President’s Report to Representative Council, May 5, 2008

  President’s Remarks to Representative Council

                              May 5, 2008

This past week was historic in many different ways, from the May 1^st ILWU shutdown of 29 West Coast ports in opposition to the war in Iraq, to the immigrants’ rights rallies held that same day. It was a week that saw growing opposition to the Governor’s proposed budget cuts, including a budget cuts rally co-sponsored by the Board of Education, OEA, and elected officials, and a Town Hall meeting convened by Assemblymember Sandré Swanson.  And it was capped by a turnout of over 400 for the first Alcosta Service Center “Teacher Appreciation Day” at the Oakland A’s game, preceded by a fantastic tailgate party featuring the Angry, Tired Teachers Band of Hayward.

Now we have another chance to make some history – by showing up thousands strong at City Hall on May 14^th to protest the proposed budget cuts, and to demand the right to a quality public education for all students.

 We need each and every one of you to bring your colleagues, bring parents and students, take signs around to businesses so the entire city of Oakland knows we are serious about growing the green and changing the conversation to one of what our students need in order to be successful!

More details on OEA’s actions this week (in addition to our day-to-day advocacy, assisting members, meetings with the district, filing grievances):

• Tuesday, April 29: OEA held a joint press conference at the OEA Center with ILWU, United Transportation Union, UPTE, and Cindy Sheehan to publicize the May 1 ILWU port shutdown and underscore the unity between our demand to end the war and bring the troops home, and the need for more funding for schools, health care and social services. To see the press conference in full, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw8lwKTguoo

• Wednesday, April 30: We co-sponsored and participated in the Board of Education’s Budget Cuts rally in Hunter Hall. While there was unity among the audience that “cuts to education are not an option” and that it was important to make our voices heard to our legislators, I pointed out the irony in the fact that we were standing together on this issue and yet at the very same time the district unions are negotiating with the very same state that is set to cut our resources. In fact, I found out just before speaking that 55 SEIU positions had just been cut!

After the rally, several OEA members attended the School Board meeting to support the teachers, students and parents of Life Academy, which is slated to be moved while the district does earthquake compliance work. All who spoke from Life Academy were passionate, compelling, and persuasive, but in the end the Board voted to move them instead of allowing them to stay on the grounds, either in the building itself or in portables, while repair work is done,

I spoke at the Board meeting about the recent incident at Piedmont Avenue Elementary, making the connection between the Expect Success Wave 2 reorganization last year and incidents such as this one, in which a first grader was seriously injured after school. Wave 2 dismantled the Department of Family, Community and Student Services and thereby effectively undermined the district’s internal support for positive school climate, bully prevention, conflict resolution, Tribes, Second Step, etc. Despite the district’s rhetoric about safety being their number one priority, we know that their real priority is increasing test scores, whatever it takes. Schools not under as much pressure to “raise performance” are more likely to have the time to focus on other than test scores, whereas those that are afraid of sinking further into Program Improvement are urged to spend any additional time on test preparation and intervention. This is a question of equity, a question of values. What are we trying to teach our children if not how to get along in a complex world, and learn the tools to navigate it successfully? A child is more than a test score!

At the School Board meeting, BayTech Charter School was granted the use of space at Oakland International High next year as allowed under Proposition 39, which requires school districts to make space available to charters. Even after being granted this space, their director had the gall to request that the rental fee of $2.71/square foot be lowered… it’s not enough to bleed our schools of their funding, now they want us to give them the facilities as well!

• Thursday, May 1: May Day has long been celebrated around the world as International Workers’ Day, but this tradition has been lost in the US for decades. This year changed that in a big way as 25,000 longshore workers all along the West Coast shut down 29 ports and called for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thousands rallied in their support. About a dozen OEA members took the day off work, and we marched from the Longshore Hall to Justin Hermann Plaza, where speakers included members of the ILWU, Cindy Sheehan, Danny Glover, Cynthia McKinney, and me. I was so proud to be able to represent you before this crowd, and to underscore our message that while war profiteers are spending billions on a war of aggression, here at home we are told we need to make further cuts to an already scarce budget.

Throughout the day, OEA members taught using the anti-war curriculum prepared by some of our members (see below re: New York Times coverage); members held signs and passed out leaflets and signs before and after school both in front of their schools and at several big intersections; Kris Welch interviewed me for her show on KPFA, and Channel 2 provided coverage of our actions in support of the ILWU shutdown.

Later that same day, thousands rallied at the Fruitvale Village for the Immigrant Rights rally and then marched 5 ½ miles to City Hall. It was spirited, loud, and stretched for blocks. At City Hall Native drummers and singers joined a series of speakers, and once again I was proud to represent OEA by speaking on your behalf on the importance of solidarity in the face of attacks and repression of immigrant people.

You should know that on Friday, May 2^nd, ­ the day after the marches for immigrants’ rights, ­ ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents conducted a large-scale raid
at taquerias across San Francisco and the East Bay. Agents arrested about 60 employees at several locations of the El Balazo chain. Some of the workers have been released, but forced to wear electronic ankle bracelets while they await deportation hearings. Others are still imprisoned. Many were interrogated without legal representation

• Friday, May 2: The New York Times published a story on their visit on May 1^st to Craig Gordon’s class at Paul Robeson and Ben Visnick’s at Oakland High, focusing on the anti-war curriculum developed by several OEA members around May 1^st actions.

• Saturday, May 3: Assemblymember Sandré Swanson convened a Town Hall meeting focused on budget cuts at Encinal High School in Alameda. About 200 attended, including Loni Hancock and Mary Hayashi. I spoke on behalf of OEA and reiterated that the conversation needs to be changed from one of where to cut to one of who to tax.

That afternoon, over 400 teachers from the Alcosta Service Center Council converged on the Coliseum for the Oakland A’s “Teacher Appreciation Day” game against the Texas Rangers. Hundreds came early for a fabulous tailgate party, with electric live music from the Angry, Tired Teachers Band, a group of teachers who got together during the Hayward strike. Under sunny skies we danced, sang along, ate and drank, made signs, and then went to the game. Though the A’s didn’t win, we did – we broke down some of the artificial barriers between locals, got our message across with signs (“Strike Out Budget Cuts!” and “Budget Cuts Make Me Nuts!”), on the Jumbotron (“Step up to the Plate for Public Education!), and on KTVU Channel 2. I received this message from the Alcosta Service Center Council Chair the next day:

     Betty:

     I did not have an opportunity to connect with you last night at the

     game, but I wanted to thank you for your advocacy on behalf of all of us.

     I especially liked your interview on the Channel 2 news story.

     I also really liked how this event transformed us from individual

     chapters to a collective group of chapters focused on one common goal.  It

     is certainly a vision of the Service Center Council that I have long

     held was possible.  Thank you!

     Sincerely,

     Greg Bonaccorsi

     Chair, ALCOSTA Service Center Council/CTA/NEA

CTA Proposed Dues Increase

Please share with your colleagues the proposed dues increase 

from CTA outlined on the reverse of this report. 

It was presented at the April State Council and will be 

voted on at the June State Council. We will ask for 

your vote on this at the June Rep Council. 

Finally, PLEASE take seriously the crucial importance of 

getting every member out for May 14th. We are faced with 

impossible choices if these cuts are allowed to go through, 

and we need to show the Governor and the district that we 

are prepared to fight back!

In Unity,

Betty