Focus on TUSD - May 2007

Meza Leaves Office After Two Years as TEA President
Rosalva Meza never set out to be the president of the Tucson Education Association. In fact, she didn't even think about joining TEA when she accepted her first teaching job at a TUSD school.

As her two-year term draws to a close this month, she recalled the incident that led to her TEA involvement. On her first payday, a Friday, after she didn't receive her paycheck, a TEA member suggested she contact the group's president, Ken Freed, who promised to take care of it for her. On Monday, her paycheck was waiting for her.

"Maybe that was my introduction to education, that I'd always be short of money as a teacher and that all my life I'd be fighting for money for myself and for other teachers," Meza said.

Whether or not that was a precursor of what was to come, Meza joined TEA at the invitation of fellow teachers, who told her it was a professional organization that would benefit her. She liked the leadership training and the confidence that TEA instilled in members, giving them a sense of their place in the world as an educator outside the classroom.

Her skills improved and her interests broadened, but she was still shocked when a member suggested she run for a seat on the Board of Directors. "I didn't think I was ready," Meza remembered. "But my friends said I should try."

Her efforts paid off as she became an area director in the closing years of the 1980s, taking on the job of communicating with representatives of 20 schools in the Howenstine High School area. Next, she won a three-year term on the Arizona Education Association State Board of Directors before running for TEA secretary. She served that term from 2001-2003, served as vice president from 2003-2005 and she was elected TEA president, which is a full-time position, in 2005.

Meza faced a formidable job as president, heading up an organization that represents about 4,300 certified and classified employees in a large, urban district. Classified staff includes teacher assistants, library and health assistants, office and technical personnel and food service workers. About 63 percent of those employees belong to TEA. But, Meza emphasized, TEA represents everyone, even those who are not members.

Though TEA is often seen as having a contentious relationship with TUSD, Meza had a different viewpoint, saying that establishing a collaborative partnership with District administration was her personal goal. Even as sensitive issues emerged, Meza said that on a personal level, she wanted the two sides to sit down at the table and recognize that they had the same interests. "We had to build relationships one at a time and separate that from the issues that a system as large as ours has," she said.

Focusing on that goal has worked, she said, because, "Even during the hardest, most difficult times, we have maintained that personal relationship while we worked on issues that we're all very passionate about. Doing that makes us more effective. The ultimate interest we have in common is the students. No one gets to take their ball and go home. We want to make things better for the students in any way we can."

There has been no shortage of issues threatening the harmony among TEA, administrators and TUSD's Governing Board. TEA's objection to the District's decision to direct its share – $5.7 million – of the state Legislature's 2006 appropriation for teachers and non-administrative personnel into already negotiated salary increases, instead of raises beyond contracted salaries, occupied much of Meza's time. In the end, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard agreed with TUSD's use of the money, but Meza said many teachers still felt slighted.

One outcome of Meza's efforts to forge a collaborative working relationship with the District was the implementation of interest-based bargaining, which Meza said was the opposite of how negotiations were handled in the previous 30 years. But no matter how committed each side was to this type of bargaining, Meza said she had been warned that financial issues would be difficult to resolve. "When it came to contract language, we used the interested-based approach, but that can be as contentious as money issues," she observed.

Despite expected roadblocks, Meza favors a continued commitment to working in a collaborative manner to make decisions. "I see it as gaining power for both sides, not losing power for both," she said.

Meza also points to the establishment of school councils after 15 years of struggle as a success during her tenure. Beginning in August, the councils will operate under the new policy that represents parents, teachers, administrators and community members. At the high schools, students are also represented on the councils.

Meza said support from the Governing Board and Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer for the new configuration of the school council played a key role in establishing the councils, as well as relationship building and realizing that everyone involved had the same interests.
Behind the scenes, Meza has worked on advancing TEA as an organization, particularly building leadership capacity as baby boomers retire in ever-increasing numbers. She's optimistic about the progress, saying workshops have been offered for both novice and experienced TEA members, and that new association representatives at sites and on the board have been elected.

She stressed that TEA offers members help with common concerns, such as providing adequate monetary compensation for current job responsibilities.
Through the constant challenges she's faced, Meza said that TEA's primary goal has always been to solve conflicts at the lowest level. To her, that means bringing people together once they've clarified issues.

Looking ahead, Meza said that education is changing, calling it "an exciting time, but frustrating and fearful for people. We're told at every turn that we need to prepare our children for their place in a global economy and yet we don't even know what that economy will look like.

"We need to challenge our leaders to be innovative to meet the challenges," she continued. "And there, inevitably, will be conflict. But it will be good conflict because it will make things better for the children. At the end of the day, we're both saying the same things in a different way. TUSD is a huge district. So even small changes are a victory. We need to stay the course."

And what will Meza do after she leaves office? She'll still be involved with conflict resolution, but of the pint-sized variety. She returns to the classroom for the 2007-08 school year as a first-grade teacher at Blenman Elementary School.

Rosalva Meza Bio 

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations

TUSD - Proud Supporter of Small Classes

All photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 8. The Focus will be published Monday, June 18. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the Focus Online Submission Form.