Franklin McKinley Parents Organization
Could teacher influence be interfering with elections?
Have you noticed teachers campaigning this year? Teachers all over the South Bay have been activated to endorse approved candidates. At this point you may be asking yourself, approved by whom? Teachers are public employees and also agents of the state. They work in our communities and answer to the district and their local Union. Their Local union answers to the California Teachers Association (CTA) which is the States arm of the Teachers Union and partners with California's Department of Education (CDE). ​
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Part of a teachers union fees are allocated to political funds. This year, the CTA made this video asking teachers to use their influence to elect and promote their approved candidates and measures. Which leads to the question, who is choosing these measures and elected officials for the teachers to promote?
Is it the local unions? the CTA? Or any of their government partners like the CDE? I guess the real question is, why are state entities pressing the scales in our local elections?
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Teachers are public employees, yet their union provides a lot of legal power against being fired, this can lead to many of the issues that we see when districts have a hard time letting go of under performing teachers. Schools continually ask for money, yet they have no accountability to our community as to why things aren't improving. While we all grew up admiring and respecting our teachers in partnership with our parents and community, we as adults now have to question, how are todays teachers earning our admiration and respect when they become state agents and no longer just public employees?
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The CTA pushes their views onto teachers through magazines, workshops, and they control their local union. Then, teachers use their influence to push their views onto our community. Below are examples of how teachers are using their influence over the community, which at times can seem like a thin line from engaging in social activism to election interference. This can lead to an unaccountable choice for the communities they serve.
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San Jose
The teacher's unions have decided to join forces across districts to help each other campaign for their candidates and rally against community members who wish to represent their community. Often promoting their political candidate while also calling the other candidates names to defame and discredit.
At Franklin-McKinley
1. When the district got wind that a parent at their school was running, they took it upon themselves to create a show of force. First by using legal cease and desist letters to intimidate the attending candidate from wearing any political attire or passing political information after hours. Then, the district and the school principals emboldened their teachers to campaign using their vehicles during school hours by stating that no policy was broken. Teachers at the district were actively allowed to post posters in support of candidates on school parking lots, a federal building, during instructional time. Rows of 9+ cars could be seen daily parked in front of the parent drop off area and they remain there throughout the school day.
2. The teachers wore campaign shirts stating "Teachers Trust Balinton and Sanchez" during a school sanctioned Harvest event. There were also teachers campaigning outside the event with signs and the board members were invited to the event and introduced by the principal.
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3. The teachers have been campaigning before school starts and after school ends at various sites with signs in support of their preferred candidates.
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4. Teachers have been telephone banking (calling) and passing out flyers for their supported candidates.
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5. Teachers went to homes that had opposing candidate signs and banners and intimidated home owners to take them down or replace the signs with their endorsed candidates. They told parents that they should because their child attended the school. A few members of the community were brave enough to sign a document stating that they didn't even agree to have their signs removed or replaced.
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6. Teachers and board members have been actively harassing and shaming candidates running for school board meetings as well as current board member in public forums.
Alum Rock
The Alum Rock Teacher Union is actively endorsing and campaigning for Brenda Zendejas understanding full well of her ties with council member Omar Torres through her significant other Peter Ortiz. The Teachers Union backing of Brenda who has been called out for actively supporting Omar Torres advocating for Drag Queen story time in instagram post. Torres currently holds allegation of child sexual misconduct and many leaders have asked for him to resign. Due to the nature of his investigation, why would teachers want parents to endorse these kinds of people around our children? How is the teachers influence holding itself accountable for the choices they promote for our community?
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Here is the link to an article by NBC Bayarea.
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​UPDATE: Omar Torres has been arrested see article by San Jose Spotlight.
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Evergreen
This is a candidate running for Evergreen school district. She has posted a few times about having some of the same issues we have seen here in our South Bay districts including FMSD. Maybe this is all somehow related? Here is her post of missing signs and a voice recording of herself calling for an investigation of possible election interference!
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