South Lake Tahoe teachers show support for free and quality education for all students

Members of the California Teacher's Association (CTA) and California Federation of Teachers (CFT) across the state brought out the posters and wore red on May 1 to advocate for public education and immigrant students.

South Lake Tahoe teachers joined in and greeted parents and students as they arrived for school Monday, displaying posters and letting students know they all had a right to quality and free public education, and asking all to take the pledge (as seen below).

Jodi Dayberry, a teacher at Tahoe Valley Elementary and President of the local teacher's union, has been promoting the May Day event during recent Lake Tahoe Unified School District meetings as well as with her membership.

Unlike some May Day organizers in other states who promoted a general strike, local teachers used the CTA Day of Action as a day to express views while staying in school.

WHEREAS, the promise of a free, universal and quality public education system is the foundation of our 21st-century democratic society, a civil right and the cornerstone of California’s economy;

WHEREAS, California established its system of free, universal public education open to all children in 1866 and now educates more than 9 million students in our schools and colleges, or one in eight children in America;

WHEREAS, California has always strived for and deserves a quality, inclusive, safe and innovative public education system that ensures all students can succeed, regardless of their ZIP code, the color of their skin, their native language, their gender or gender identity, their immigration status, their religion, who they love, or their social standing;

WHEREAS, all students and educators deserve safe learning and teaching environments, and the right to attend school free of fear, bullying and discrimination;

WHEREAS, California has always been a place for DREAMers and supports safe-haven schools and sanctuary cities that reflect and embrace the diversity of our students and their families, as well as the rich language and cultural assets they bring to our communities;

WHEREAS, all California kids deserve access to high-quality early childhood education;

WHEREAS, all students deserve access to affordable college and have access to career and technical training programs that will prepare them for the workforce;

WHEREAS, smaller class sizes significantly improve student learning – particularly for ethnic minority students and English learners; give educators more time to provide one-on-one instruction, and allow for more communication between teachers and families;

WHEREAS, all students deserve a well-rounded education – ensuring that students and schools have access to multi-cultural education, art, music, theater, dance, physical education, and career-technical classes;

WHEREAS, California supports learning over testing and is leading efforts to build a statewide school accountability system that gets beyond standardized test scores to include multiple measures of student and school success;

WHEREAS, adequate health care, including eye and dental care, is essential to ensuring kids come to school ready to learn;

WHEREAS, parent, family and community engagement are an integral part of a child’s education and are critical to developing a shared vision for student learning;

WHEREAS, education professionals are deeply committed to the success of every student and should be recognized as the experts they are, deserving of academic freedom, time to collaborate with their colleagues, shared decision-making to determine the most effective teaching methods, curriculum, assessment and evaluation systems, and competitive salaries comparable to other professions to attract and retain quality educators for students;

WHEREAS, all schools need adequate counselors, nurses and other education support professionals to help meet the needs of all children. Free and reduced-priced meal programs and free transportation must also be available to all students who need them;

WHEREAS, California law supports collective bargaining rights for education employees as educators should be able to advocate for their students, have a say about their futures and the right to negotiate together for safe working conditions and wages that can sustain their families;

WHEREAS, California has led efforts to bring equity to its school funding system and must adequately fund education to climb out of ranking 46th in per-pupil funding, which is $3,462 below the national average;

WHEREAS, public schools should serve as centers of the community, not profit centers with taxpayer dollars diverted to private voucher schemes and unaccountable corporate charter schools;

AND WHEREAS, supporting quality public schools and colleges is about building the futures of all of California’s children, building stronger local communities and building a better California for all of us.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that educators and all public education supporters affirm their commitment to these values and rise up to protect students and their families, public schools and colleges, the teaching profession and our communities from any policies that would undermine these values;

BE IT RESOLVED that educators and all public education supporters across California vow to call on federal, state and local lawmakers to advocate for the public education all California’s students deserve;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that educators and all public education supporters will encourage local school districts, college districts and city councils to pass similar resolutions to keep our public schools public and demand the public education that all California's students deserve.

The state's teachers are committed to making sure all students get the public education they deserve.

"We ask all Californians, including elected leaders regardless of party affiliation, to join us in supporting a strong, inclusive, safe and innovative public education system that ensures all students can succeed, regardless of their ZIP code," it says on the CTA website for May 1. "Our public schools must remain centers of our communities, and not become corporate profit centers. We hold these values because all children, regardless of family circumstances, where they live, where they were born, how they look, who they love or the language they speak have the right to a public education that helps them reach their full potential."

To take the pledge, which is backed by the 445,000 members of CTA and CFA, visit https://actionnetwork.org/forms/take-the-pledge-a-call-to-action-for-the-public-education-all-californias-students-deserve.