CTA President E. Toby Boyd delivered his report to the CTA State Council of Education this morning. Here are 10 takeaways from his speech:
- What. A. Year: “What a year it’s been. Remote teaching, hybrid teaching, outside teaching, socially distanced teaching … I know many of you did it all. One teacher told me her district did eight schedule changes this year.”
- Light at the End of the Tunnel: “Things are getting better. More than 50% of the adults in the state have been vaccinated, young people 12 and older are now eligible, and soon, there may be a vaccine for all ages.”
- We Made a Difference: “While this year has been hard, know that your work, your leadership, and your advocacy made our schools safer.”
- George Floyd, One Year Later: “Unlike many other times throughout our history—this time justice was served when his killer was found guilty on all counts. Yet, even the relief of that verdict was tainted, as less than 12 miles away, another unarmed young Black man named Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer claiming she mistook her gun for her taser. So, while the Floyd verdict is a measure of justice, we have a long road in front of us.” #BlackLivesMatter
- #StopAsianHate: “As educators, we will need to continue to be vigilant and ensure that our classrooms and schools remain safe places for Asian American & Pacific Islander students. CTA has some excellent resources on our website.”
- Time for Equity: “While the nation focused on inequities in our justice system, the pandemic exposed what we as educators have long known about our public school system. All kids did not start this pandemic on equal footing, and they did not have the support and resources they needed to get through. We can and should take this opportunity to hit the restart button. Who says schools can’t look different in the Fall? We don’t have to go back to business as usual. And fortunately, we should have more resources in the coming year to make that happen.”
- Reimagining Public Education: “When I talk about reimagining public education, community schools are big part of that vision. We have 20 chapters, led by our Vice President David Goldberg, that are organizing around this concept. It’s how we connect what’s best for students and educators to parents and our communities. I’m so excited to see so many CTA chapters engaging in this work.”
- We Can Still Do Better: “While there is record funding in the education budget, I do want to give this caution: A big chunk of those dollars are one-time funds, or federal funding that goes away next year. California still ranks 37th in the country in per-student funding. And as the fifth largest economy in the world, we can and must do better.”
- We See You, We Support You, We are Proud of You: “To our lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer educators, I want you to know that CTA sees you and your union is here to support you. To our LGBTQ+ students, we are here to keep you safe and help you shine. As the legendary Harvey Milk once said, ‘All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.’” #Pride #LoveIsLove
- Thank You, Thank You, Thank You: “Thank you for your courage during the past year. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for your unwavering commitment. It hasn’t been easy but you did it.” #WeAreCTA #InThisTogether