No Matter the Challenge,
We Are #InThisTogether
As we endured the most difficult months yet of the pandemic and led the fight for safe and healthy teaching and learning conditions, CTA continued the charge for the resources all students need and the public schools they deserve.
This Annual Report, which begins in September 2020 and carries us through August of 2021, showcases CTA’s extensive work to teach, support and protect students, further public education and build a just society.
Thank you for all your work to make these victories a reality—we did it together and #WeAreCTA.
– Toby Boyd, CTA President
Members Run… and Win
Some people are just born to lead. This has to be why educators across the state rose to serve their communities in the midst of multiple crises that threatened our collective health, safety and future prosperity. At least 17 CTA members won election to local school boards in November 2020.
CTA Calls for Waiver of Standardized Assessments
As educators continued to go above and beyond to reach, teach and protect school communities during extraordinary circumstances, CTA called for a waiver on standardized tests that would negatively impact students and be of little use to schools. The State Board of Education (SBE) voted in March to give school districts additional testing options.
An Educator in the White House
On the first full day of the Biden Administration, First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden welcomed educators to the White House, expressing deep gratitude for extraordinary efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I couldn’t wait to have this meeting for one more minute, because I’ve never been prouder of our profession! On behalf of our nation, we’re grateful for you,” Biden said during the Jan. 21 virtual meeting. “I’m ready to get to work with you and the unions who support you every day.”
Teaching an Insurrection
America watched in disbelief on Jan. 6 as a mob of President Trump supporters descended upon the nation’s Capitol seeking to overthrow a legitimate presidential election and the will of the American people. Educators talked with students about what happened in the days and weeks that followed.
“We talked about people believing in ‘alternative facts’ and that when you don’t research facts, it can lead to dangerous conclusions,” said David Budai, a member of Coachella Valley Teachers Association.
Democracy Prevails: Biden, Harris Inaugurated
On Jan. 20 at noon on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Just prior, California’s own Kamala Harris took the oath to become the vice president of the United States — the first woman and the first person of Black and South Asian descent to hold the office.
“This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve,” President Biden said. “Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
COVID Vaccines: Doses of Hope
In February, Gov. Newsom announced that 10 percent of all vaccines would be set aside for educators, setting a path to return to in-person instruction. Some CTA members were also involved in the nationwide effort to vaccinate Americans.
“With each vaccine I give, my hope is that perhaps that could be one less hospitalized or ICU patient. And with each dose given, my hope is that we are one dose closer to getting these vaccines into the arms of our teachers and school staff.”
– Shadlie Kensrue, full-time credentialed nurse for Irvine Unified School District and member of Irvine Teachers Association
Only When It’s Safe
From the beginning of the pandemic, CTA has made community health and safety our guiding principle. As some clamored for a return to in-person instruction, CTA continued to call for multilayered mitigation strategies that protect students and school staff, and consider local community conditions, including regular testing and tracing, proper ventilation, masking, robust cleaning and sanitation, and physical and social distancing.
College Counselor Honored with Two National Awards
Julius B. Thomas, community college educator and member of Rio Hondo College Faculty Association, won two of NEA’s highest awards in 2021: the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)/NEA Higher Educator of the Year Award, and the NCHE/NEA James Davenport Memorial Award.
Stop Asian Hate
Our nation grieved the murder of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta in March, with educators rising to support the Asian American community, #StopAsianHate, and fight white supremacy and misogyny. More than 3,800 hate incidents against Asian Americans were reported nationwide between March 2020 and Feb 2021, with half occurring here in California. CTA President E. Toby Boyd said educators are in strong solidarity condemning the racist, hateful acts of violence: “Today, we say to all who hear this, not one more life!”
“As the child and grandchild of proud Asian American immigrants, I am heartbroken by the racism and violence directed toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in recent months — things that have always existed but have only now generated nationwide attention. These acts are grim reminders of the urgency of all of us standing together against hate, racism and violence.”
– CTA Board Member Telly Tse
By the Numbers
- $1,344,000: Amount awarded by NEA to CTA chapters to help build community schools capacity.
- 39: CTA Human Rights Trainings and Workshops held statewide from September 2020 to August 2021, impacting 28,599 members.
- 13: Tuesday Takeovers for Racial & Social Justice events since the beginning of the pandemic. Recording available here.
- 12,581: Meetings hosted by CTA WebEx accounts for a total of 717,656 minutes since Nov. 1, 2020.
ESP of the Year Helps Students Find Power of Their Words
Magdalene (Maggie) Peacock-Butler’s passion for supporting students, assisting her fellow Potter Valley Education Support Professionals Association members and serving her community earned her the honor of being named 2021 Paula J. Monroe CTA Education Support Professional of the Year.
Fighting for Parity for Part-Time Community College Faculty
CTA and CCA co-sponsored AB 1269 (Garcia), which would have ended the disparate treatment of part-time faculty at community colleges. The lack of parity in pay and benefits forces many part-time faculty to take second jobs, like Chris Holland, a Kern CCD/CCA member who took a job with Instacart when her classes were eliminated. Though AB 1269 stalled in committee, CTA and CCA continue to work to address this important issue.
The Union Renaissance
The pandemic didn’t stop educators from organizing unions at a number of charter school networks in California and joining the CTA Family. Nationwide, labor unions are experiencing a renaissance of support. A recent Gallup poll found 65 percent of Americans support unions, the highest level in more than 50 years. And an April Pew Research Center report shows that a majority of Americans believe that the historic decline of union membership has been bad for the United States.
Welcome to the CTA Family
In late April, approximately 400 educators at High Tech High charter school network filed for union recognition with the California Public Employment Relations Board as High Tech Education Collective, becoming the newest members of the CTA family.
Clovis Educators Launch Historic Organizing Effort
Following years of district decision-making that has excluded the needs of educators and classrooms as well as concerns that peaked during the pandemic, a large and diverse group of Clovis educators launched a petition drive in April to form a union.
The Association of Clovis Educators began gathering signatures to build a union among the more than 2,100 teachers, school psychologists, itinerant specialists, school counselors and other educators in the Clovis Unified School District, just north of Fresno.
Education Funding Highest in State History
In June, Gov. Newsom signed a 2021-22 budget that will provide $93.7 billion in Proposition 98 funding to K-14 public education — the highest amount in state history. The budget significantly expands child care, adds universal transitional kindergarten for 4-year-olds over the next five years, and creates the nation’s first free breakfast and lunch program for all students, starting in 2022-23.
“We welcome this budget’s historic commitment to public education and the support California students need at all stages of their lives, from expanding transitional kindergarten to significant investments in K-12 and higher education.”
– CTA President E. Toby Boyd
Historic Investments in Community Schools
With a massive $3 billion investment, schools across the state are going to be transformed into community schools. The community schools model is aimed at disrupting poverty and addressing long-standing inequities, highlighting areas of need, and leveraging community resources so students are healthy, prepared for college and ready to succeed.
A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources with an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, leadership, and community engagement, leading to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.
“This is why I got into this movement and became a teacher — to make a true difference in a powerful way. Community schools are a chance to do this.”
– CTA Vice President David B. Goldberg
By the Numbers
- $2.8 billion: One-time Prop. 98 funding through 2028 to expand community schools in school districts throughout California.
- 91%: Percentage of CTA-endorsed Assembly candidates who won election in November 2020. 82% of CTA’s endorsed State Senate candidates were victorious in the same election.
- 5.07%: Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in the 2021-22 State Budget.
- 1,119: Pieces of legislation processed by CTA Governmental Relations’ Legislative Department, working through interim legislative procedures to adopt bill positions.
Ads Celebrate Return to Classrooms
As students across California headed back to school, CTA ran a series of television and radio commercials thanking parents and families for working with educators to safely return to in-person instruction.
“We’re all in this together as we return to school – determined to keep everyone safe and excited to help all students succeed. Thank you for partnering with us to make learning a priority.”
– CTA President E. Toby Boyd
Teach Truth: Supporting Honesty in Education
While some states passed laws denying students the right to an honest education and barring teachers from speaking the truth about history, CTA members pledged to #TeachTruth. By teaching the truth, educators teach integrity in how we treat others and courage to do what’s right — the foundations of a truly democratic society. Students need honesty and expect the truth from us, their educators.
By the Numbers
- 750,000: Visits to CTAmemberbenefits.org from 2020-21.
- 1,930: Number of cases handled by CTA’s Group Legal Services (GLS) Program attorneys, saving CTA members over $6 million.
- 59,728: Postcards printed by CTA Office Services from August to October 2020 in support of the November election campaigns.