Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/669580
president's message I N R E C E N T Y E A R S , we've seen a number of attacks through the judicial system on California educators and our ability to advo- cate for our students. One lawsuit sought to strip teachers of their professional and due process rights (Vergara v. State of California), while another aimed to overturn the 40-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established Fair Share fees (Friedrichs v. CTA). W i t h m o r e t h a n t w o years of hard work by our CTA and NEA legal teams, I 'm h a p p y t o s a y w e ' v e s e e n s u c c e s s f u l r e s o l u - tion in b o th ca s e s in th e past month . In Apr i l , a st at e c o u r t of appeal reversed a lower court decision in the Vergara suit. At issue were five Cal- ifornia statut es covering teachers' due process rights and probationary periods, and the value of educator e x p e r i e n c e w h e n s c h o o l districts are forced to lay off personnel due to cuts. e ruling overwhelmingly underscores that these laws have been good for public education and for students. Th e y h el p re t ai n qu ality educators and attract oth- ers to the profession. In the March ruling on Friedrichs, the divided U.S. Suprem e C our t af f irm ed the constitutionality of Fair Share fees, and in so doing rejected a political ploy by wealthy corporate special interests to make it harder for working families and the middle class to come together, speak up for one another, and get ahead. e successful outcome of Friedrichs affirms that stripping pub- lic employees of their collective bargaining rights in the workplace is wrong. is is a victory for millions of students in California and the United States. By having the ability to join together to make our v oices h eard on i ssu es that affect all of us, we ensure that our public schools and colleges remain strong and our students get the quality public education they need and deserve. These attacks were no surprise. Such tactics to weaken our union have been sought to no avail in the Legislature and at the ballot box. e only option left was the courts. And now, we have victories there as well. We know the well-funded forces behind these cases will bring more attacks. It's why we must continue to speak out for our stu- dents. It's why we must continue to organize and engage with one another. Our voices are only stronger when we come together in union. We are CTA! In the meantime, we will celebrate these victories for our stu- dents, our union, our profession, and working families everywhere. And what better way to celebrate than to honor the wonder- ful work of California's educators? California Day of the Teacher, coming up on May 11, and CTA ESP Day, on May 17, let us do just that. I hope you take this time to reflect on all we've accomplished together through the years and the impact we have on the lives of California's 9 million students. Kudos to each and e ver y on e of you for your hard w ork, incredible passion, and amazing dedication to students and public education. Eric C. Heins C T A P R E S I D E N T @ericheins CTA President Eric Heins congratulates CTA ESP of the Year Debbie Hamme at April's State Council. Look for more on Hamme in the May issue. California Day of the Teacher May 11 Our theme this year is "Leaders of Learning," and we've included a beautiful poster on the inside back cover of this magazine for you to display. Check out the resources and collateral materials at cta.org/dayoheteacher to help plan and celebrate the day, and show us what you do at #DayoheTeacher. CTA ESP Day May 17 Our celebration of ESPs starts on page 48 in this issue and continues in the upcoming May issue. This year's poster honors those who keep our students healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. Let us know what you do at #CaliforniaESPDay. Ideas, resources, materials and the downloadable CTA ESP Day poster are at cta.org/esp. Honor Our Educators 5 April 2016