Power and Resources
by Jim Groth, CTA Director, District P, & Chula Vista Elementary School District

The current disagreement between CTA and members of Congress over No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) has once again cast us into crisis mode. CTA
is taking the NCLB reauthorization rewrite as serious as we took the
2005 Schwarzenegger special election. We have all rolled up our
sleeves and are headed into battle. We are good at what we do. We are
not afraid to use our power to take on any challenge.

To be powerful, we must have resources. Along with the powerful
resource of a highly educated and trained membership, a strong
financial base is also necessary. CTA dues provide that strong
financial base.

A common question I hear is "How are my dues spent?" Let's take a
look at what your CTA dues of $621 provide.

Governance is 4.3% of CTA dues. Governance includes all direct
membership involvement in the control, operation and direction of CTA.

Governmental Relations (GR) is 3.5% of CTA dues. GR is organized to
have maximum teacher impact upon the political process.

The Association of Better Citizenship (ABC) is 2.8% of CTA dues. ABC
provides for bi-partisan funding of educational issues and CTA
endorsed candidates for local and state offices.

Legal Services is 3.6% of CTA dues. Legal Services provides CTA
members and Chapters with comprehensive legal protection.

Regional Services (Chapter Programs) is 37% of CTA dues. Regional
Services provides offices and staff members to provide CTA programs
and services to local chapters.

Negotiations & Organizational Development (NOD) is 3.3% of CTA dues.
NOD provides bargaining support and information along with training.

Training, Information and Development (TID) is 1.1% of dues. TID
provides training opportunities along with providing assistance to
support statewide organizing projects in pursuit of CTA causes.

Communications is 3.3% of CTA dues. Communications is responsible for
interpreting and promoting CTA's total program. Communication is
responsible for internal communications and membership promotion.

Human Rights/Community Outreach is 2.5% of CTA dues. Human
Rights/Community Outreach deals with human and civil rights issues
along with outreach to local communities. Scholarships are also a
responsibility of this department.

Instruction and Professional Development (IPD) is 1.9% of CTA dues.
IPD provides training session in a variety of curricular subjects.

Service Department is 14% of CTA dues. Service Departments provide
support to CTA members, departments and field programs.

Occupancy is 3% of CTA dues. Occupancy pays rents, taxes, utilities
etc. for CTA.

Capital Expense is 1.5% of CTA dues. It provides for purchase of
equipment, fixtures and capital improvements essential for company
operations.

Crisis Assistance Fund (CAP) is 0.5% of CTA dues. CAP provides
financial support to chapters undergoing a variety of crisis
situations.

Debt Reduction is 9.7% of CTA dues. Fiscal year 2007/08 is the final
year of the three year assessment used to fight the 2005 special
election issues.

Media Fund is 2.6% of CTA dues. The Media Fund provides for
communication through the media to educate the public on educational
issues.

Initiative Fund is 5.8% of CTA dues. The Initiative Fund is used to
promote initiatives that enhance the funding of public education or
combat initiatives that promote public funding of private schools.

The CTA budget is broad and far-reaching. It provides the financial
resources so that we can exercise our power for the students and
teachers of California. It provides the base to face challenges.

(Due to publishing deadlines, this article is written several days
before publication. I encourage you to keep updated on the current
Miller-Pelosi NCLB situation by logging on to www.CTA.org.)