Chapter leaders strategize at Presidents Conference

By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

Ordinarily, the CTA Presidents Conference is a time for chapter leaders to reflect, take leadership workshops and network with fellow leaders from around the state. But these are not ordinary times. Not surprisingly, this year's event was expanded to include a call to arms, and time to rally members and draw up plans to help defeat anti-education initiatives on the November ballot.

"We — that means you and me together — will have to fight," CTA President Barbara E. Kerr told 600 leaders who gathered at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove in July.

The local chapter presidents and other leaders gave Kerr a standing ovation and let her know that they and the members they represent are primed to fight back — and even go on the offensive — to save public education and protect the rights of teachers.

Some even attended a session called Campaign Boot Camp. And every conference participant attended "house meetings" where they spent their time learning about the issues, brainstorming about campaign strategy and gearing up for the battle that lies ahead.

Charmaine Kawaguchi, president of the New Haven Teachers Association, told those attending her house meeting that her chapter's organizing team plans to talk to every member on a one-to-one basis about the initiatives. She estimated that it would take about 10 days to reach all 700 members.

"In addition to just telling them about the initiatives, we want to ask them what their interests are in helping, whether it is walking precincts, phone banking or sending out postcards." Her chapter's goal is to make a special effort to involve new teachers in the campaign.

"We need to go out into the community," said NEA Board member Tamara Conry, who teaches in Paradise. "Once all of our members know what the issues are, they can go to church and community groups they belong to and tell people what these initiatives would do to public education and why we have to fight them. We need to show them examples of how these things will hurt our schools."

Others agreed that once teachers are educated about the initiatives, they need to go beyond their own schools and chapters, and spend time talking to parents, community members, civic clubs, sororities, gardening groups, local churches and other organizations that they belong to.

"But we also need to have a plan in place," said Hetty Eddy, president of the Salinas Elementary Teachers Council. "If we are going to educate people about the initiatives, we are going to motivate them, and then we have to capitalize on their energy by having a plan in place so we can tell them exactly what they can do to help."

Some suggested activities included walking precincts, phone banking, stuffing envelopes, hosting town meetings or organizing coffee klatches to discuss the issues in each and every community.

CTA is part of a broad coalition called the Alliance for a Better California that includes more than 2 million educators, firefighters, health care workers, police officers and other public employees. Chapter leaders said they plan on contacting coalition partners to find local members willing to work with teachers to increase public awareness about the initiatives.

"We need to have our organizing team and community outreach components working together," said Rudy Salas, vice president of the Hawthorne Elementary Teachers Association.

"And when it comes to community outreach, we need to let the community know who we are." That might include wearing a union T-shirt one day a week, or buttons or lawn signs saying, "I am a Teacher — Ask Me How We Can Work Together to Save Public Education."

Other ideas that came out of the house meetings included:

• Asking PTA groups, parent clubs and parent volunteers to get involved in the campaign.
• Organizing activities and protests with coalition members.
• Registering new voters.
• Staffing tables at "Back to School Night" to explain the issues to parents.
• Making alliances and coalitions permanent, not just something to be activated during a crisis.
• Making lawn signs for Halloween saying, "Halloween lasts one night; Education lasts a lifetime: Find out how you can help save public education."
• Making the election the top priority of each chapter and putting other important issues on the back burner until Nov. 9.
• Holding neighborhood house meetings and coffee klatches to discuss the election and the threat initiatives pose to public education.

Teachers left the meetings with new resolve. "We came up with lots of great ideas," said Kawaguchi. "Clearly, we've got lots of work to do in the next few weeks."