David Goldberg gave a powerful and inspiring report today to CTA State Council of Education. Here are 10 highlights:

1. Dedicated to Our Students: “Seeing our students move forward is one of the greatest joys we have as educators. We feel that joy because we’re in this together – with them. Yes, we educate and share knowledge and do whatever we can to help expand their horizons. And we’re also fighting for them.”

2. Powering Positive Change: “We also have powerful examples at the state level of members coming together to demand change for paid pregnancy leave and the elimination of the TPAs. CTA members have sent thousands of letters to legislators about these bills – and it’s making a difference in the Capitol. Just since our last State Council, both bills have overcome major hurdles and are continuing through the legislature.”

3. Rest Up for the Next Fight: “A critical part of our work to build a union is resting when we need to so that we’re ready for the next critical fight. The summer is great for that. Because when we come back to school next year, we have critical work to do together.”

4. You Are Not Alone: In every worksite, there’s an issue that is making it harder to deliver the education our students deserve … Whatever the struggle, whether it’s at a local school site, in a local school district, or an issue we’re facing statewide, it’s talking to our colleagues in our union that creates a spark – a lightbulb moment that says “hey, I’m not alone.”

5. We Can and Should Do Better: “We all know that California’s students, schools and communities deserve more. Despite being the fifth largest economy in the world, not a single one of our students is getting what they deserve. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

6. The System is Broken: “People are DONE with soaring income inequality in our state. People are looking for answers and solutions. Our actions have the power to impact the future of public-school funding for decades to come. It’s time to fight back against threats and fight forward to seize opportunities to fix our broken system.”

7. All-in for the November Election: “We have to go all-in on November – with 2,000 school board races and this terrible initiative on the ballot, we can’t sit this one out. This is going to take all of us – everyone in this room and every member across the state working together to send a clear signal that we’ve seen ENOUGH corporate greed to last a lifetime. Our students and communities deserve stability – not boom and bust cycles every single year.”

8. Defending Public School Funding: “As many of you know, Gov. Newsom proposed an unconstitutional maneuver for Prop. 98 funding in his May Revise to the state budget. So we fought back. We made it clear that we would not stand by while Californians’ constitutional guarantee to school funding was under threat. We fought back and now we’ve come to an agreement with the governor to protect school funding today and in the years to come. Now we have to urge legislators to pass this budget.” (add your name to our petition here)

9. Refusing to Accept Less than Our Students Deserve: “Our state is facing a massive deficit. In times like this, it’s critical for us to refuse to accept that our students’ educational experience is defined by years of cuts. Students deserve more resources today – not less.”

10. The Unstoppable Power of the People: “We had over 2,000 layoff notices across the state in March. It was looking bleak for far too many of our colleagues, their students, and communities. But what happened in our local chapters is truly incredible organizing. Educators in Anaheim, San Diego, Contra Costa and Farmersville all organized and saved jobs. They stormed board meetings. They all showed up to hearings together. Our union fought back. People power won the day.”