Print

E-mail

The Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel held its 2009 IFT PSRP Conference at the Oak Brook Doubletree Hotel on October 9 and 10. Over 200 PSRP members from throughout Illinois attended the conference and were motivated to mobilize for action on a number of key political issues.

 

AFT Executive V. P. Lorretta Johnson, the first paraprofessional elected as an officer of the AFT, gave the keynote address during the opening session. AFT V. P. David Gray of Oklahoma City closed the conference that evening. On Friday night special interest groups, such as the "Clerical and Medical" SIG, met to discuss issues germane to their job category. Later that same evening, members socialized at a reception.

 

On Saturday morning, participants attended workshops and networked throughout the early afternoon. One of the workshops was Local 1600 President Perry Buckley and IFT Legislative Director Sharon Teefey’s “Wake Up and Smell the Politics.” In his introduction of Teefey, Buckley asked: "Why do we spend so much time in Springfield? That is where the money is. What happens in Springfield has an effect on our daily existence.”

 

Teefey noted: “We must find a new revenue stream for public education, a tax increase. At the end of the day, it is about the kids. We need to get the right people into office.” Once they are into office, she observed, they need to make the hard decision to raise taxes.

 

Oakton's Terri Quam summed up the IFT’s PSRP Conference: "This conference has been very timely. The workshop topics were relevant to my job. I'm really glad that I was here."