Welcome to TSTA

Mardi Gras in Kingwood
Be a Teacher Club President Karen Behrend drove a decorated golf cart in the Lone Star College-Kingwood Mardi Gras parade February 24. The Be a Teacher Club is TSTA-Student Program’s chapter at the college.Ana Silva, wearing a hat, walks behind the golf cart. To accommodate student schedules, the Be a Teacher Club meets the first Monday of every month at 12:30 p.m. and the first Thursday at 4 p.m. Guest speakers are featured at each meeting, and there are many opportunities to work with the community.

ESPs Learn About Their Rights in TSTA Region 3C
Region 3C sponsored a workshop entitled "ESPs Have Rights, Too!" on Feb. 28 at the Pasadena ISD Transportation Building. The workshop, which was presented by TSTA staff member Sam Blackman for ESPs from Pasadena and La Porte, covered student discipline, Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code, assault leave for ESPs, checking your personnel files/records/reports, and ESPs' right to be involved in political elections and join associations. Participants said they felt more empowered and knowledgeable about their rights after the workshop.

Region 1 Meets in Brownsville
TSTA President Rita Haecker was the guest speaker at the Region One Winter Conference in Brownsville. The meeting included a house of delegates and dinner gala.

Learning to Lead
Leaders in TSTA Region 2D, the Central Texas area, met in Marble Falls Feb. 27-March 1 to perfect their leadership skills.

Read Across America Week in Laredo
Laredo TSTA/NEA grabbed its crazy hat and with a bang proclaimed it Read Across America Week. Students, teachers and educational and city leaders gathered at the Webb County Court House Feb. 24 to commit to engaging Laredo’s children in programs and activities to make them the best readers in the world.

Laredo TSTA/NEA leaders Rene De La Vina, Hilario Cavazos and Dr. Guadalupe Cortes delivered a check to Laredo ISD Superintendent Dr. Veronica Guerra to promote children’s reading.

Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, Webb County Judge Danny Valdez and Superintendent Dr. Guerra read NEA’s proclamation to a court house full of children, parents and educators in crazy hats. They committed the city and schools to “promoting reading as the catalyst for our students’ future academic success, their preparation for America’s jobs of the future, and their ability to compete in a global economy”.

For 12 years, NEA has sponsored Read Across America to motivate children to read and master basic skills. It takes place on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, community centers and more participate by bringing together kids and books. See http://www.nea.org/readacross for more about Read Across America and click here for local newspaper coverage on Laredo.

South Texas Leaders Meet in Port Aransas
AOT 1 held an officer’s retreat January 9-11in Port Aransas. Local officers and leaders from Donna, Edgewood, Harlandale, Harlingen, Laredo, North East, San Benito, Southside and Southwest spent the weekend learning and refreshing their leadership skills and sharing their experiences with each other. In addition they also spent time strategizing and developing region plans for the 2009-2010 year.

Southwest Educators Local Joins Community Parade
The 8th Annual Blue Santa Parade on Dec. 13 went through two subdivisions in Southwest ISD, ending at Miller's Pond Community Center. A festival followed with entertainment, activities for youth, food booths and community agency exhibit booths.

Southwest Educators Association (SEA) participated in the parade. Local officers decorated the TSTA truck, had students volunteer to pass out candy and dressed in costume. The teachers passed out the TSTA Parental Involvement booklet to the adults, and the students passed out candy to the kids along the parade route. The bilingual booklet encourages parents to get involved in their child’s education and offers them tips on how this can be done.

This was the third activity that Southwest TSTA leaders participated in that involved the community and school district. This was made possible through the NEA media grant that started off the campaign in September with radio ads targeting the Hispanic population.

SEA officers are planning additional events this school year, including a spring membership drive that will provide teachers with information to help them work with parents.

Most PAC Payroll Deductions: Port Arthur Wins Laptop!
We have a winner of the PAC Giveaway Project which ran from September 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008. Port Arthur Teachers Association added 223 new payroll deductions for political action committee contributions, and they will receive a new laptop for local association use. Congratulations to Port Arthur and a big thanks to all who worked so hard on this contest.

Region 1B Welcomes Legislators to Brunch
Region 1B had a legislative brunch on Nov. 22. President Barbara Franklin put the day together. Legislators attending were: U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez; Minnie Sanchez, aide to Sen. Leticia Van de Putte; and Reps. Joaquin Castro, Joe Farias and Jose Menendez. Each addressed the group, then answered questions from the audience.

Brownsville Wins Broad Prize
Brownsville ISD has received the prestigious Broad Prize, which carries $1 million in college scholarships for graduating seniors. more

Southwest ISD, TSTA Walk to Keep Students in School
Volunteers invested a few hours of their weekend to participate in Southwest ISD's first annual Reach Out to Dropouts walk Saturday, Sept. 6. But the return on this investment could be huge – for the district, for San Antonio, and, especially, for the more than 250 students SWISD hopes to convince to return to school.

Members of Southwest Educators Association, the TSTA/NEA local, were among the volunteer walkers.

“Increasing our graduation rate will benefit San Antonio’s future and the future of each individual with a high school diploma. Young adults who complete their high school education provide a better-prepared and responsible work force contributing to the quality of life and the economic development of our city,” said Dr. Velma Villegas, the Southwest ISD superintendent.

“Every Texan will pay a higher price for human services and criminal justice programs if we don’t significantly reduce the dropout rate. And our members, such as those in Southwest Educators Association, know all too well the high cost young Texans and their families pay when they don’t complete at least high school. We know that high school dropouts earn about $1 million dollars less on average over a lifetime than college graduates,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Addressing Texas’ dropout crisis is one of our top priorities as the oldest statewide education organization.”

The district’s 13 campuses participated in the Reach Out to Dropouts walk, encouraging dropouts to return to school and helping get them back on track to succeed and graduate.

TSTA provided each visited household with a booklet of tips and tools that parents can put in practice to keep their children in school.

In late August, TSTA began running four weeks of public service ads in English and Spanish on San Antonio radio stations encouraging parents to become involved or more involved in the education of their children. Parental involvement significantly reduces the likelihood that children will drop out before completing high school.

TSTA is also partnering with school districts, such as Southwest ISD, to support existing dropout prevention and recovery efforts or help develop new programs.

“The dropout problem is not just a school problem. It’s also a community problem, and we need the help of community organizations, teacher groups and businesses to overcome it. Teacher groups especially are here to provide support and help to school districts. TSTA is a partner with Southwest ISD to provide training for parents to reduce dropouts and to encourage students to stay in school,” Superintendent Villegas explained.

“It gives me and SWISD great pleasure to work with TSTA in order to promote the core values of SWISD, ‘Reach All, Teach All and Inspire All.’ I hope that this is just a beginning in the partnership that we will continue to grow with TSTA to assist the students of SWISD,” the superintendent added.

Pasadena Educators Association Appreciates Staples

Patrick Hernandez, president of Pasadena Educators Association and treasurer of Region 3C, contacted his local Staples office supply store after reading about its August 16 "Teacher Appreciation Day" in a TSTA e-newsletter.

“I spoke with the manager about setting up a table with our TSTA promotional literature and brochures,” he reported. “We were given permission with no problem, and we will be able to enroll those working in Pasadena ISD as well as surrounding districts.”

Hernandez’s local emailed all its members to remind them of Teacher Appreciation Day and to ask them to bring a teacher who might not yet be a member.

“Periodically throughout the year, we will be able to remind our members of Staples support and commitment to public education,” Hernandez said. “We hope to have a working relationship with Staples with this as a first step. And of course, we will promote to our members the importance of spending their education dollars to a business that supports public education.”

Top Membership Awards Awarded at 2008 HoD
BEST OVERALL MEMBERSHIP PERFORMANCE
Teacher: Socorro Education Association
ESP: Association of Brownsville Educators