In his second year as President of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB), with upcoming contract negotiations in September and a $1.2 billion school bond measure on the ballot in November, Michael Day would love to get to work.
But in the past year, the organization has been mired in controversy as the pieces around Day began to crumble and fall, damaging TALB’s public image . Fallout from the actions of high-ranking TALB members are still being felt, as a recent audit found more than $120,000 in undocumented expenditures. It’s enough to make your headspin, or explode in Day’s case.
But the 12-year TALB veteran cannot afford that luxury. There is too much work to do as Day finds himself surrounded with a re-tooled Board of Executives and the tall task of convincing the public that the organization fighting for teachers’ rights is back on the right path.
“We brought it on ourselves, to a great extent,” Day says from TALB’s offices in North Long Beach. He points to a divided board that led to bitter infighting, but believes the pieces have been put in place to change. “We’ve been working hard to stay focused on our mission: helping our teachers.”
Joining Day in that mission will be a few fresh faces, most notably Executive Director Joe Boyd and Assistant Executive Director Chris McCally. Boyd brings experience from a similar position in Northern California, as well as a history of working in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange County. McCally comes from Orange County as the pair try to erase the memory of Scott McVarish, last year’s Executive Director who was mentioned extensively in the audit and cast as a villain in the rift between board members.
Day believes his new Mod Squad have already gotten off to a good start, following successful communication and bargaining with the Long Beach Unified School District that left both sides happy. Issues that likely would not have been solved in the past were finally worked out.
“I believe we can have it all,” says Day. “We’ve been talking to the district a lot more, and there is more of a focus on how we can work together rather than what we can fight about.”
That’s music to the ears of everyone in the education community; from kids and parents to teachers and administrators. Even school board members once thought to be on the other side of the fence, like recently elected Felton Williams, who ran a successful campaign for LBUSD’s Second District against TALB-backed candidates. The race was bitter at times, with Day citing “hurtful material and personal attacks” that were used leading up to the April election, though not specifically mentioning candidates or tactics.
Time heals a lot of wounds. Today, both Day and Williams are fixed on how to bring their organizations close together.
““He inherited a lot of stuff over there, and is no longer under some of the constraints that he was earlier,” says Williams, who is optimistic of the future relationship between the School Board and TALB. “They’re doing what they think they have to do, and they have had some missteps, but they’re looking for ways to improve. We’re talking about the end result, and that’s the kids.”
Both men realize that they need each other, especially with TALB gearing up to present a new three-year teachers’ contract in September, and LBUSD relying on teacher support to pass the $1.2 billion bond through the November ballot. No harm in using necessity to bring two sides together.
“If I was elected, one of the points I was going to work diligently on was establishing a great relationship with TALB. They’re an important part of what we do,” says Williams. “I told Mike that I look forward to working with him, and he said likewise. I think we’re off to a great start.”
Bygones are bygones to both sides – while Day admit that mistakes were made, he does not believe that TALB suffers an image problem, and hopes that the community looks at the organization the same way they view teachers. That’s a distinct possibility once this school year gets underway, as former teachers like Day step up the fight for teachers’ rights and prepare for a new approach of advocacy.
By Ryan ZumMallen