LaRaviere statement on his election...
One of the many things that got newly elected CPAA president Troy LaRaviere into trouble was Troy's support of Bernie Sanders. The following statement was distributed to the members of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) by president-elect Troy LaRaviere following the announcement that he had been elected the organization's president. On May 19, 2016, LaRaviere was elected to his new post with 69 percent of the votes.
May 19, 2016
To All Members of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association:
It is a humbling honor to have been chosen by my colleagues to lead The Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA). I want you all to know I plan on bringing everyone’s voice to the table.
Recently a reporter asked me, “What do you say to members who say you don’t speak for them?” I told him that I’m running for CPAA President to get the voices of all members heard, including the ones who disagree with me. We don’t make good decisions when we ignore the voices of people with different opinions than our own. I encouraged this among my staff at Blaine, and I will continue to encourage all voices as President of CPAA.
We have serious challenges ahead of us that we all care about deeply, and we must put our differences aside and unite to address them.
All of us agree that our schools must be funded adequately.
All of us agree that public schools deserve more support than they’re getting.
All of us agree that our time must be respected with a lessening of compliance driven meetings and paperwork.
All of us agree that we must be compensated at a level that respects the worth of our work.
All of us agree that our special needs students deserve more than they’re getting.
Let us now unite and use our organization to connect with one another, and with likeminded organizations and residents across Chicago to make meaningful substantive change in our school system.
Until now, I’ve represented my own voice. On July 1, I will have the honor and responsibility of representing yours. Please know that I do those two things quite differently. As a representative of the Blaine Elementary School community, I invited both Mayor Emanuel and Forrest Claypool to Blaine on multiple occasions for both ceremonies and public conversations about educational issues. Mr. Claypool attended one of those sessions and thanked me publicly for inviting him. As I transition into the role of President, I will certainly reach out to CPS officials to begin the process of ensuring your voices are taken into account in CPS decision making.
In addition I have begun conversations with City Council members and members of the Illinois General Assembly about the possibility of a CPS Principals Advisory Group to inform and advise aldermen and state legislators on policies that impact our schools.
Please see the webpage below for more about how I intend to bring our members’ voices together to influence local and state education policy.
http://www.cpaa2016.com/plan-overview.html
We must envision and build a system that ensures all children get what they need to live up to their full potential. I look forward to working with all of you to realize that vision.
Thank you once again for this humbling honor.
Forward we go.
Respectfully,
Troy LaRaviere, President-Elect
Chicago Principals and Administrators Association
