Week in Review – May 25, 2017
ABCFT This Week –
Negotiating Team Discusses Survey Results
This week members of the negotiating team got together after school to discuss preliminary observations of the 2018-19 Calendar Survey that members took late in May. In August, the negotiating team will be at the table with ABCUSD to negotiate the 2018-19 academic calendar and the ABCFT/ABCUSD Master Contract. The negotiating team has created a preliminary calendar proposal that will be presented to the District in August. The team discussed the possibility of having a survey next year that would “provide more extensive opportunities for feedback” on calendar items in order to gain more baseline data on member calendar interests.
President’s Report
I attended/worked with members on representations, contract resolutions, site concerns and mediations. In preparation for next year, I’ve continued working with staffs/reps on site representative elections, bell schedules, banking minute agreements/votes, adjunct duty lists and early start schedules. Some highlights below:
This week, I had my monthly standing meeting with Assistant Superintendent Valencia Mayfield to discuss various issues such as bell schedules, PL days (future dates, pay etc), and LCAP information for teachers in the classroom. In the fall, Ms. Mayfield and I will be visiting other districts to look at their implementation of online courses at the secondary level. Over the next couple of years, ABCFT and ABCUSD will be exploring and fine tuning the use of online classes and online resources ensuring they are effective for students/schools and so that teachers are supported and protected by contract language.
On Thursday, I visited the Cerritos High School classroom of Laura Rheaumes Teacher Track Class. This is a cohort of high school students who have made the commitment to become part of the teaching profession. ABC has created a teaching pathway in conjunction with Cerritos College and CSU Long Beach. A perk of being in this cohort is graduates will be guaranteed an employment interview with ABC. This program is a long term solution for the foreseeable teacher shortage that will come to education in the next five to ten years. For more information on Laura’s classes contact her at laura.rheaumes@abcusd.us
On Friday I was a judge for the annual Niemes Science Fair. I participate in this event every year and I’m always amazed by the quality of the projects. This year I was a judge for third grade and the projects were amazing. I also met with Colin Sprigg where we discussed how the District and ABCFT will collaborate to choose a new District website provider. We currently use EdLine but there is interest in modernizing the appearance of the websites for the district and schools. Because Edline has been important for teachers classrooms , ABCFT will be working with IT to ensure that teachers voices have a strong influence on the direction of the project. Next week you will see some website survey’s come out of IT to help provide some data for early organizing decisions.
Lastly, there will be a survey delivered on Monday from ABCFT that is part of an ongoing study ABC is doing with Dr. Saul Rubenstein from Rutgers. Keep an eye out for the survey and more details. .
In Unity!
Ray Gaer
ABCFT President
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Second, in case you missed it in the AFT Daily Communicator yesterday, there is a great interactive map on “AFT All In,” which lets people click their state and see the impact of education, healthcare and public service cuts (works best with Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers):
____________________________________________________________________________
First , Randi’s anti-voucher op-ed with Jonah Edelman (now I know you’ll read it!) in today’s Los Angeles Times is here:
____________________________________________________________________________
SÃ, se puede: Cesar Chavez Charter School Educators File Union Petition
Supermajority of teachers sign petition to hold union election, win voice at work—would become first D.C. charter school to unionize
|
WASHINGTON— A decisive majority of teachers at Cesar Chavez Prep Middle School in Washington, D.C., filed an official petition with the National Labor Relations Board today to hold a union election before the end of the school year.
The petition is the culmination of a two-year organizing effort at the Columbia Heights school, after teachers stood up to win more resources for kids, a real say in school decision-making, and job security. If the vote is successful, Cesar Chavez Prep would become the first unionized charter school in the District of Columbia.
Educators are organizing under the umbrella of the District of Columbia Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.
Claudia Andrade, a sixth-grade English and language arts teacher, said: “Cesar Chavez once said, ‘Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators; they must learn to think and act for themselves—and be free.’ We must follow in our namesake’s footsteps and ensure that his legacy lives on. We must ensure that our students are critical thinkers who cannot only identify issues in their community but create solutions to these issues.”
Christian Herr, a sixth-grade science teacher, said: “Our school’s mission is to empower students to use public policy in their communities. We hold up examples of great community organizers like Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr., and encourage our students to follow in their footsteps in order to make their communities better. What better way to teach our scholars how to do this than to show them? We can’t wait to sit down with our administration and begin the critical collaborative work ahead of us.”
Mateo Samper, an eighth-grade English and language arts teacher, said: “Our union is not an indictment on the tremendously dedicated administrators who have guided and supported our development over this past year. We have banded together in order to serve our students better. This union is not about my colleagues, the staff or the administrators; it’s bigger than the sum of its parts.
“We are organizing to create a system of safeguards to protect our scholars and families for years to come by ensuring, regardless of who is at the helm of their school or classroom, that scholars step into a learning environment where their social or academic growth more accurately reflects the professional opinions of the teachers they work with every day.”
Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis said: “I became a better teacher when I joined a union. Being a union member of 40 years allowed me and my colleagues to advocate more effectively for our students and our profession. If I had not been a union member, I would not have had the courage to stand strong. I congratulate the educators at Cesar Chavez for raising their voice to win those very same rights and protections.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “Educators at Cesar Chavez Prep want a union because they want a real partnership with their administration in the decisions that shape the lives of their kids, their school and themselves. Their school is named for the great labor leader who understood that the way to ensure opportunity is through joining together, which the staff is doing to secure resources and protections—like a safe and fair learning environment, and consistent and high-quality curricula—and latitude so they can provide their kids the opportunities they deserve.”
The school is named for legendary labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers. Chavez waged a decades-long fight for union recognition for agricultural workers in California and Florida, winning significant improvements in wages and working conditions.
The AFT represents 231 charter schools in 15 states nationwide.
|
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
NATIONAL NEWS
School vouchers ‘bad for kids and democracy’
In an opinion piece, Jonah Edelman, chief executive of Stand for Children, which advocates for quality public education, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, say President Trump’s new budget proposal will make historic cuts to federal education spending, while diverting $1bn into voucher programs. The move, they say, will “siphon billions of dollars from public schools to fund private and religious school vouchers. It’s an idea that’s bad for kids, public education and our democracy.”
Switching students loans from DoE to Treasury being considered
In a move that would fundamentally change the system that helps 43m students finance higher education, the U.S. government could move responsibility for overseeing more than $1tr in student debt from the Education Department to the Treasury Department. The possible change was highlighted in a resignation memo sent by James Runcie, the head of the Education Department’s federal student aid program. Mr. Runcie was appointed in 2011 and reappointed in 2015. He cut short his term after a dispute with the administration and Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, over this proposal and other issues.
U.S. lags in financially literacy among teenagers
According to an international assessment of financial literacy by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), more than a fifth of U.S. teenagers lack basic financial literacy skills. The U.S. ranked seventh overall, with average scores remaining unchanged from 2012. Billy Hensley, senior director of education with the National Endowment for Financial Education, said: “American teens were completely average when it comes to demonstrating a strong knowledge of financial skills. It’s clear that we need a better national strategy to teach youth”.
Appeals court backs transgender student
A federal appeals court has backed a transgender boy whose Wisconsin school district had sought to bar him from the boys’ bathroom to protect the privacy of other students. Ash Whitaker sued Kenosha USD saying its bathroom policy violated his civil rights. In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction that temporarily stops the district from enforcing that policy while the case is tried.
STATE NEWS
State’s school funding slashed
Under the Trump administration’s proposed budget, California’s federal funding for K-12 education would drop from about $4bn this fiscal year to $3.64bn in 2017-18. The proposed federal budget would cut the U.S. Department of Education by more than 13%, from roughly $68bn to about $59bn. California’s state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said: “I give this budget an F grade for failing public school students in California and across the nation.” However, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has called Trump’s plan “the most ambitious expansion of education choice in our nation’s history.”
Bill to end ‘lunch shaming’ approved
Under legislation approved by the state Senate, students whose parents have not kept their school lunch bills up to date will no longer go through “shaming” that includes marking their hand so they cannot be served. The measure requires school districts to ensure that any student whose parent has unpaid school meal fees is not treated differently, or delayed or denied a nutritiously adequate meal.
California not producing enough educated adults
A new report from the Campaign for College Opportunity says California is not producing enough educated adults for the workforce. The analysis measured the state's progress in enrolling high school graduates in college and helping them complete a certificate or degree program, and showed the region needs 1.7m more adults with college credentials by 2025 to meet workforce requirements. The report called for more funding, support and efficient programs to equip students with the academic preparation and financial aid needed both to enroll in college and to graduate.
Free lunch bill approved
A bill that provides free lunches to all students in high poverty schools has been approved by the Senate. The bill’s author, Sen. Mike McGuire, said: “When a child goes to school hungry, their ability to learn, grow and thrive is compromised. School meals are extremely effective at fighting the devastating effects of child hunger and improving outcomes in our public schools, yet so many kids who need to eat, aren’t being provided free school meals - and it’s time that changes.”
DISTRICTS
School graduation and dropout rates published
According to data from the California Department of Education, a number of Central Valley schools did not meet the state’s average graduation and dropout rates after the 2015-2016 school year. Figures show that six of the 16 counties in the area had graduation rates lower than the state’s 83.2%. FYI - ABC’s graduation rate is 98% well over the state average.
San Diego USD sued over anti-bullying policy
Six parents have sued the San Diego USD challenging the constitutionality of its plan to protect Muslim students from bullying. Charles LiMandri, president and chief council for the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, which filed the lawsuit, said: “It’s our position that the anti-bullying policies should protect all students regardless of ethnicity and affiliation, and they shouldn’t be singling out any religious group for special treatment, as they seem to be doing here”. District trustees voted to create a policy that would protect Muslim students from bullying in April.
Free tuition programs finding approval
Long Beach USD has become a model for free tuition programs. Mary Rauner, a senior research associate at WestEd, said more than 50 are running or getting underway in California, double the number from a year ago. “There’s a lot of momentum and growing evidence that these programs result in more students attending and completing college,” she said. Long Beach has drawn national acclaim for its program that began in 2008.
Teachers hold rally outside district office
Hundreds of Fresno USD teachers held a rally outside the district’s downtown office on Wednesday demanding higher pay, smaller classrooms and better benefits. Manuel Bonilla, of the Fresno Teachers Association, said the district is unwilling to listen to association members on key issues like classroom size, safety and discipline.
CLASSROOM
Clean water bill passed
The California State Senate has passed legislation that ensures K-12 students across the state have access to clean drinking water at school. The bill gives schools that test their water and have contamination problems priority when applying for clean water relief grants, and will help prevent students and teachers from drinking contaminated water at schools that find significant sources of lead or other harmful contaminants.
EARLY EDUCATION
Study shows more academic preschools outpace rivals
A study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley has found that by the end of kindergarten, children who had attended one year of “academic-oriented preschool” outpaced contemporaries who went to less academic preschools. The lead author of the study, Bruce Fuller, said: “Simply dressing up like a firefighter or building an exquisite Lego edifice may not be enough. If you can combine creative play with rich language, formal conversations and math concepts, that’s more likely to yield the cognitive gains we observed”.
BEHAVIOR
Parents favouring gadgets encourage bad behaviour
Parents who check their phones or tablets while reading or playing with their children could be encouraging misbehaviour. A study from the University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital and Illinois State University indicated a link between the amount of time spent on gadgets and increased challenging behaviour by children, with even modest use associated with disruptiveness, hyperactivity or grumpiness.
HEALTH
Addiction warning for affluent areas
Researchers from Columbia University in the US say high-school students who attend high-achieving schools and live in affluent communities are up to three times more likely to have a drug or alcohol addiction in their mid-20s. The study found that up to 40% of men attending schools in better-off areas are battling addiction by the age of 26, with the rate for women at 24%.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Teachers with individualistic approach get results
Teachers who take time to talk to pupils and use humour get better results, while sharing experiences and even admitting mistakes also improves performance, research has found. The US study of 300 college students found this achieved higher levels of learning and deeper understanding. Author Professor Zac Johnson, of California State University, said: “Our participants made it clear a teacher's efforts to view themselves and their students as individuals had a lasting impact”.
SPORTS
The insecurity of being an athletics coach
In a look at the high number of athletics coaches that have been fired recently, the clash between modern-day parenting and old-school coaching is highlighted. Parents are upset that their child does not play enough, or are angered that the coach is too demanding. Removing a coach has become so common in an industry where contracts are typically renewed or not renewed after each season, that many coaches believe that it isn’t a matter of if but when the next one will be replaced.
OTHER
Schools banning fidget spinners
Schools and individual teachers in a number of US states are banning fidget spinners from classrooms, while others are taking them away from kids who seem too distracted by them or are distracting others. However, in Virginia, a petition was started to persuade officials to reverse a ban on fidget spinners and cubes. One student who signed it wrote: “I’m signing because fidget spinners help and need to be unbanned. They help you stay awake during class”.
Education Matters: San Dieguito’s special relationship with its teachers union
Torrie Norton, San Dieguito Union SD’s associate superintendent of human resources, has confirmed that since 2010, San Dieguito Faculty Association (SDFA) teachers union president Bob Croft has not taught, has been paid a full teachers’ salary and has been given free office space at Earl Warren Middle School. Croft is set to retire on June 30.
No comments:
Post a Comment