Calling for unity, solidarity and a strong national movement to amplify the voice of school leaders, AFSA President Mark Cannizzaro addressed a packed ballroom of nearly 1,900 school administrators at the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) Local 1 Leadership Conference in New York City on Novemebr 1, 2025.
Introduced as “a fighter” who bridges divides and turns “complex policy into clear purpose,” Cannizzaro was greeted with thunderous applause from the local members he once served in multiple roles, including president.
“I want every member in this room to know that CSA’s impact stretches far beyond New York,” Cannizzaro said. He highlighted how Troy LaRaviere and Kia Banks from AFSA’s Chicago local attended CSA conferences for years before helping secure collective bargaining rights for school leaders in their own city. “They came here to see the city that leads unionism for school leaders in the country — probably in the world,” he said to loud cheers.
Delegations from AFSA locals nationwide — including Puerto Rico; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Denver; Buffalo; and Prince George’s County, Maryland — joined this year’s conference, underscoring a growing national movement.
“If it’s just New York City, they can pick you off pretty easily,” Cannizzaro warned. “But when we stand together, when we support unions across the country, we’re unstoppable.”
He turned his focus to solidarity within the profession, urging members to stand up for assistant principals and supervisors of early childhood education, groups he said are “still being disrespected on a daily basis.”
Cannizzaro recalled moments that defined CSA’s collective strength, when members refused to accept raises until their assistant principal colleagues received long-delayed retroactive pay, and again when they stood in solidarity with early childhood educators demanding salary steps.
“That is the union we are, the adults in the room who care more about our brothers and sisters than anyone else,” he said as the crowd erupted in applause.
Cannizzaro praised CSA President Henry Rubio for “keeping the ball moving” and reflected on how far the union had come. He recalled when former CSA President Ernest Logan first invited him to help revive the leadership conference in 2012, after the organization had gone years without holding a large gathering.
“We thought maybe 900 people would come,” Cannizzaro said. “And now, to hear there are almost 1,900 people today, that speaks to your spirit, your unity and your support of your union.”
He credited Logan, along with past CSA leaders Peter O’Brien, Jill Levy and Donald Singer, for building the foundation on which today’s leaders stand. “We talk about standing on the shoulders of giants,” he said. “That’s not just a phrase. We wouldn’t have what we have today without them.”
Cannizzaro closed his remarks with a challenge to the audience: “I am so proud of CSA in New York City,” he said, his voice rising as the audience stood to its feet. “But now help me bring this movement national. God bless you all.”
