Labor-management teams from nine California districts gathered in Sacramento this morning to begin two days of deep conversations and learning about how to share the work of improving schools and supporting student learning. In introductory conversations, each team shared some of the questions that bring them to this work at this time. Common threads included interests in capacity-building, communication, and sustained growth.
Pat Dolan framed the work in terms of the broader challenges facing unions at the national level. Looking back on decades of union work and organizing based on industrial models, Dolan suggested that a transition to professional unionism is not only beneficial to teaching, but essential for the long-term viability of unions.
California's unique funding and local accountability programs (LCFF and LCAP) are providing a context for productive conversations at this CalTURN meeting. Watch this space, and our Twitter feed, to hear and learn more.