By Frank Wells
The Los Angeles Times West Magazine has named CTA President Barbara E. Kerr as the third most powerful Southern Californian on a list of 100 influential Southlanders. Kerr, a first grade-teacher from Riverside, joins other important players such and Antonio Villaraigosa, Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren, and Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the roster of people who shape the region.
TheTimes cites CTA's powerful showing in last November's special election as one of the reasons for making the top 10. Noting the outcome of the special election, Kerr's citation ends with the question, "Who's the Terminator now?"
"It's not me, the power is really with our 340,000 members," says Kerr. "But when I make a list like this, it's an honor and it's humbling. It really drives home the dedication that teachers and educational support professionals have to have to fight for their students outside the classroom so they can go back and do the best job they can inside their classrooms and schools. That's the real power."