Content provided by CITEA Legislative Analyst Chris Walker (left),

CITEA Advocacy Liaison John Chocholak (right),

and by CITEA members like you

CITEA is a politically active tax-exempt California (c)(6) organization. 

Career Technical Education Legislative Update - (last updated 5/12/07)

Our representative in Sacramento is Chris Walker (left), who is committed to technology education for all students in the schools. Chris also serves as legislative advocate for several pro-CTE advocacy groups including VO-CAL, the CTE Coalition,
 and GetREAL, an industry group that supports many of our goals.
Our Advocacy Liaison, who represents CITEA to Mr. Walker, is John Chocholak (right).  If  you wish to get a message to our advocacy group, please email John at john.chocholak@usa.net.

CITEA is now a major player in California's education politics due to our ongoing support of technology in the field and effective partnering with other CTE organizations. 
If you have questions or comments about our work in Sacramento,
or a question about an upcoming bill, please email John Chocholak.

ITE & Vocational Education need YOUR support.  CITEA members are being heard at Sacramento.  
Our most powerful statement is through the teachers, administrators, and supporters who are members of CITEA.
Join CITEA, and make a contribution to support ITE in our state.

California Law consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes. The California Law website reflects laws currently in effect. All California Codes have been updated to include the 2005 Statutes.

Click Here to get to the California State Law web pages,
        where you can view or download any part of the State Law.
Click here to find your State Senator by District    
Click here for a linked list of ALL Senators
Click here to find your State Assembly Representative

Bill Information: 
Click here to look up and check on the status of a bill that is in process.  You will need the bill number or author, and may need to know if it is a Senate (SB) or Assembly (AB) bill.

Other Resources:

Please download samples, or write your own letters of support or comment!

Governor's California Performance Review (CPR) Project

CITEA at work in Sacramento!  READ!:  explanation    document

ITE/CTE Activism:  The strength, even the survival, of industrial and vocational education 
programs in our state depend on two things that YOU CAN DO:

1. Join CITEA, and participate in activities, workshops, and meetings.  Your membership strengthens our association, our credibility, and our reach and power.

2. Be an ITE/VocEd activist.  You are already a believer.  Tell your representatives, district, principal, why ITE is important and how important their support is to your students.  Here is help:

Here are links to help you find your representatives and senators in the state legislature.  
Let them know how important ITE and VocEd are for our young Californians, and for the state's economy:

Governor Schwarzenegger	governor@governor.ca.gov
	Phone  (916) 445-2841
	FAX   (916) 445-4633
Senator Feinstein	DC Phone: 202-224-3841
Senator Boxer	DC Phone: 202-224-3553
Congresswoman Lofgren	DC Phone: 202-225-3072

You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read some of these documents. 

Miscellaneous tidbits:
Write a Letter to the Editor of your local paper.  Write to your district Superintendent of Education.  Start a letter writing campaign in your school district.  Letters to your local paper will increase awareness of what the districts have given up.  Letters to your Teacher's Union will increase awareness among other teachers.  The more we do the better the public will listen.  John's letter to CTA below will give you some ideas.  You might want to add your voice to CTA to give ITE some new attention.  Make sure to write in your best English so as to reflect well on you and your programs.  Be sure to include your full name and address.  If you are a teacher or administrator, you should consider adding the name and city of your school.  If you are writing on behalf of a group or organization, use your letterhead.

From John:  

I sent the following request to the "official" news paper of the California CTA, the California Educator.
If you have an opinion, and want to start pushing for a public news outcry about the "death of shops" in the California public school system, please start down this road with me.  Start writing, start talking, start standing up and be very public about what is happening to this trade skills education system!
The email for the California Educator is editor@cta.org  and the web site is www.cta.org 

Thank you,
John J. Chocholak
Country School Teacher

Dear Sir/Ms:
Trade skills education, "the shop classes", is now in the last stages of death in public education here in California.  The move to close automotive, machine shop, wood shop, electronics, welding and drafting classes in the public high schools in this state started 20 years ago. This road led to fewer of these courses being taught in the community college system and at the state university level. This situation resulted in fewer teachers from the university stepping up to replace those retiring from "the shops".

At one time the university system in this state produced hundreds of individuals each year who studied to be "Industrial Arts" teachers. As of September 2001, fewer than 25 students are in the university pipeline preparing to teach "the shop classes".  Administrators who wish to create or continue vocational programs related to live "shop" work cannot find people to teach these programs in thier schools. 

This is a chicken and egg disaster....fewer programs producing fewer teachers causing classroom teaching vacancies which close more programs. And now it is almost impossible to get a teaching credential with a four year degree to teach "shop" programs in California.  Can the California Educator get behind a reform movement to save what is left of Industrial Arts (now called Career Technology Education) in California?  I can help with facts and put you in touch with those organizations and individuals in and out of government/education who have the current story and some solutions.

Time is running out....the last of the VocEd teachers in the system are retiring; most will be gone in five years... along with the "shops".  This cannot be a positive situation for students, the economy, or our industrial base on the west coast.

John J. Chocholak,
California Industrial and Technology Education Association
National Education Co-Chair, Equipment and Engine Training Council
Long-time CTA member 
john.chocholak@usa.net
707-463-5253 ext. 1176 (school)
707-462-5588 (home)