CTA Organizing Grants in Action

JoDee Bonales

Jodee Bonales is entering her ninth year as president of Ceres Unified Teachers Association (CUTA), and up until last year, she never had much time to visit CUTA’s school sites and speak one-on-one with her members.

That has changed, thanks to CTA’s organizing grants. Bonales and CUTA applied for and received a Planning grant, a Local President Release Time grant and a Site Visit grant in 2023– 24. CUTA’s e-board was able to hold a planning meeting last summer to strategize for the coming year. Bonales and CUTA’s negotiating chair were able to visit 21 sites and talk directly with members and administrators.

“The goal was to meet our more-than 730 members and put a face to a name,” Bonales said. “We asked how things were going — what’s working well at their site, what are things that could be improved. We spent three to four hours per site, we provided lunch. Members were positive — at each site visit the turnout was above 50%.”

Bonales and CUTA have since received new grants to continue and build on the organizing work, including asking more focused questions and identifying leaders to grow. While CUTA’s full successor contract doesn’t open until 2025–26, Bonales will use this year’s member feedback to refine and update contract language.

More than 200 local presidents are taking union release time this coming year thanks to historic funding our CTA Board of Directors has dedicated to the organizing grant program. Like CUTA, many chapters have also received site visit and planning grants.

The grants give local leaders time to engage with members, work on improving teaching and learning conditions at worksites, and help members connect more deeply with our union — both at the chapter level and CTA. This is key to building capacity and unity in our worksites and local chapters to take on some big challenges ahead.

LETA President David Mires, right, on a site visit last year to Yamato Colony Elementary, accompanied by former Principal Alma DeLuna and LETA Secretary Chris Martin.

‘Personal contact’

David Mires

Livingston Elementary Teachers Association (LETA) received three organizing grants last year. President David Mires and LETA leadership used the Planning grant in two installments, once to meet at the beginning of the year, and again in March to reflect and revise their plan. Mires used the Local President Release Time grant, and LETA secretary Chris Martin used the Site Visit grant, to visit all of LETA’s sites and talk one on one to 87 of 123 teachers.

“Our district has three elementary schools and one middle school,” said Mires, a middle school STEM educator. “I thought I understood elementary teachers’ needs, but it wasn’t until our talks that I was able to form ideas that met their needs vs. what I thought they needed.”

“I thought I understood elementary teachers’ needs, but it wasn’t until our talks that I was able to form ideas that met their needs vs. what I thought they needed.”

—LETA President and middle school teacher David Mires

Mires then met with the superintendent and district council to go over educators’ concerns and suggestions. Among them: “We had learned that one site was using the wrong evaluation tool [that was contractually invalid]. I ran it up the pole and we got things changed.”

Within LETA, site representation was an issue. “One site rep for an elementary school doesn’t really work because of the multiple grade levels,” Mires said. “So my approach during a second round of meetings was to recruit one rep per grade level. Some reps worried about administrative retaliation, but I was able to say ‘now there are five others besides you [at your school] to support each other.’ That was a big win for us.”

Along with administrators, LETA leadership briefly observed every classroom. “We left personalized notes to teachers saying positive things about what we saw — such as we liked your student group work, your stations. Admins usually walk into a classroom but never give feedback. We modeled what we wanted from them.” They also brought breakfast and lunch to each site and met educators informally after school. “To increase engagement, we need to change the narrative — the union is here for you not just for problems, not just when we’re asking members to write letters. If you don’t spend the time to make that personal contact, nobody ever feels comfortable.”

Mires has received another Local President Release Time grant and has applied for Planning and Site Visit grants again. In the recent past, LETA has successfully used CTA’s Member and Community Engagement grants to make connections and push for changes in language around educators’ working conditions. Mires anticipates using these new grants to make even more positive change.