The Westin Bonaventure Hotel check-in is at 3pm on Wednesday, July 24. Hotel check out will be 11am on Sunday, July 28.

($165/night) Single Room with a choice of 1 King bed or 2 Queen Beds : One conference participant with the option of adding guest(s) to hotel reservation.

($165/night) Single Room with 2 Queen Beds : Two conference participants sharing a single room.

($225) Commuter : Registration Fee includes meals on Wednesday through Sunday, reception, and materials. Does not include hotel parking.

Each room is equipped with a Shower/tub combination, Lighted makeup mirror, Hair dryer, and Robe. The hotel is a non-smoking property.

The registration fee is per Institute participant and includes conference meals, receptions, and conference materials. Parking is not included.

Yes. To room with someone who is not an Institute participant, you may purchase single guest meals on site at the CTA Help Desk. You will book your own room through the booking link provided at the end of your registration or in your registration confirmation email. You will add your guest(s) when you book your room during the hotel reservation process. Guests are ONLY allowed to attend meal functions and are not permitted to attend conference workshops.

Summer Institute Conference check-in will be located on the 2nd floor, California Foyer.

All Institute participants will be provided with two to three meals daily, beginning with lunch on Wednesday, July 24 and ending with breakfast on Sunday, July 28. All meals are served on the 2nd level, California Ballroom.

Downtown Los Angeles, comprising diverse smaller areas such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo and the Arts District, offers renowned art museums, cutting-edge restaurants & hip bars. Entertainment possibilities is within easy walking distance of the conference center. Visit www.downtownla.com for more information.

Those traveling by plane should fly into LAX or Burbank.

United Airlines offers reduced rates for CTA members up to 10%. To take advantage of these rates, you must book online at www.united.com. Enter the CTA Discount Code: ZNYT122681 in the Offer Code Box found on the left-hand side of the page. Please check with the other airlines to ensure that you are getting the best rate.

Please consider using public transportation to travel to the conference. Please visit https://www.metro.net for maps, schedules, fares, and more information. For other public transportation options, ride shares and taxi services are available at all airports.

Please allow as much as 1 1/2 hours from the airport to The Westin Bonaventure and back to the airport (depends on LA and Burbank traffic).

Valet Parking at The Westin Bonaventure is $21/day. All are encouraged to carpool or find alternate modes of transportation to the Summer Institute.

Parking is available at The Westin Bonaventure hotel.

In this organizing training for chapter teams, we will focus on the strategies and best practices for winning campaigns, which includes skills in recruiting, engaging, and organizing members at our worksites and in our communities.

Teams will leave with concrete tools and practical skills to maintain high union membership, establish worksite action teams to increase member leadership and involvement at every site and engage and build a vibrant chapter that has power to win on issues.

This training is for:

• Organizing Teams
• Chapter Officers
• Executive Board Members
• Membership Committees
• Worksite Action Teams
• Site Representatives

Designed for Chapter Teams, not Individuals.

For program information, contact Memo Durgin at MDurgin@cta.org

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

The Charter Educators Organizing and Bargaining training is designed to support and train union leaders and activists from charter schools across California. The session is very interactive and will provide educators the opportunity to develop new approaches to successful collective bargaining and membership organizing campaigns.  Participants will also discuss key issues educators at charter schools currently face, as well as identify trends and challenges on the horizon.  Leaders will bring back expanded skills and new strategies that will help them build power and win improvements at their schools for their colleagues and students.

Additionally, our training will provide an opportunity for union leaders at charter schools to meet educators from across California and identify ways for greater coordination to improve standards at charter schools.  This facet of the experience is especially important given the large increase in charter school unionization in recent years, as educators at nearly 100 charter schools have joined CTA.  As this movement grows, so does the need for increased coordination around organizing and bargaining strategies to win!

For program questions, contact Benjamin West at bwest@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

Amplify your voice as a union communicator!

Collaborate with the dynamic CTA Communications and Research team to explore tools and skills to strengthen our union communications with fellow educators and our broader communities. Sessions include how to amplify the work of our union with fellow educators and the public, including reporters, and on social media. We’ll also share tools and tactics for graphic design using Canva, video, photography, texting, email, and websites! A perfect training for communications committee chairs, those in charge of chapter digital communications, and leaders seeking to hone their advocacy skills.

Communications chairs and members are encouraged to attend.

For program information, contact Marty Barba at mbarba@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

This training will support association leaders in becoming knowledgeable and persuasive advocates for economic justice and the education profession, especially in these times of political extremes. Participants will be prepared to be effective in defending against privatization, attacks to public education and in promoting a just, democratic and equitable society.

We will explore the growing economic and social inequality in the US, basics of the tax system, the California school funding system and how these subjects are connected. Special emphasis will be placed on strengthening leaders’ understanding of the issues, our unifying message on increasing school funding and how to successfully advocate our issues with credibility and ease.  This training will prepare attendees to be eligible for participation in a presentation cadre on tax fairness and economic justice during the following year to support long-term school funding efforts.

For program information, contact Angela Su at asu@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

This session is intended for all CTA members who are beginning their activism in their local union. The Emerging Leaders training is an intensive program designed to provide faculty/site representatives, association committee members, and education advocates with the information, resources, and skills needed to become effective organizers and future leaders of their chapters. Participants will acquire knowledge and skills in the basic concepts of unionism and advocacy, union history, union structure, and effective relational organizing strategies. A variety of activities are designed to enhance the experience participants will have over the course of the week.

Members interested in obtaining bargaining or grievance representation skills should not attend this training. Additionally, potential participants should be aware of the targeted audience and the nature of this training before signing up to participate. Accurate contact information for individual participants is essential when registering for the training.

For program questions, contact Helen Farias at hfarias@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

Essential Bargaining Skills serves as the introductory training in CTA’s Summer Institute programs focused on understanding and navigating the bargaining process and contract negotiations at the local chapter level.

Participants in Essential Bargaining Skills will learn about their union’s rights under California collective bargaining law; the bargaining process from sunshine to ratification/impasse; bargaining power and the importance of member engagement and support in negotiations; how best to prepare for bargaining and contract negotiations; processes for surveying and determining member priorities in contract negotiations; reading and drafting contract language proposals; and verbal skills, table tactics, and strategies for bargaining with management.

The training is team-oriented and provides opportunities for participants to develop essential bargaining skills and knowledge through practice in exercises and simulations. Course content is applicable to certificated and classified chapter bargaining team members working in the K-12 and Community College setting.

For program information, contact Tom Pinkava at tpinkava@cta.org.

Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms for Students and Educators

Everyone says students have changed since returning from a year or more of remote learning.  Adults have changed, too. So have schools and instruction. One area that remains challenging is finding an equilibrium with regard to student behavior and meeting students’ and adults’ needs.  Join us for a week-long exploration of how to build safe and supportive classrooms for both students and adults, including:

• Discussions of educators’ rights and responsibilities under California EdCode regarding discipline and safety.
• How and why the state has shifted away from more punitive and exclusionary forms of discipline toward alternative means of correction and restorative practices.
• What’s really going on in the brains and bodies of students and how to use this understanding to minimize conflict and maximize learning.
• Hear from counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and classroom teachers about strategies that work in classrooms and schools, and how to begin laying the foundation for a safer and more supportive classroom on the first day of school.

For program information, contact Brian Guerrero at bguerrero@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

MB Breaking News: Integrating Member Benefits into your Member Engagement & Chapter Organizing Plan

We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news out of Burlingame, California. We have just learned that CTA & NEA Member Benefits will be reporting from CTA Summer Institute from a new studio and giving an update on all the member benefits available.

In addition, we’ll be reporting live from the field how these benefits can be used by chapter leaders to conduct school site visits, engage with members, be incorporated in chapter organizing plans and help meet the financial needs of members.

Members who attend will also hear eyewitness accounts from other association leaders how they have used member benefits in the past and enjoyed great success in member engagement and organizing. In addition, special guest appearances will be made by a number of CTA colleagues who will help provide additional resources for chapters.

CTA Member Benefits will again be providing Summer Institute Awards to chapters (2 per chapter) who want to “break the good news” to their members and incorporate Member Benefits in the “news cycle”.

Members who attend will be part of the “MB Press Pool” and while on-set will receive their press pass (who to coordinate benefits with), increase their awareness of breaking news (member benefits), and leave with the scoop on how to bring value to CTA membership.

If you have additional questions, please contact the CTA Member Benefits Department at 650.552.5200 or memberbenefits@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

You will gain vital information and perspective you can immediately apply to your role as an educator and local leader. Local associations are encouraged to send their local PAC or political team members who will be leading the association’s political work in 2024. Some program features include opportunities to:

• Learn how to organize to be successful in local and regional electoral campaigns.
• Unlock CTA resources for bond, school board, and county elections.

For questions, please contact CTA Governmental Relations at ctagovernmentalrelations@cta.org.

A grant program of up to $500 per person will be offered to small chapters. The grant program will only cover travel expenses such as economy class flights, mileage, tolls, shuttles, rideshares, and taxis. To apply, Click Here.”

Strand is applicable to all grade levels (TK-Higher Ed).

The School Finance training is designed for negotiators who have previously completed the Essential Bargaining Skills training at Summer Institute. Please note that those not meeting this prerequisite for this training will not be admitted.

This session is designed for association leaders and bargaining team members who want to become more knowledgeable about the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and school district budgets. The skills and knowledge obtained from this training will sharpen your skills to manage financial data and increase your confidence to handle the impact of the budget on bargaining. Training includes tracking the trends of budget priorities, calculating the cost of a bargaining proposal, determining a district’s ability to pay and developing comparability data to support bargaining objectives.

For program information, contact Dave Brown at dbrown@cta.org.

Strand is applicable to TK-12 grade levels.