort to stabilize the state bud- get and raise California from its dismal 46th national ranking in per-student funding. (Council members endorsed a new ballot measure that would temporarily extend Prop. 30's income tax increases on the wealthiest earners.) He also cited ongoing battles to beat back legal suits aimed at silencing the voice of teachers, including Friedrichs v. CTA. State Council focuses on building an organizing culture Story and photos by LEN FELDMAN Gearing Up for Challenges Ahead S T A T E C O U N C I L V A R Y I N G F R O M I T S usual format, the October meeting of CTA's top governing body focused on establishing an organizing culture at all levels of the association, a major goal of CTA's strategic plan. At le, members practice telling stories that convey their values and create shared values with others, with a goal of building strong relationships. Below le, CTA Vice President Theresa Montaño and President Eric Heins listen to Marshall Ganz speak to Council. Below, members show solidarity with the students and faculty who were killed and hurt during the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. 52 cta.org