CA PARENTS RESPOND WITH SCHOOL SIT-OUT MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

The California Teachers Association (union) is designed to offer protections to teachers' employment. They extract heafty dues from each paycheck with the promise of protections from such things as false accusations (providing legal representation) and the likes. As a teacher, I have no problem with having part of my paycheck used in a pool to protect employment rights of fellow teachers. However, when these funds are used for political purposes, especially ones that do not relate to teachers themselves, it is quite disturbing. The CTA has donated approximately 1.25 million dollars to the "No on Proposition 8" campaign and has allowed the "No on Prop 8" campaign to claim that teachers are opposed to the proposition. As a teacher and a member of the CTA I am appalled that my hard earned money is being used to promote a political agenda with which I do not agree and is saying that I support a "no" vote on proposition 8. All of their adds say that California teachers oppose the proposition. Well, I am a california teacher and I support a "YES" vote on proposition 8. What they should claim, if they are honest, is that the liberal teachers union, who is raiding teachers wallets, is opposed to the proposition, not the teachers themselves. I have no doubt that many teachers are lining up on both sides of this issue--let the teachers speak for themselves, not the union which we disagree with more often than not.
In response to the CTA's decision, many parents will be protesting by keeping their children home from school on Monday, October 27th. Here is the information that has circulated via email:

"CA PARENTS RESPOND WITH SCHOOL SIT-OUT MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008.
Parents throughout CA are keeping their kids out of school on 10/27/08 to counter the actions of the CA Teachers Union. CA schools are paid on average $33. per student per day for attendance. The goal of 100,000 kids missing school for one day erases the donation made by the Teachers Union and sends a message that parents will hit them where it hurts to protect our children. We're being asked to call the schools to let them know why our children will be absent on Monday. The "sit-out" will be announced at each of the YES ON 8 tour bus stops through the media. Please pass this along to every parent you know in CA."

In reallity, this action will not hurt the union financially (they make their money off of the teachers' set salaries), but it will send a message nevertheless. As for myself, I will be going to work on October 27th--it is my duty and responsibility to my profession and my students, but I must say, I would love to see a whole lot of empty desks (and if I had children of my own, I would keep them home that day in order to send a message of my own dissatisfaction with the CTA for supporting politics to which I am fundamentally opposed).