We did it! The school year is over, and completing my first year as OEA President has been a rewarding experience. I have been privileged to work with OEA’s fine leaders and members as we move our organization to a place of greatness. We are not there yet, but we are well on our way.
The OEA-RA was truly a great experience, in which we approved OEA’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values. These guiding principles will help our leaders develop the policies and goals necessary for OEA to be an organization of excellence. Throughout the coming year, the goals will be reviewed and updated to reflect our Mission, Vision, and Core Values. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated as the OEA Board communicates with you during this process.
Who would have thought that with the successful passage of the ballot measures in January that we would be facing, yet again, another uncertain school year ahead? We made progress with the passage of Measures 66 and 67 but we have more to do to ensure stability for our schools. We hope the latest revenue forecast (read more, page 10) is a real wake-up call to our elected leaders and candidates that we must enact a comprehensive long-term solution to our ongoing revenue problem.
I do believe that every challenge provides an opportunity. Some-one once said that if we spend all of our time waiting for the storm, we will never enjoy the sunshine. We have opportunities every day and should use the “teachable moments” to educate our communities that we need to keep cuts to schools and public services to a minimum. Like the school psychologists featured in this issue’s cover story (page 14), and like the tremendous education advocates who are part of our in-depth feature on hunger prevention and nutrition programs in public schools (page 20), I encourage you to tell the real story of the challenges your students face, and how these impact our schools and our future.
As we look to the summer and a myriad of events and activities that will consume our time and energy, remember to enjoy your-self and spend some quality time with those closest to you. Some of you will retire from the activities that require regulation by a clock. Congratulations! Others of you will continue the important work of lifting up our students to higher levels of achievement as they prepare for the next steps in their learning.
To all of you, I send my sincerest gratitude for the work you do every day in making a difference for students and public education. Have a great summer.
