Leadership Ins and Outs
How does California Teachers Association (CTA) work?
Many people outside of CTA know little about how it is organized or functions. They often don’t realize that decisions at CTA are made and carried out through a representative democracy among the state’s public education professionals.
The two important things to keep in mind are that:
- All of the roles described below are filled by CTA members who are teachers or other professional educators throughout the state; and
- At this time there are zero Clovis educators serving in these roles or elected to any of these committees.
Governance in the California Teachers Association begins at the local or chapter level. By secret ballot, members elect their own chapter officers as well as representatives to CTA’s policy-making State Council of Education, with nearly 800 members. (Nichole Klein is one representative in our area and worked closely with us in the campaign’s early stages. Alicyn Cawley is another representative helping support our campaign). The State Council sets the policies and positions of CTA through an inclusive decision-making process and elects the three state-level CTA officers and the CTA Board of Directors.
ACE’s area representatives:
- Janie Chiasson – King’s Canyon Teachers Association
- Roxanne Garrigus-Case – Selma Unified Teachers Association
- Nichole Klein – Selma Unified Teachers Association
- Efrain Tovar – Selma Unified Teachers Association
The CTA Executive Officers, including a president, vice president, and secretary- treasurer, are the leaders of CTA’s day-to-day functions along with the Executive Director.
The State Council also elects the CTA Board of Directors (Eva Ruiz is the Director for our Area F and a good friend of ACE) who make the high-level decisions on how to implement CTA policies and positions.
Decisions are made at the State Council of Education, which meets four times a year. Issues are subject to debate and discussion from the floor among the many hundreds of educators present.
The decisions of the State Council work to implement CTA’s Mission Statement: The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education for all students; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children, youth and adults are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.
Liaisons to influential organizations around key issues then help ensure that those policies and positions are carried out.
Work is done on numerous committees to develop policy and position recommendations to the State Council for final decision.
Caucuses allow diverse voices to find solidarity and support while they work to be heard in important CTA decisions.
ACE joined as guests of the State Council and observed a Council meeting in 2022. The debates were robust and even occasionally heated as people expressed their varied perspectives before the final votes were taken.
ACE is working to involve more Clovis educators in these statewide decisions. We can ensure that Clovis values and priorities are part of the statewide conversation. The only way to do that is to participate.
ACE Survey:
Student Behavior and Classroom Management
ACE believes in discussing the critical issues we, as educators and our students, face in the classroom and working to address those issues. As discussed in our last newsletter, classroom educators everywhere are painfully aware of the recent increase in student behavior issues and the difficulty in addressing them through classroom management and disciplinary policies.
We know there is no simple solution to this national crisis, but we believe that classroom teachers and support staff should be respected and empowered to create a safe learning environment for our students.
ACE is urging all CUSD educators to play a crucial role in tackling the issue of student behavior. We’ve crafted a survey tool, a pivotal instrument that will enable you to voice your concerns. This data will be instrumental in fostering a productive dialogue with the district, with a focus on educator-driven solutions.
We urge you to complete the survey and rally your fellow CUSD educators to do the same. If you have queries or wish to contribute to the conversation, please email them to ace@cloviseducators.org.
ACE Leadership Election Results
We are inspired by the dedication and commitment of all the candidates who stepped up to run and are filled with hope for the future as we welcome our newly elected leaders to serve with passion and purpose. Together, and with all Clovis educators, great things will be accomplished for our students and our profession.
Please note that your ACE Executive Board Members are distinguished in boldface on the list below.
| Officers | ||||
| President: | Kilburn | Amy | ||
| VP Elementary: | Chavera | Jennifer | ||
| VP Secondary: | Heimerdinger | Kristin | ||
| Secretary: | Mesloh | Letricia | ||
| Treasurer: | Lindstrom | Debra | ||
| SPED: | Welch | Nancy | ||
| Psych/MHSP: | Saunders | Melissa | ||
| District Office Rep: | Hiyane | Cy | ||
| Clovis East Area: | Roche | Jason | ||
| Clovis North Area: | Ferdinandsen | Melissa | ||
| Clovis West Area: | Chavera | Jennifer | ||
| SITE Representatives | ||||
| Boris Elementary | Berst | Sylvia | ||
| Buchanan High School | Lutjens | Donna | ||
| Clark Intermediate | Dumas | Judy | ||
| Clovis Adult Transitions | Slater | Kevin | ||
| Clovis East High School | Arredondo | Jaime | ||
| Clovis West High School | Custer | Heather | ||
| Garfield Elementary | Allen | Rachel | ||
| Granite Ridge Intermediate | Grannis | Amy | ||
| Lincoln Elementary | Chavera | Jennifer | ||
| Miramonte Elementary | Dunnigan | Tammy | ||
| Mountain View Elementary | Dritz | Dan | ||
| Reyburn Intermediate | Lindstrom | Debra | ||
| Weldon Elementary | Weakly | Haylie | ||
| Clovis North High School | Quiring | Geoffrey | ||
| Psych/ MHSP | ||||
| Unit Chair | Hiyane | Cy | ||
| At-Large Rep | Chevoya | Amanda | ||
| At-Large Rep | Cornell | Shannon | ||