Conejo, Las Virgenes teachers union boss steps down
Arleigh Kidd to remain with CTA
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

A longtime teachers union head has left his post after years of highs and lows on the job, including a recently settled unfair labor charge waged against one local public school district.

Arleigh Kidd, who headed the unions at the Las Virgenes and Conejo Valley school districts, will assume an organizational role with the California Teachers Association.

Kidd spent the past three years working with the CTA as executive director of the teachers union for Conejo Valley, the Unified Association of Conejo Teachers, and the union for Las Virgenes, the Las Virgenes Educators Association. Prior to that he was president of the teachers union in Simi Valley.

Jake Anderson, who's worked with CTA for the past four years in Hesperia, is replacing Kidd. Anderson is the former president of the Las Virgenes union and is from the area.

Kidd said the troubles he encountered in Conejo Valley Unified—including a two-year labor dispute with trustee Mike Dunn— didn't factor into his decision to move to a different post in the organization.

"There have been some challenges with a small group of people like Mike Dunn," Kidd said. "But you have to look at the bigger picture. There are great teachers, good schools, great community support. The positives well outweighed the challenges.

"It wasn't that I wanted to leave what I was doing," Kidd said. "I really enjoyed the work I was doing. Sometimes you have to take that next step.

"I always look forward to a new challenge," he said. "I'm looking forward to working with people I haven't worked with before and being able to work with teachers."

If a district enters a bargaining crisis or is interested in obtaining collective bargaining or additional health benefits, Kidd will be the person to call.

"I'm there to help them organize a campaign," Kidd said. "It's a pretty wide-open job. There's a lot of training and organization. Or if a teachers union wants to learn how to organize, I'll help put a plan together."

CTA is broken into four regions—Region 3 covers Ventura County, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obsipo counties, as well as Antelope Valley, the Santa Clarita area, Pomona and Ontario. The two districts he was most recently overseeing—Conejo Valley Unified and Las Virgenes Unified—remain in Kidd's coverage area.

He has already started working with a group of teachers in Glendale.

"Being able to go out and work with them and hearing what's going on with them and assist them is great," Kidd said. "Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone in order to grow in your position."

Kidd said his experience will come in handy in his new post. For example, his time sitting at a bargaining table will help if factions have a bargaining crisis.

Kidd grew up in Simi Valley before attending Cal State Northridge and later spending six years in the Marine Corps. He taught middle school at Valley View in Simi for 12 years and from there was elected president of the Simi Valley Educators Association.

The California Teachers Association hired him in 2005.

Kidd, who still lives in Simi, described his new job as "energizing," but said he's going to miss working so closely in the Conejo and Las Virgenes districts.

"I've met so many great people there, not just teachers, but community members," Kidd said. "I was really impressed with the support of both those communities and the level of participation of the parents and community members. They really take pride in their schools.

"Yes, they do have their challenges with declining enrollment and the problems with the state budget. But I know those communities will pull together and keep going in the right direction."

Susan Falk, president of the Conejo Teachers union, has left her post also. She retired from the union over the summer.