Administrator's Welcome
Dear Broward Teachers Union Members:
My name is John Tarka, a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. I am writing to introduce myself and to thank you for the great work you do each and every day for the children of Broward County.
Last week, the BTU Executive Board asked the AFT to work directly with your organization to address issues and concerns. The legal term for that action is to request trusteeship, which will result in the BTU receiving direction, support and resources from AFT.
The AFT Executive Council honored that request and appointed me to serve as BTU’s administrator, which means I will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the BTU.
What an honor and privilege it is to be here with such an outstanding group of education professionals. I know of your hard work to improve the achievement of every student in the district, and I commend you for it.
Let me briefly tell you something about myself. I began my career in the Pittsburgh Public Schools as a high school English and speech teacher. I was always involved in union activity, as a building chair, a negotiations team member and later as president of my local, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
As PFT president, I always believed that members’ input is essential to the success of the union, and I expanded opportunities for all to be involved in the PFT. That was my commitment in Pittsburgh, and it will be my commitment in Broward.
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