APRIL 2007

New Digs

As some of you teacher-leaders already know, TVEA voted last month to expand the existing facility at our current office site, with an eye toward preparing for the future growth of our local union. Because the decision was neither an easy nor inexpensive one, leadership thought it appropriate to communicate to the membership as a whole the reasoning behind that decision, and why your Leadership Council voted unanimously to do so.

The genesis behind the mindset actually began with a move that we made about this time last year. The space we held in the same building was very small, and certainly inadequate to the task of providing adequate space for our leaders to meet. Former president Bob Rollins successfully negotiated a very reasonable rate in a recently vacated upstairs space, and it appeared we would be able to meet our current and ongoing needs for the remainder of our five-year lease. This is where the story becomes rather complicated. TVEA has enjoyed a partnership with CTA for the last fifteen years as our parent organization has maintained a Regional Resource Center here in Temecula in the same office building. We regularly availed ourselves of the conference space that they readily provided for us, and it has been a great benefit to us. Sadly, just after we signed our own long-term commitment, CTA decided last summer to vacate the Temecula site for one more centrally located near the Interstate 15-215 corridor. Our new space, although larger, was never intended to house all of our gatherings, as it would stretch the limits of capacity. This left TVEA with a dilemma; should we "gut it out" where we are now, or move to a site with greater space? As chance would have it, a serendipitous third option became a reality when the space directly next door to our office became available. Leadership was presented with a plan by the Executive Board to capture some of the available square footage to enlarge our own conference area, negotiated at the same rate as our current lease. The Council agreed that given the current price for existing space in central Temecula, there was no better bargain than to move forward with the expansion plan.

We are pleased to report that those improvements, which include a new copy and workroom area, along with an additional office for our vice presidents, has now been completed. The new configuration will also allow us to host bargaining sessions, as there are now two private areas in which to meet. If you are interested in attending our Open House scheduled for Wednesday April 18th, please contact Martina Lechuga at 699-9970. We would enjoy introducing you to your new facility.