Election information!

Hi EU members,

As you know a very important election is coming up this Tuesday, March 3. I very strongly encourage all of you to vote. You each know what's best for our communities, our students and our environment, so please go have your say.

This post is not to endorse individual candidates, but to lead you to resources about issues that affect us as teachers so you can make informed decisions about the election. Here are some notes and resources that you might find useful:

Presidential Primary Elections: Unfortunately if you are not registered with political party you cannot vote for a presidential candidate, but you CAN vote on the other items on the ballot.

Alameda County Board of Education Elections: In Alameda Country, there are 2 highly contested seats in this election, mostly because of charter rights issues. Alameda Country voters will vote for a candidate for the 2nd Trustee Area and the 5th Trustee area. The full list of candidates is here.

• Note: CTA is endorsing Angela Norman for 2nd Trustee Area (Oakland), you can learn more about her here and here. In terms of supporting charters, she is part of United Oakland Educators, a group of unionized charter leaders and other ally educators which I as EU president am also a part. She is also part of a state level advocacy and has been inviting and encouraging local union charter leaders to become more involved at the state level. 

Prop 13: This proposition is a school modernization bond to repair old and unsafe school buildings across California. It is not a tax increase, and it has nothing to do with property taxes. Here is a recent New York Times article about the proposition.

CTA Endorsements: Each election the CTA produces a comprehensive list of candidate recommendations based on what the organization believes will benefit teachers and students. You can find their recommendations here.

By no means is Envision United saying that you need to align yourself with any notes here or the California Teachers Association, please make your own evidence-based decisions.

Go Vote!

Katherine