We're in this together

In just a couple of weeks we will go to the polls one more time, electing a new governor, as well as filling all the statewide offices and in many places electing new members to the California Assembly and Senate and local school boards.

I’ve said it before, but I will say it one more time: This is a very important election for the future of our students, public schools and California.

The choice in the governor’s race is clear. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his promise to the entire education community last year. He then went and wasted $70 million of taxpayer money, running a vicious campaign against teachers and all that we believe in as education professionals and union members.

Reminding you about last year’s special election is not about focusing on the past. It’s just that sometimes our history can be an indicator of the future.

A reporter recently asked me to compare Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan for education to that of CTA’s recommended candidate, State Treasurer Phil Angelides. The answer was actually very easy because the governor doesn’t have an education plan. The only proposals we have seen from Schwarzenegger are those he proposed last year:

• Gut Proposition 98, the law educators and voters passed to guarantee minimum funding to our schools.
• Slash school funding and give him the power to cut school budgets without asking anyone.
• Base merit pay solely on student test scores.
• Eliminate due process rights for teachers.
• Destroy the secure retirement system for educators.
• Silence our voices, so we can’t speak out against any of the other proposals.

This year, Schwarzenegger did settle the lawsuit to give back the money schools are owed under Prop. 98. It was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it took legal action to make it happen. So in this election year, as the governor is again promising to make education his top priority, I’ve got to ask: What does that mean and how can we trust him? The only way we can guess the answers is to look at history.

On the other hand, here’s what I know about Phil Angelides: He has a plan for public education. You can read it yourself on his website. It calls for full funding of public education, giving our students the resources they need — not just what they are owed under state law.

He wants to make college available and affordable for all students. He knows that in order to improve student learning, we have to attract and keep quality teachers in every classroom. Doing that includes providing adequate salaries, helping new teachers with mentor programs and ensuring a fair and stable retirement.

But more importantly, Phil shares our values. He may not be flashy. He may not make a lot of promises. But he’s someone we can trust with the future of our public schools. Like many of us, his grandparents moved here for a better life. His parents worked hard to give their children a college education and opportunity. He’s done the same for his kids. As I travel around the state with Phil at different events, he’s always accompanied by one of his three daughters. It’s the hope that he sees in their eyes that he also sees for the state of California. He’s someone we can trust to work with educators to improve public education.

As I said, we’ll also be voting this year on all the statewide offices and a few ballot initiatives. Read the information you get from CTA about each candidate and proposition. These recommendations are made by classroom teachers from across the state and are approved by the CTA Board of Directors and the State Council of Education. CTA is recommending John Garamendi for lieutenant governor, Jerry Brown for attorney general, John Chiang for controller, Cruz Bustamante for insurance commissioner, Bruce McPherson for secretary of state, and Bill Lockyer for treasurer.

In these final weeks, we’ve got to do all we can to help get out the vote for Phil, our statewide candidates and Proposition 1D, the statewide school construction bond. We know voters listen to teachers, and we must make our voices heard. Talk to your colleagues, talk to parents, talk to relatives and friends. Volunteer with your local chapter to phone-bank or walk precincts. Working together, I know we can write our own Hollywood ending to this election — an ending that’s best for students and schools.