The Ithaca Teachers Association

We are professionals who are committed to teaching and learning.

The Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) is a union of nearly 600 professional educators in the Ithaca City School District. We serve as classroom teachers, subject area specialists, academic support teachers, speech and occupational therapists, counselors, social workers, and psychologists. We work with students in grades pre-K through twelve and support students across 12 school buildings. The ITA exists to prepare, organize, support, and advocate for educators so that we are better able to advocate for the needs of our students, and effectively provide a safe and supportive learning environment. 

We have a responsibility to care for our members so that our members can care for their students.

The ITA believes that teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. The primary responsibility of the association is to represent our members’ interests through Collective Bargaining. It is our job to protect and maintain members’ rights and when possible, to improve the terms and conditions of employment. Without fair and just pay and working hours, safe and healthy workspaces, manageable workloads and job expectations, and strong morale, we can not provide our students with the best education possible. The ITA is committed to taking care of our members so we can all, in turn, take care of our students.

We recognize that some of our members — BIPOC and AAPI teachers, LGBTQ teachers, differently-abled teachers, teachers of differing socioeconomic status, teachers of various religious and political beliefs, teachers of differing home and family situations, teachers of differing medical needs, and more — face specific systematic oppressions or challenges, and therefore have specific needs. We work to support and learn from these members.