Santa Clara County Service Center Council
What Is A Service Center?
Service Center Councils (SCC) function as a liaison between CTA State Council and local chapter affiliations with California Teachers Association. They are not considered apart of the policy-making and/or governing structure of the Association.
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Functions Include:
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Meet prior to each meeting of the State Council of Education, and at such other times as it may desire, consistent with the policies of the Association. It is the responsibility of chapter presidents or their designee and State Council representatives to attend these general meetings prior to each State Council.
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Provide a center for exchange of information and discussion of actions under consideration by the State Council of Education.
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Serve as a forum and hearing body on issues referred through the CTA governance structure, by Council and/or Board action (i.e., CTA Budget Hearings).
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Coordination of membership participation in regional CTA activities, including workshops, multi-district Council seat elections, NEA delegate elections, political activities, including recommendation of legislative candidates and legislative contact programs.
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Assist in the identification of priorities for and evaluation of regional programs and service needs, and refer concerns from chapters to the CTA Governance structure.
Non-governance Status
SCCs are not permitted to endorse candidates for CTA/NEA office because of their non-governance status and cannot direct how members vote. All functions and activities of SCC are consistent with the principle of direct chapter representation of the State Council of Education through locally elected State Council representatives.
California Teachers Association
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The California Teachers Association (CTA), with nearly 300,000 members, is the largest organization representing educators within California. Under the leadership of 3 executive officers, President, Vice-President, and Secretary; a 21-member Board of Directors, and the 700-member+ State Council of Education, CTA seeks to achieve it's mission "...to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society."
Local chapters, or associations, are affiliates of the both CTA and NEA and correspond to local school districts. Educators who join their local chapter are members of all three organizations – local, CTA and NEA. Coordination of policies and programs between the affiliates and the CTA/NEA is carried out with the assistance of primary contact, UniServ, and regional staff members.
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National Education Association
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The National Education Association (NEA), representing nearly 3,000,000 educators throughout the United States, is the largest labor organization in the US. The NEA is organized under the direction of an elected 3-member Executive Board, a 9-members Executive Committee, and a 180-member Board of Directors.
In addition, a 180-member NEA resolutions committee develops resolutions for the NEA. Resolution are formal expressions of opinion, intent belief, or position of the Association. They shall set forth general concepts in clear, concise language, shall be broad in nature, shall state the positions of the Association positively and without ambiguity, shall be consistent with the goals of the Association as stated in the preamble of the constitution. In other words, Resolutions are the philosophical statements of beliefs that will carry over time without specificity.