About
The Association of Clovis Educators (ACE) is the collaborative and collective voice of Clovis Unified School District’s hard-working, dedicated educators.
Our History
A group of us started talking in July 2020. Recent developments during the pandemic highlighted growing challenges many of us had seen in Clovis over the past seven or eight years. The voices of educators were being routinely left out of key decisions being made about our students and schools. When we got together and talked about our experiences, we realized we were not alone. Our group rapidly grew with supporters from across Clovis Unified. Our discussions resonated with both early and experienced educators. Teachers from our elementary, middle and high schools joined us as well as education professionals from across the district.
It was clear that our values and goals were not unique to any one group. We all care deeply about our students, our district, and our broader Clovis community.
We then asked for the support of the California Teachers Association (CTA). We are eager to build ACE and be part of a statewide organization that advocates for students and public education.
About ACE
Protect and preserve the Clovis Way.
Doc Buchanan explained, “I thought that the real power should be in the classroom and that support should be given to the classroom and not the superstructure. I wanted to create an environment that would support the genius in every person.”
From the very beginning, Clovis Unified was built on a strong ideal to put people, not programs first. We believe educators’ voices and experience should be included when making decisions that impact our students and our schools. We are united to uphold and strengthen these founding principles.
Address issues in Clovis Unified that affect our students and fellow educators.
In the years since Doc left the district, power has inevitably shifted away from the classroom, and, today, we have become a fully realized top-down organization. When educators’ voices are left out of key decisions, it harms our students and our community. Classes become massive as we struggle to provide the individual attention every student deserves. Educators’ input on programs and curriculum in our district goes unheard. This is an unacceptable reality for us.
Ensure Educators have a meaningful seat at the table.
Unionization is our way to leverage our power as a collective voice. Faculty Senate is an organization staffed with good, committed people that have worked tirelessly to represent teachers. However, they do not have the power to negotiate or enforce our contract. Unfortunately, all the power is held by the “superstructure,” and efforts from Faculty Senators often end in frustration. Unionization provides educator representatives with the power to become true partners in the district.
Bring our shared vision for the future to Clovis Unified.
We have the collective power to bring meaningful and impactful change to Clovis Unified. We believe our future with ACE includes:
- Improved partnership between educators and administration.
- Educators’ voices included and respected when decisions are made about classrooms and curriculum.
- Better classroom conditions to ensure that every student receives the attention and education they deserve.
- Compensation and benefits that reflect educators’ roles in our community and keeps Clovis Unified competitive with similar school districts.
- More planning time so that educators can bring our best ideas into our classrooms.
Our Plan to Win
We are building a strong and democratic organization to have a real say in decision-making so we can better advocate for our students and our schools.
These are our five steps to build ACE:
1. Establish Our District Wide ACE Leadership Network
We welcome strong credentialed educator representatives from all schools, professions, grade areas and departments to help build ACE.
2. Build Strong Majority Support for Our Union
Colleagues from across CUSD are signing our ACE union support petition. Once a strong majority support, we will file our petitions with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). CUSD Administration doesn’t see who signed.
3. Collect Input from Our Colleagues and Determine Our Bargaining Priorities
Hold input meetings in every school across Clovis and support our colleagues to complete surveys to help us identify bargaining priorities for our first union contract.
4. Negotiate Our First Union Contract
Select a team of Clovis educators from different schools and professions to represent us and negotiate our strong union contract in Clovis that addresses our priorities and our vision for the future.
5. We Review, Evaluate and Decide
Our Clovis colleagues will review and evaluate our first contract, decide whether to become an ACE member, and then vote whether to approve our union contract. Additionally, during this period we will elect our ACE leadership from every school and across our district.