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| Laura Wood, president of the Southwest Teachers Association, notes that her members support the voluntary contribution. |
At its June meeting, CTA State Council approved a voluntary annual contribution of $20 to support CTA’s ability to effectively fight attacks on public education. Contributions will also help to create a CTA Foundation to provide more scholarships to members and support teachers’ ideas to improve public schools.
CTA President David A. Sanchez remarked on the necessity of having funds available for potential conflicts. “This year alone, CTA is fighting the largest state budget cuts to public education ever proposed. We are also working to erase the punitive provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Working to promote policies to improve public education such as more funding for our public schools and smaller class sizes, as well as fighting back attacks on education and teachers, is always a top priority for CTA.”
Delegates echoed concerns for the battles public education will likely face in the future.
“I’ve been through many cycles of good times and bad times in the recurring attacks on public education,” said Paul Markowitz, president of the Las Virgenes Educators Association. “There are a couple of important lessons I’ve learned over the years. One is that there will be more attacks in the future. The second is that we are one of the most powerful organizations in the state. And the reality is that we are one bad piece of legislation away from having that preeminent position taken from us. The voluntary contribution checkoff will allow us the flexibility to deal with those potential contingencies — and it does it in the most palatable way possible.”
The dues contribution is voluntary and flexible. Members are not required to contribute, and can easily opt out of the payment. CTA members will also have many options in deciding whether and how they would like to contribute.
Laura Wood, president of the Southwest Teachers Association, noted support from her members. “When I explained that the purpose was to protect public education from attacks and to not go into debt to do it, and that everyone would have an opportunity to opt out, everyone was in support.”
Council members also noted that CTA scholarships play an important role that greatly impacts student morale.
“This year, one of my students won the Cesar Chavez award for our region,” said Mary Ann Pacheco, Rio Hondo College Faculty Association. “She’s not a superstar student. She struggled quite a bit. But I know that because of that scholarship — and not just because of the money but because of the recognition — she will be back at Rio Hondo College. And she will continue because the CTA told her that she could write a paper good enough to win an award. I think we sometimes lose sight of how the things we do impact students. I want CTA to advocate for me. And I want to pay 20 bucks to make sure more students like her get recognized.”
“NCLB and this budget crisis have proven we can mobilize,” said Sanchez. “Your support with this voluntary contribution will help greatly, and will assist us in acquiring the resources we need to continue the fight during this difficult period.”
For more information on the voluntary dues contribution, visit the State Council section of the CTA website. More detailed information will also be available in the September issue of the Educator.
Members will have many options for directing contributions:
- Contribute the suggested amounts to support CTA advocacy efforts ($10) and the work of the CTA Foundation ($10).
- Opt out of a portion of the $20 contribution by requesting a partial refund or by simply choosing to contribute to only one of the two categories.
- Allocate the entire $20 contribution to support either CTA advocacy efforts or the work of the CTA Foundation.
- Opt out of the entire $20 contribution by requesting a full refund.
