Valued Members and Supporters: 

I hope you are all doing well with the start of this new school year.  My name is David Longo.  I am the Vice President for CAL-ED and currently interim-President through these upcoming months.  I am writing this letter to provide some updates on CAL-ED, in addition to some plans for the upcoming year.  As many of you remember, this past year was a difficult one for us, as we faced a significant financial crisis coming out of last Fall’s conference in San Diego.  Expenses exceeded our budget by over $49,000, which caused the Board, under the leadership of Sheri Farinha, CAL-ED President, to have to rethink plans for this past year.  As she announced earlier this year, we had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel our annual conference.  

As a means of trying to pay off our debt, the Board has been working hard on different ways to fundraise.  One of those was the webinar series, which has offered our communities a number of special opportunities for professional and personal growth.  Here’s the list of the wonderful presentations we have sponsored so far this year: 

• Navigating Allyship to Co-Conspiracy in Political Turmoil by Dr. Liann Osborne

• Know Your Rights for Immigrant Parents and Students who are Deaf by Meeth K. Soni

• Community-Informed Standards for Speech-Language Pathologists Working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children by Brittany Lee, PhD, CCC-SLP

• The Roles of AB 1938 & the Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights in IEPs by Dr. Nancy Hlibok Amann

• Deaf Interpreters in K-12 Settings?  #YES CAN! by Dr. Rosemary Wanis

We have our 6^th, Creating an Effective Learning Environment: Classroom Management, Social Emotional ideas, and Connecting with Families in Deaf Education Classrooms, by Vanessa Gonzalez-Romero and Bianca Gerald, scheduled for October 11^th.  

I’m proud to say through these activities, we have managed to cut an additional $12,000 off that debt! 

Even though we have made some great progress, there’s still a lot of work that still needs to be done.  I know I speak for all on the Board when I say we really want to get back to having our annual conference.  It’s rare for us all to be able to converge in one spot, share and learn new ideas, see old friends, and make new ones.  We all will miss it too but canceling was a necessary evil in order to rebuild and get CAL-ED back on track.  It’s an organization like no other in the country, and its existence is crucial to the continuation of our field and the amazing work we all do.  

In lieu of this year’s conference, we will still be holding our Annual General Membership meeting.  That is currently scheduled for October 25^th at 10:00.  We are hoping and you all will be there and contribute to our cause.  Normally, dues are included in our conference fees and all of our memberships will expire at the end of October.  Without a conference, as part of this meeting, we are also initiating a campaign to renew active memberships.  It goes without saying, “We need you!!” Dues are a part of that.  

Dues for this upcoming year are $90 for Professional memberships and $75 for Associate.  You must be an active member to vote at the October 25^th meeting and dues can be paid when you register.  Here is the link to register for the General Membership meeting and become a member:https://www.cal-ed.org/event-6247128  

I know what you’re all thinking: “What am I paying dues for?”  To this I say: 

1. As a member, you have a voice in all CAL-ED matters and help shape the organization by taking a position on key issues affecting Deaf Education.

2. Know you are supporting the rebuild of the only organization supporting Deaf Ed teachers and programs in the country! 

3. Know you are contributing to the possibility of another conference in 2026.

4. Dues will get you free access to all upcoming webinars this upcoming year.  

Every membership meeting includes elections for new officers.  This year, the following positions are up for election: 

• President-Elect

• Vice President

• Secretary

• Director of Public Relations (Social Media)

• Director of Equity and Inclusion

• Director of Resources and Shared Support

• 2026 Conference Chairs

Please consider joining this wonderful, passionate group and taking on one of these roles.  Be an agent of change!!  

Link for our bylaws is here.  Please review in prep for our General membership meeting and feel free to reach out with questions.  

With hope and respect, 

David Longo

CAL-ED Vice President

vicepresident@cal-ed.org