Welcome to the Inglewood Teachers Association—an information-centered, member-empowered, results-oriented, collaborative professional organization built on a simple but powerful principle: We are stronger when we are connected, united, and working in alignment.

It is truly an honor to serve as president of some of the most devoted, dedicated, caring, and committed education professionals anywhere. Every member of ITA contributes something valuable to our collective strength, and every member deserves to be heard, respected, informed, supported, and represented.

Our theme is UNITY, and our name reminds us of what that means:

I — Interconnected.
None of us works in isolation. Classroom teachers, counselors, nurses, specialists, Special Education professionals, and every member represented by ITA are connected through our common purpose. What affects one group of members ultimately affects all of us. Our strength begins with recognizing those connections and refusing to allow anyone to be overlooked or left behind.

T — Together.
Unity requires more than membership in the same organization. It requires participation, communication, mutual support, and a willingness to stand together. We will not always agree on every issue—and we should not have to. Different perspectives make us stronger when we listen to one another with respect. But once we identify our collective interests, we move forward together.

A — In Alignment.
Alignment means turning our shared values into shared action. We align around what benefits our members collectively: professional respect, fairness, dignity, transparency, strong working conditions, meaningful representation, and the resources necessary to provide our students and families with the education they deserve.

Our responsibility as educators reaches far beyond our individual classrooms and workspaces. Every day, we help students recognize possibilities, develop their abilities, and create pathways toward a better future. In doing so, we strengthen families, our community, and society.

Malcolm X reminded us that “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Through our work with students, we are helping prepare that future every day.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught that education must develop "Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education." We demonstrate that principle through the knowledge we provide, the expectations we establish, and, perhaps most importantly, the character we model for our students and for one another.

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, one of our nation’s great educators and advocates for educational opportunity, reminded us: “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”

Her words capture something fundamental about our profession. Education opens doors, expands possibilities, and gives people the power to imagine a future beyond their present circumstances. As educators, we do more than deliver instruction, we help place those possibilities within reach.

But we must extend those same principles to ourselves.

We must recognize our own value and worth as education professionals. We must appreciate the magnitude of our collective contribution. And we must be willing to advocate for one another with the same determination that we bring to advocating for our students.

Unity does not mean uniformity. It means recognizing that our individual voices, experiences, talents, classifications, schools, and perspectives can become a powerful collective force when they are interconnected and aligned around a common purpose.

This organization belongs to all of us.

ITA will continue working to ensure that members have access to information, opportunities to participate, and a genuine voice in matters affecting their professional lives. Our leadership must remain accountable to our membership, and our membership must remain connected and committed to one another. Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability are not simply words in our signature—they are standards by which we should measure ourselves and our organization.

There is work ahead of us. Some of it will be difficult. But we do not have to do it individually.

If we harness our collective talents, communicate openly, respect divergent perspectives, support one another, and remain aligned around our common interests, we can build the organizational capacity necessary to achieve the changes  we deserve.

So, as we move forward, let our name remind us of our commitment:

I — We are INTERCONNECTED.
T — We move TOGETHER.
A — We stand IN ALIGNMENT.

Different voices. Different experiences. Different responsibilities. One union committed to the benefit of every member.

I wish each of you a successful and rewarding year. Know that ITA is working for all members and our collective best interest.

One Aim. One Union. One Destiny—the best for us all.

In solidarity,

John Hughes
President                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Integrity Transparency  Accountability 

END OF THE YEAR BANQUET