Letter from the President KIA BANKS
Appreciation is a practice, not a month. For me it looks like protections on paper, principal voice in the room, and time guarded for teaching and for life. I am a principal at heart. Leaving the role I loved was hard. I stepped into this one to appreciate school leaders in the most useful way—by making the work better. On the first day of school I visited buildings as CPAA president, not as a sitting principal. The doorways felt the same. Excitement. Nerves as schedules got their first test. The hope on young faces. Many of you thanked me for the MOU. I heard the gratitude. I also know this was hard-won and shared work with staff, Board, advisors, and the leaders who stood up for years. This is how we appreciate you: we turn thanks into structure you can count on. We are in the rooms that matter. With CPS leadership, labor partners, and community allies. We will not always agree. That is not the point. The point is principal voice early, before decisions land in your inbox. This is how we appreciate you: we speak from experience and we do it before the ink is dry.
Compliance creep is real. Shifting directives. Duplicate systems. Deadlines that collide with safety and instruction. The MOU gives us tools to push back and we will use them. As we bargain the full CBA, we will press for clear guardrails—notice, streamlined systems, expectations that protect instructional time. This is how we appreciate you: we defend your time. When conflict shows up close to home like in an overreaching LSC action or a complaint, you will not stand alone. We do not pit unions against each other. When another agreement or practice affects our working conditions, we address it at the table. This is how we appreciate you: we stand next to you and keep it professional and firm. Communication matters. Expect regular updates, member conversations, and targeted legal trainings so you know your rights and how to use them. And when your situation is specific, call us. This is how we appreciate you: we answer. Good things are happening. We are not done. The MOU is a beginning, not a finish line. My pledge (and our team’s pledge) is simple: protect your time, elevate your voice, and secure the tools you need to lead well and live well. That is appreciation I can offer, every single day.
Communication matters. Expect regular updates, member conversations, and targeted legal trainings so you know your rights and how to use them.
Kia Banks CPAA President kbanks@mycpaa.com
6 • CPAA MAGAZINE | OCT 2025
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