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Livermore City Councilmember Evan Branning, who works as an educator in Pleasanton, has been named as the new president of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers following the news that union leader Cheryl Atkins will be retiring.
“I am very excited for this new opportunity to serve our students,” Branning told the Pleasanton Weekly. “I look forward to working with the district, our members and community to make sure we have the best educators, classes, and services for our students.”
Apart from serving on his hometown Livermore City Council, Branning teaches culinary and leadership classes at Village High School in Pleasanton.
Most recently he had been heavily involved in advocating for the Pleasanton Unified School District to meet the APT’s demands during the contentious contract negotiation sessions earlier this year.
Branning will be stepping in for Atkins, who has served as APT president for the past two years, after she made the decision to retire from education altogether.
“I am stepping down because it’s time to retire,” Atkins told the Weekly. “I have two grandchildren and one more on the way. It’s time to be a grandma and put my teaching skills and enjoyment of children to my grand kids. Looking forward to new chapters in my life.”
The longtime Fairlands Elementary School teacher had served as secretary and on the executive board at the APT over the span of 12 years and had been a site representative for the union for 12 years before getting into leadership. Atkins had also served on the negotiation team for seven years.
“It has been an honor to be president and represent our certificated staff,” she said. “I do believe we are better working together and I hope we are back on the path to continue to rise and give Pleasanton students the best.”
PUSD Superintendent David Haglund stated in a May 24 newsletter from the district that he was thankful for Atkins’ friendship and partnership over the past few years as he visited her in her classroom and as he worked with her while she was president of the APT.
“You have been an honest partner and I will especially miss our walks and the opportunity to connect as people before we ‘do business,'” Haglund stated. “I wish you well in your retirement and look forward to joining you as a full time grandparent very soon.”
Haglund was referring to how he will also be stepping down from his role this year so he can move back to Southern California and be more involved in the lives of his own grandchildren.
Atkins said the relationships she has built with certificated and classified staff, as well as management, have meant a lot to her. But what she is also most proud of during her time in the APT was this latest round of bargaining where she said the union got one of the best contracts in years.
“APT received the largest raise in my career, 10%, full single medical and up to 15 years of service (credit),” Atkins said. “This is a huge win and we did this without having to strike. I hope this is the beginning of putting Pleasanton back to the destination district it is known for.”
