Over four days in San Jose, local presidents and chapter leaders from every corner of California joined board members and staff at the annual CTA Presidents Conference. The event enables both first-time leaders and veteran presidents to attend training sessions, share best practices, and practice relational organizing with new statewide and regionally elected board members and officers.

CTA President Toby Boyd addressed leaders at the annual event, encouraging and thanking them for their ongoing service. Boyd, a twenty-year kindergarten teacher, welcomed the crowd of educators; “As chapter presidents, you are the backbone of CTA. I thank you for taking on this leadership role in our union. I’m not going to sugar coat it-it’s hard work. But it’s also rewarding work, as you are the voice for our students and educators. We are building a movement that is shaping the future of public education.”

At the conference, attendees are encouraged to choose from dozens of session electives including internal chapter organizing and structure, messaging and social media use, and growing local chapter capacity.

At CTA’s Budget Committee meeting, hosted by Secretary-Treasuer Leslie Littman on Saturday morning, members were encouraged to request local program resources through member engagement grants that are available to chapters statewide.

The event was well-attended and will help CTA achieve its goals of building an organization that provides educator support while strengthening ties to social justice issues that promote and protect students, parents, and educators throughout the state.