Community Teachers Association (CTA)

Community Teachers Association (CTA)
Posted on 02/08/2023

What does Mexico CTA Do?...Do you know?
By:  Sarah Keithley - Mexico CTA President

 I have been an educator in Mexico Public Schools for 17 years. During those years I have seen the role of the local Community Teachers Association change and grow but there are some things that will always be the same for Mexico CTA.

  • Mexico CTA is the local affiliate of our state professional organization Missouri State Teachers Association.
  • We are a group of voluntary district leaders. None of the executive members or organizational officers are paid for their work with CTA.
  • Our goal is to help support both certified and support staff within Mexico Public Schools.

So now that you have those facts, what does the Mexico CTA actually do?  We have an executive team, which I call building representatives, that meet each quarter to address building and district concerns. These individuals also work within their buildings to help advocate for and with staff about a wide range of culture and collaborative issues. We also have teams of staff members who work on specific projects with administration throughout the school year. The most active teams are Salary & Benefits and the Calendar Committee. These teams meet several times each year to help create the presentations and recommendations that go to the Mexico Board of Education for these specific topics.

The Mexico CTA also holds several events during the school year that support our local staff members and student populations. Our Celebrate Educators Mini Grant event runs during the 2nd semester and allows teachers (at each of the school buildings) to apply for a hundred dollar grant that can be used in their classrooms for supplies or equipment. Our annual scholarship fundraiser is probably the most well-known event for CTA. Locally loved and affectionately known as the Turkey Turnover Dinner, the Mexico CTA uses profits from this event to award scholarships to graduates going into educational career fields. These scholarships are awarded by a group of CTA members that come together each spring to form the CTA Scholarship Committee.

This year for the first time in over 50 years the Mexico CTA had to make the tough decision to cancel the Turkey Turnover Dinner due to supply issues with food items used for our fundraiser. We are partnering with Pig Up and Go for a replacement fundraiser at the end of February. No matter the format, we hope that the Mexico community will continue to support our scholarship efforts, so we can award our graduating seniors.

Mexico CTA is an active organization that works to help staff and students in a variety of ways.  It has been going strong for many years and will continue to work for the students and staff of Mexico Public Schools for years to come.