Once someone becomes a teacher, they automatically become a part of a teacher’s union. For biology teacher Tom Cubbage, he wanted more than that.

“I really wanted to become a member because I wanted to have a say and wanted to be able to be involved in the process of making sure that what we get here at CMR and at Great Falls Public Schools is the best quality of education,” Cubbage said. He works with the teachers union as the second vice president and provides another take to the problem.

“I am kind of the go-to person if the president or the first vice president is not available,” he said. Besides just being the second vice president, he also is one of the six representatives at CMR that helps speak on the behalf of all the teachers at the school.

One thing that Cubbage takes part in is talking to the administration at the start of each school year to bargain for teachers’ rights. The topics they talk about at the meetings include conditions of work, when the duty day ends, and professional development.

“We get to have a say in things like class size, and in making sure we have the very best environment for learning,” Cubbage said. Benefits like those are the reasons why Cubbage joined the union in the first place.

Cubbage has been in the union since he started teaching, and hopes to continue on until he retires.

“Being in the union means that I provide representation, ensuring we provide a good teaching environment, and promoting a good education,” he said.