Please, send any questions to info@teachbta.org so that we can add your question to this list.

1.  How can ASTA/BTA help classified staff?

Ans: The most beneficial thing for you would be the liability insurance and legal protection.  We have had instances when a parent complains to the state department about a teacher or part of the staff and the legal protection has helped explain the rules and regulations of state law to both parties and keeps the staff member informed of their rights.  They are a great resource.  As a member or non-member, you are also eligible for a grant of up to $500 for a neat project or supplies that would help you or a scholarship for a class that you may like to take to get better at what you do.  Our executive director has also mentioned having free staff development for classified staff to help them be better at what they do.  Also, if there are issues that arise for funding or rules/regulations, etc. then you would be able to have a collective voice on those issues with the rest of the members.  ASTA has a great rapport with the state congress, and they ask us what our members think quite often.  Also, newspapers are interested in what our members have to say.  Also, our national affiliate (AAE) has set down with the secretary of education Margaret Spelling and talked about what our members would like to see happen in education and in regard to No Child Left Behind.

2.  Is ASTA/BTA a Christian organization?

Ans: One of the reasons that we exist is that we feel that many teachers hold values different than that of the teacher labor unions which try to promote themselves as representing the views of all teachers.  We are a voice for teachers which include Christians.  We want to have good teachers in our professional association who want to put children first.  It is in our mission statement.  The Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) provides the predominate voice of Christian educators and ASTA/AAE provides the predominate voice of educators who do not feel that the large teacher unions speak for them.  We have a large number of Christians as members as a side affect of asking our members for their opinions regularly and giving them all the protections, a voice, and benefits without controversial and partisan politics.  We want to encompass all good teachers who feel the same way as we do about the importance of education.  We make sure that we don't violate the values of our members in that we don't support any political candidates or controversial issues not dealing directly with education.  We feel that people involved in education should be able to rest in knowing that their professional association is not giving their dues money to organizations or using their money to promote causes which they may not agree with.