Proving that you can see the forest for the trees, CTA will focus on issues pertaining to rural schools and teachers at its first-ever Rural Issues Conference.
Registration information and forms for the conference, which will be held Feb. 16-18 at Sunset Station Hotel in Henderson, Nev., will soon be sent to all CTA chapter presidents.
"The conference is going to be completely different from any other conference," promises CTA Board member Larry Carlin, the driving force behind the event. "This is specifically geared for small schools in rural areas, keeping in mind that 'Being rural is a state of mind.'"
Among the topics to be covered are: dealing with declining enrollment in rural areas; working with the Future Farmers of America program in schools; working with migrant students; handling grievances in small schools that employ only a few teachers; negotiating contracts in rural areas; addressing pay inequities between rural and urban school districts; and contending with poverty in towns based on agriculture or the timber industry, where 25 percent of the population or more may be unemployed.
CTA President Wayne Johnson will be a guest speaker at the conference, and representatives from CTA will discuss how the various departments serve the association.
The idea for the Rural Issues Conference came about when Carlin was making a presentation at the Stanislaus Service Center Council, and mentioned CTA's Urban Issues Conference. "The question was asked, why we don't have a rural conference," recalls Carlin. "I said that was a good idea, and it was brought before the State Council as a new business item. Then it was approved by the CTA Board." He hopes the conference proves so successful that it becomes an annual event.
The registration fee of $85 includes materials, the Friday night social, lunch on Saturday and brunch on Sunday. The hotel costs $85 per night with the special rate available for those who stay over Sunday evening as well.
CTA will reimburse round-trip transportation based on the most economical coach round-trip 14-day advance purchase fare or, for those driving in, mileage equal to the most economical coach round-trip fare. There is a two-for-one incentive for the first 50 enrollments, or those received by Dec. 1, whichever comes first, for chapters with 40 or fewer members.
For more information, contact CTA's Research and Finance Department at (650) 552-5355.