CTA President E. Toby Boyd thanked political activists, community leaders and elected officials for standing with educators to advocate for the resources and opportunities California students deserve, during an address this morning at the California Democratic Party Fall Endorsement Convention in Long Beach.

Boyd acknowledged the efforts of Gov. Newsom and elected leaders in the Legislature for their support of hard-fought, CTA-backed charter school reforms, the first changes to California charter school laws in decades. He thanked the officials and activists who stood together to bring greater transparency and accountability to charter schools and ensure every charter classroom has a fully credentialed teacher.

“It was a heavy lift,” Boyd said, “and although it got ugly at times, we made it happen together!”

Setting sights on another major goal, Boyd said CTA members statewide are busy gathering signatures to qualify an initiative for the November 2020 ballot that would generate $12 billion a year for schools and public services: Schools & Communities First. A top priority for CTA, the measure would close corporate tax loopholes in Proposition 13 to ensure that corporations pay their fair share, so our students and families have the resources they need to thrive. Boyd cautioned that this effort will be a challenge, with billionaires and their cronies ready to pour money into defeating it.

“They are already trying to frighten voters with misleading and false information,” he warned. “They may have mega-millions, but we have the heart and endless commitment to our children and to our communities!”

While the Endorsement Convention features a forum with eight of the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, the California Democratic Party will not make an endorsement in that race—this meeting is to make primary endorsements for district offices. California educators are making sure their voices are heard on these important races, with 150 CTA members serving as voting delegates to this weekend’s convention.