ABCFT - Week in Review - November 16, 2018
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In case you’ve missed previous Weeks in Review, you can find all of them here: ABCTeachernews To find previous editions, just click on “Blog Archive” which is the menu on the right and click on the specific week.
(ABC Federation of Teachers)
In Unity
ABC Federation of Teachers
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ABCFT PROUD! Get Your Polo While Supplies Last….
You’ve probably seen a few more ABCFT Blue Polos on your campus, now is your last chance before winter break to get your own YOUnion wear. Great for blue rally days or to show you are sticking with the Union.
Get a complimentary ABCFT Public School Proud polo shirt, see below.
UPDATE -MEASURE BB BOND INFORMATION
As of November 16th, the YES votes counted for Measure BB are now at 56.5% so over the past week there has been a gain of almost 1%. In order for the bond to pass it needs a YES vote of 55%. The YES Campaign team is now more hopeful that the final votes being counted over the next week will continue to be favorable for ABC’s Measure BB. By the time you return from the Thanksgiving Break there will be a final election result. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
If this bond indeed passes, teachers and students will see significant changes to the school sites and classrooms of ABC schools. Members are asking if this means that there will be more money available for bargaining because of the bond? The reality is that the bond will actually protect the wages and health benefits of ABC employees because the school board will not be making school facility improvements that won’t be paid for by reducing the pay and benefits of the employees.
RSVP For a Members Only Debt Clinic
Tuesday, December 4th at the Union Hall 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Got Student Debt? Want to apply for Loan Forgiveness? CFT and AFT are holding a student debt clinic at the Union Hall. You’ll learn how to qualify for Loan Forgiveness, how to make your payments manageable, and how we can work together to address the student debt crisis in California. Register now – space is limited
MEET A MEMBER
The ABCFT YOUnion is made up of 1,100 great teachers and medical professionals and each one of us has a story to tell. Each week we will highlight a member of ABCFT.
Meet Vera Altebarmakian an educator in her 19th year. She currently teaches 6th grade at Willow Elementary and is a Site Rep.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be? Be unique. Do what works for you, what comes natural to you. Don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go as well as you would have liked, we’re all still learning. Most of all enjoy your students; they will love you if they know you love them!
BE A UNION MEMBER and enjoy "peace of mind” that come with membership.
BE A UNION MEMBER and enjoy "peace of mind” that come with membership.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
I got involved in the Union, because I love to help and being a Union member enables me to provide support, guidance and advice to colleagues. Joining a teachers union gives power to the bargaining position of the union for contract and labor negotiations.
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
A typical day as a Rep is answering emails from colleagues, listening to their concerns and talking to the administration when necessary.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
My favorite movie is "The Sound of Music". Does this mean that Vera has a hidden singing abilities that she’s not sharing with us? 
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
Facebook!
What do you do for fun?
Spend time with my family and friends, go to the beach, watch French shows and visit Disneyland!
Do you have a bucket list?
1. Climb Mount Ararat 2. Go to Bora Bora 3. Ski on the Swiss Alps.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
Make everyone happy:)! If you know Vera, then she already possesses this superpower!
Thank you Vera for sharing your story with the ABCFT community. If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member
RESEARCH FOR YOUR CLASSROOMS
Supporting Language Development
Given that nearly one in four school children in the United States speaks a language other than English at home, significant numbers of educators across the country teach multilingual, diverse student populations in their classrooms.
On the one hand, the challenge is simultaneously teaching academic content and skills while helping English language learners (ELLs) acquire English and, in many cases, navigate a brand-new culture. On the other hand, the challenge is to establish high-quality second language learning programs for children whose first language is English, especially in the early grades.
Meeting the language needs of both categories of students is important in a globally competitive world. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate and encourage the assets that multilingual speakers can bring to the classroom.
Thanksgiving message from the ABCFT - Retirees
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
This time of year makes me think of all the things that I am thankful for.
I am thankful for my family and friends.
I am thankful for my retiree check.
I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful for this local that has provided us retirees with a wonderful space to have our meetings.
……and thankful for so much more.
Brothers and Sisters congratulations on the passing of Measure BB.
Our chapter was able to make lots and lots of phone banking to help pass this measure.
I personally called Spanish speaking homes. This was a wonderful experience for me. Most of these Latino folks that I reached, were welcoming and willing to listen to me. I had a few say, “No se preocupe. Va a pasar.” Which means, “Don’t worry it will pass.”
I remember how the past bond from 20 years ago helped rebuilt the crumbling walls of my Willow Elementary School. So yeah, our chapter needed to work very hard to make sure that Measure BB was in the bag. A much needed improvement is essential to make all the schools safe and equipped with the latest technological advances.
Aside from being very busy with the Measure, our chapter, also did phone banking for district #48. Seven of us attended a candidate forum at the Buena Park Union Hall. We passed out literature at Cal State Long Beach and at other locations for Tony Thurmond. We wanted to stay as involved as possible. We knew this was going to be an election for the history books.
Thank you for all that you do.
Happy Thanksgiving
With love and light.
Silvia Rodriguez
ABCFT-Retiree Chapter President
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KEEPING YOU INFORMED - repeat
When to bring a union representative
You have the right to have a union representative at any meeting or investigatory interview with a supervisor or administrator that you reasonably believe might lead to discipline. These are called your Weingarten Rights, named after a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Your supervisor does not have to notify you of your right to union representation — you must assert your Weingarten Rights. This applies to everyone who works in a unionized child care center, school, college or university, whether public or private.
To assert your Weingarten Rights, say:
“If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined, terminated, or could affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present.”
> If you have a problem on the job or you see a violation of your union contract, contact your site representative or local grievance officer. If you think you have a legal problem, contact ABCFT at Ext. 21500 or ABCFT@ABCUSD.us or ABCFT2317@gmail.com immediately.
Each week I work with unit members in representations, contract resolutions, email/text/phone call questions, site concerns, site visits, presentations, state/national representations and mediations. Here are some of the highlights of interest.
TGIF and one of the greatest closing bells of the year as we all race to our cars begin our well deserved vacation. Finally, a time to fix those things that have broken around the house, tend our neglected yards and kids and spouses. I hope that you take the time to care for yourself, binge watch your favorite shows, eat well, and most importantly enjoy a special time with family and friends.
The past couple of weeks Tanya Golden and I have been going to union meetings at some of the elementary schools throughout the district to discuss the latest gossip, rumors, issues, and negotiations. A big topic over the past week has been the addition of the district requesting that all employees to wear I.D. badges when doing school business. Is the I.D. badge required? No, it was not negotiated and so no discipline can come from not wearing your I.D. badge. ABCFT believes that it is important that employees are easy to identify but my personal belief is that all employees should have the same color of placards so we can avoid the visual caste system that will be created. I have been in a couple of meetings prior to the roll out of this I.D. badge push but ABCFT wasn’t invited to the preliminary discussions. Therefore, I’ve had to loudly complain that this is a change in working conditions and should be negotiated which is the reason it is not a directive and is optional. Furthermore, there was a push that each employee would have the same color lanyard and I squashed that by making the point that schools have their own color schemes and it would be ludicrous for them to try to enforce 3,600 employees to wear the same color….totally ridiculous to even propose such a notion. Anyway, this I.D. push is more like a pilot and I guarantee you that ABCFT teachers and medical professionals will have a lot to say about what this looks like a year from now.
When you return we will be sending out a couple of things. ABCFT will be sending out an evaluation survey the week you get back and we will have a special email with frequently asked questions concerning the I.D. badges.
For the time being, enjoy your break and catch up on life.
Thank you for all you do everyday.
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In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
What the heck...that comic didn’t make sense...lets try this one…...
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
CFT provides members important information about professional issues and workplace rights through numerous newsletters and publications. You can find a summary of each publication below and download the current issue of each newsletter. Click on the links to read some stories online, to get more information or contact the editor, and to access the archives.
As the CFT's flagship publication, California Teacher contains news and information that affects all members. It also contains news specific to each division of the CFT. California Teacher is published four times during the academic year. All members receive California Teacher.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
2018 Post Election Summary
One week after the 2018 elections, the dust is still settling but one thing is very clear: Election Day was a big win for Democrats and for working families across the country. The AFT, our state and local affiliates, and our members can take pride and credit in our joint efforts to win these elections. Even with our sharply divided electorate, the American people sent two strong messages in these elections: First, on the federal level, they voted for a check and balance on President Trump by changing control of the U.S. House of Representatives. And second, on the state level, people voted for problem solvers to serve as their governors and in their statehouses—candidates who believe in public education, access to healthcare, rebuilding infrastructure and finding solutions that make life better for all people. We clearly see that voters were motivated to make a change.
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
LA USD’s drop in financial reserves ‘continues to be alarming’
The Los Angeles County Office of Education has written to Los Angeles USD to approve its budget – but also gave it a new deadline to address its structural deficit or face a takeover. The county’s letter said the district’s continued use of deficit spending - meaning it is eating into its savings to cover its operating costs - has led to a “drastic” drop in its financial reserves and “continues to be alarming.” It has given the district until December 17th to outline how it will reverse its march toward insolvency; its reserves are being depleted so quickly that they are projected to drop 90 percent in two years - from $778m this year to $76.5m in 2020-21.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
DeVos' staff deny 'leaving' rumors
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' staff have dismissed rumors that she is stepping down amid Democrats taking control of the U.S. House in January. Her press secretary Liz Hill said: "The rumors are just that … rumors. The Secretary has no plans of stepping down." The Free Press suggests that there is almost universal agreement however that DeVos, with Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress, has had to make only rare appearances on Capitol Hill to testify, will likely be asked a lot more questions in the future, as Dems challenge departmental policies on school choice, sexual assault investigations, transgender students' access to bathrooms and student loan repayments.
Index reveals teachers status
Teachers in the U.S. think the status of their profession is lower than the general public does, according to the 2018 Global Teacher Status Index. Teachers who were polled set their status level at 37.1 out of 100, while the general public put it at 48.7 out of 100. Meanwhile, 42% of parents would encourage their children to go into the teaching profession, the index said, even though Americans think teachers are underpaid. The index found that the countries that most respect their teachers are China and Malaysia.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Survey shows Californians support more funding for public higher education
Most Californians believe higher education should be a top priority for the new governor and support increased funding for public colleges and universities, according to a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. Most participants backed free community college, a statewide bond for university construction projects, a minimum state funding guarantee, and reform of Prop. 13, raising money by loosening restrictions on taxing commercial properties.
CalSTRS pulls money out of immigrant detention centers
The California State Teachers’ Retirement Board has voted to withdraw around $12m from CoreCivic and Geo Group, two companies that have contracts to house immigrants detained at the Mexican border. The retirement board’s 6-5 vote to divest from the companies followed intense activism from teachers and left-leaning organizations that wanted the $229bn pension fund to dissociate itself from private prisons. The activism began last spring, when the Trump administration began separating children from adults detained at the Mexican border. The administration has ended that practice, but it shaped the views of teachers and retired teachers who wanted their pension fund to withdraw money from the companies.
Thurmond opens substantial lead in race for state schools chief
Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond, has taken a substantial lead over Marshall Tuck in the contest for California’s state superintendent of public instruction. According to figures released yesterday afternoon by the California Secretary of State, Mr Thurmond has erased the 86,000-vote lead enjoyed by Mr Tuck last Wednesday, converting it into a 67,161-vote lead.
Fires won’t burn schools of funding
Local school leaders made the right choice by putting students’ safety first when they closed campuses affected by the Hill and Woolsey fires, and they shouldn’t be penalized for it, Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, has said. Waivers are available from the state, he said, so that districts won’t lose out on funding from California’s Local Control Funding Formula, which bases the amount districts receive on the average daily attendance of students. In the meantime, a number of districts have announced closures for today; all public schools in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, and Marin counties canceled Friday classes, citing poor air quality, as they are in Napa Valley and St. Helena. Heavy smoke has also closed all of Sacramento County’s large school districts.
----- DISTRICTS -----
LAUSD to use district property to house the homeless
Los Angeles USD’s school board has voted 4-1, with one abstention, to study using district property to house homeless students and their families. Superintendent Austin Beutner has been given six months to research the feasibility of using district sites to allow overnight parking for homeless students and families, provide overnight shelter and meals, during the winter and summer recesses “at minimum,” and build or convert buildings to create temporary or permanent housing. The resolution proposes using funds from Proposition HHH, a bond measure voters approved in 2016 that granted the county $1.2bn to aid the homeless, including building affordable housing.
----- FINANCE -----
Lompoc keeps emergency-only repair policy after bond failure
Lompoc USD school board say that teacher salaries and benefits could suffer as the district struggles to fund emergency school improvements after a $79m bond proposal failed to pass in the November 6 election. Board member Dick Barret, who has been advocating for a schools improvement bond since 2016, says that without funding, “as things progress…[LUSD] will have to fill in just emergency things” and notes that grant funding would only cover a “fraction” of the estimated $100m needed for repairs. LUSD has approximately $5-10m in discretionary funds out of its annual $110m budget.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Santa Barbara strives to tackle student suicide and depression
Santa Barbara USD is providing social emotional learning (SEL) support for students in a bid to tackle student mental illness and suicide. Over 100 SBUSD students have attempted suicide in the past two years, and 168 students have been “red-flagged” for special attention, with surveys also finding that pupils report high levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness and stress. By integrating SEL into K-12 timetables, SBUSD administrators hope to combat “disturbing trends in teen mental health and wellness.”
----- SOCIAL & COMMUNITY -----
D.C. schools to roll out ‘non-binary’ option
As part of a broader effort to ensure that transgender and non-binary students feel welcome in U.S. classrooms, District Of Columbia Public Schools will next year become one of the first school districts in the nation to allow families to select “non-binary” when indicating the gender of their child on enrollment forms. In the fall, the Oregon Department of Education unveiled school enrollment forms that allowed families to select “X” if their children do not identify as male or female, while in Minneapolis, public schools have a way for families to let administrators and teachers know if children do not identify as male or female.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Poverty and race barriers to college
About 1.8m teenagers, or 14% of the nation’s high school students, attend schools where at least three-quarters live in poverty, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office at the request of Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.), the top Democrat on the House Education Committee. The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s School of Education, examining that analysis, found that students of color are more likely to attend high-poverty high schools, high-poverty schools are less likely to offer calculus and physics and less likely to offer advanced placement courses and access to dual enrollment in high school and college classes. High- and low-poverty schools are equally likely to offer international baccalaureate classes, but relatively few of either provide access to this option. The NEPC also fou nd that a smaller percentage of high-poverty schools offer the math and science sequences required by most four-year colleges.
Foreign student numbers declining
The roster of new international students at U.S. colleges and universities has fallen by over 6% in the past school year, according to the Institute of International Education's annual Open Doors report, double the previous rate of decline. “While other countries work hard to attract international students, we are managing to send a message that talented foreigners are not welcome here, just when we most need them,” said Angel Cabrera, president of George Mason University in Northern Virginia. The findings were based on a survey of 1,703 California adults, conducted in English and Spanish between October 27th and November 5th. The margin of error is 3.5%. The survey also found that Californians are divided on whether educational opportunity is equally available to students who are low-income or racial or ethnic minorities.
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT stated a working relationship with National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Throughout our partnership, NTA has been supportive of ABCFT activities by sponsorship and prizes for our various events. This organization specializes in providing insurance for educators across the nation. We have been provided both data and member testimonials about how pleased they have been with the NTA products and the opportunity to look at alternatives to the district insurance choice.
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