Over the next few weeks and months, CTA's legislative advocates and local teachers will be walking the halls of the state Capitol in Sacramento to support bills that favor CTA's positions and monitor those that don't.
Representatives from CTA's State Council committees meet in special session to provide input on legislation affecting schools of greatest need: (clockwise from top left) Helen Collins, vice chair of Civil Rights in Education; Board members Lynette Henley (seated) and Angela Marese Boyle (standing); Board members David Hernandez and David Lebow with legislative advocate Estelle Lemieux; and Negotiations Committee representatives John Shipley, chair, and Sheila Turner-Quintana. In the background (top left) are Human Rights staff Kevin DeLeon with John Perez from the Teacher Evaluation and Academic Freedom Committee.
To that end, CTA's State Council of Education took positions on hundreds of bills that were introduced at its March meeting.
Chief among CTA's priorities this legislative session is to see that bills are passed that will support and improve California's schools of greatest need - those schools with an API ranking in the bottom 20 percent.
In preparation for the development of that legislation, State Council committee chairs and board members met with representatives from the office of state Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-San Jose) prior to the March meeting, to provide their input on the legislation proposals. Vasconcellos and Sen. Bruce McPherson (R-Santa Cruz) have introduced a package of bills as the Pupil Learning and Achievement Act of 2001 (SB 509).
State Council took "watch" positions on many of the bills until CTA can work with legislators to make sure the bills achieve the necessary end result for lower performing schools. CTA would like to see language in the bills that will lower class sizes in those schools; provide for more parental participation programs in schools; attract and retain high-quality teachers in high-priority schools; and target funding to improve the physical condition of those high-priority schools.
There are more than 30 bills before the Legislature aimed at helping schools with the lowest test scores. Although all are well-meaning, CTA believes that some of these proposals are much more likely to result in improvements in student achievement than others.
Dale Martin
