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| Michael Musser (center) of the Ventura Classified Employees Assosiaction receives CTA's Education Support Professional of the Year Award. |
Michael Musser of the Ventura Classified Employees Association (VCEA) received CTA’s Education Support Professional of the Year Award. The honor was bestowed upon him by CTA President David A. Sanchez at the CTA ESP Conference, held at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel in May.
Musser is a carpenter for the Ventura Unified School District, performing repairs and new construction at school sites to maintain a safe learning and working environment for staff and teachers. He is proud of the fact that he can complete a variety of projects with the least possible disturbance to the classroom or worksite, whether building cabinetry for the district’s mobile computer classroom, constructing ramps, altering door openings, creating furniture for students with special needs, repairing vandalism or removing graffiti.
As a volunteer on-call employee, Musser works his regularly scheduled job and is also available for emergencies after hours.
As a leader in his association, Musser has advanced the public education agenda by speaking before the local chamber of commerce, personnel commission and school board, attending local and state rallies, and visiting congressional representatives locally and in Washington, D.C. He has also supported and campaigned for school board candidates who are friends of public education.
As an NEA Board member, he holds the ESP at-large seat. He is a State Council member and serves on the CTA Budget Committee. Musser is also a member of CTA’s ESP Issues Advisory Committee and the ESP Conference Planning Committee.
As a representative of the Tri-County Education Coalition, Musser has been instrumental in organizing speaker panels, press conferences and Sacramento Lobby Days. He has participated in letter-writing campaigns and phone banking to defeat anti-education initiatives in California. In addition, he has helped develop alliances with other community and labor groups, such as the grocery workers when they were on strike.
He is an active community volunteer who participates in the district’s “Cheers for Children” drive by collecting donated food, sorting donations and making financial contributions. He also organizes, collects and delivers donations for the “Rain Project,” a program that offers assistance to community members who have temporarily become homeless.
His awards include VCEA’s WHO Award and a certificate of appreciation from the Channel Islands Service Center Council. He is also a graduate of the CAL ESP Leadership Development Academy.
“It’s an honor to serve you at the national level and the local level,” said a surprised Musser to fellow ESP CTA members upon receiving the award. “I want to make sure that ESP is respected at both the national level and the local level. I am fighting for your rights, and I am proud to represent you.”
Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
