ABCFT - Week in Review - November 9, 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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YOUnion RECOMMITMENT CAMPAIGN
If you are receiving the Week in Review email each week you are already a member; however, ABCFT is updating our records and would like you to complete the newest membership form. The language in this new membership form is reflected in the 2017-2020 ABCFT/ABCUSD Master Contract and we wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to the membership to update our membership cards.
Over the next couple of months both ABCFT Site Representatives and ABCFT Teacher Leaders will be approaching those members who have yet to recommit to the union by updating their membership form and contact information. If you haven’t completed the paper or online recommitment form click the link below to complete the new membership form. If you are unsure if you’ve already completed the form simply ask your site representative so they can check their site/program membership lists.
Link removed
As educators, our direct interests are at stake such as competitive salaries, health benefits, retirement benefits, and professional working conditions that support students and teachers. These are just a few examples of the protections that are a result of a strong union that is included in the ABCFT union membership.
If members do not join and contribute to their union, the working conditions we care about most will erode over time and so will our ability to advocate for policies and funding that are critical supports for our schools and students (e.g., smaller class sizes, increasing state funding, or credential changes).
MEASURE BB BOND INFORMATION
As of November 8th, the final vote for Measure BB can go either way depending on the late vote by mail ballots and the provisional ballots that are uncounted. The next official updates will come on Friday, November 9th and Tuesday, November 13th.
This additional information has been taken from a report from the YES on Measure BB campaign committee of which ABCFT has been a part of during this bond election.
Currently, on Measure BB, the results show a 11,569 to 9,145 lead for Yes with a 55.85% lead, that is a 177 vote cushion with over 4,000 provisional ballots plus unopened vote by mail (vbm) ballots left to go thru signature verification and then be counted.
Yes for Measure BB performed slightly better in the vbm's than with the poll votes. From yesterday's poll checkers there are approximately 2,700 to 3,000 vbm's left to be counted with an unknown number of vbm's dropped off at the polling places, as well as an unknown number of vbm's postmarked yesterday and received in the mail by the County Registrar's office by Friday.
ABCFT will provide updates as the results are released.
RSVP For a Members Only Debt Clinic
Tuesday, December 4th at the Union Hall 3:30-5:00 p.m.
(18 members have signed up already!)
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 :http://aft.to/
MEET A MEMBER
Here you will have an opportunity to meet fellow ABCFT union members from across the district. So often, we work within our own bubble be it in our grade level, work site, or program so now you’ll get a chance to learn more about other hard working educators that make ABC a nationally recognized district as well as ABCFT known as a strong and innovative union.
Meet Sharon Zamora in her 32nd year as a teacher. Sharon currently teaches 1st grade at Wittmann Elementary and is a ABCFT Teacher Leader.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be?
Be organized and be able to find things which means a good filing system, which includes knowing what to keep and what to dump. This will help keep your sanity! Take care of yourself too because no one else can or will.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
I appreciate what the union has done for me. I want to educate myself on what all the union does behind the scenes. Learning=improving oneself!
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
The union has supported me legally and encouraged me in different situations. That is one major benefits of union membership, getting help out of difficult situations that you may have never imagined yourself in.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
My favorite movies is a tie between “The Proposal” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Sounds like Sharon loves romantic comedies!
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
Don’t do any social media. May be some good advice for those that cannot seem to put their phones down.
What do you do for fun?
Cycle, run, and hike. I am in training for another century ride. A century ride is a road cycling ride of 100 miles (160.9 km) or more within 12 hours, usually as a cycling club-sponsored event. Many cycling clubs sponsor an annual century ride as both a social event for cyclists and as a fundraiser for the club's other activities. Impressive!
Do you have a bucket list?
Visit Ireland and Scotland, an African Safari, ½ marathon around Mt. Kilimanjaro then climb it!
Sharon, YOUWe are a warrior!
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
I’d like to have healing powers or superhuman endurance.
Thank you Sharon for sharing your story with the ABCFT community. If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member Click this link here.
RESEARCH FOR YOUR CLASSROOMS REPEAT
Sharemylesson.com is a FREE website for teachers to share and distribute lesson plans. There are no fees and if you would like to share your content there are opportunities to grow your own learning community in you grade level or subject area. Simply log into https://sharemylesson.com/
ANTI-SEMITISM AND ADDRESSING HATE
Our hearts break for the families impacted by the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. These senseless acts of anti-semitism, hate, racism, and bigotry happen way too often in the United States. In its annual 2017 audit of anti-semitic incidents in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League found that 2017 was a record year of anti-semitic incidents in the United States, rising 57 percent. 2017 was "the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking such data in 1979."
We know that your students will have questions about this incident, and that you will be looking for resources to support and discuss this tragedy. This collection has resources on the rise of anti-semitism and addressing racism, with additional collections on helping children cope with traumatic events, gun violence, mental health and why remembering and teaching about the Holocaust is imperative.
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FIND OUT STRATEGIES TO STAY #FULLYCHARGED
We still have about a dozen copies of the book #Fullycharged that are available for those who are interested in looking at strategies to support educators in times of stress. If you would like a copy just go to this form. We have a limited amount of copies so it will be first come first served. Here is a small summary of what you can expect from this excellent book.
The young brain is different and highly influenced by environment; therefore, student success is not by chance, but by design. Julie Adams, PJ Caposey, and Rosa Isiah share the neuroscientific recipe to design a powerful educational system that supports our Student/Parent/Staff Maslow and Bloom needs that increases our capacity for greatness. Are you ready to be #FULLYCHARGED?
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.
Hang in there everyone, we have only a few more school days till Thanksgiving Break. Teachers across the district are preparing grades and elementary teachers are preparing for the season of parent conferences after the break.
For many of us in ABC we have also been consumed with the Measure BB bond vote in addition to all of the local, state, and national elections going on at the same time. It has been a busy week both in school and out of school and a break is in order.
This year, we will have a week off for the Thanksgiving Break and we are happy to report that CSEA (the classified ABC union) just negotiated language so that the additional days do not impact classified employees negatively. For those of you that are new to ABC, we have only had a week off for Thanksgiving for about ten years. During the heart of the deep recession ABCFT was able to negotiate that we use three furlough days to extend the break. You might remember it was was because of furlough days that ABCFT was able to ensure that no permanent employees in ABC lost their job during that economic downturn. Anyway, once everyone experienced a week off for Thanksgiving and how rested they felt after nine days off, there was no going back to a short week with many student absences.
I know that many of you are feeling the stress of grading, filling out report cards, and preparing for parent conferences in addition to dealing with sometimes stressful classroom behaviors. This is an especially tough time of the year. We hope that you have a good three day weekend and that the next week is smooth and STULL observation free.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
HERE IS AN EMAIL I GOT FROM CFT THIS WEEK AFTER THE ELECTION
Dear Local Presidents,
Following a hard fought campaign with unprecedented spending by a small group of billionaires and mega-donors, Marshall Tuck is ahead in the election to be California’s next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Tuck is currently up 50.7% to 49.3%, with 86,000 votes separating the candidates. However, with millions of ballots still left to be counted across the state, including Los Angeles County where Tony won by a large margin, the race has yet to be called and we are holding out hope that Tony can still pull through.
I’d like to thank all the CFT locals who showed up big time for Tony Thurmond, for Congressional races, and in their own local elections. Participation in politics is often a rough and tumble exercise, and it takes some guts to put yourself out there, but we know that if we don’t show up that the billionaires and their agenda will prevail.
Our efforts really did pay off. Last night we took back the House of Representatives, including winning 3 of our priority Congressional seats here in California and it now appears we could win and additional four races as provisional ballots are counted in the coming days and weeks. At our first count, candidates endorsed by CFT locals have won 75% of their local school board and trustee elections, and an impressive 80% of local parcel tax and bond measures have passed.
We also helped elect Gavin Newsom as California’s next Governor. Gavin, who ran on an unabashedly pro-public education platform, will be a strong advocate for more resources for our schools, colleges, and universities. He has also pledged to hold charter schools accountable.
Let’s be clear, whatever the outcome of the State Superintendent’s race, it in no way diminishes our resolve to continue working in the best interests of our profession, our students, and our public schools. We will continue to advocate for more resources for our underfunded school system, we will continue to stand up to the regressive agenda of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos, and we will continue to organize and fight to ensure that teachers and classified workers have the resources and respect we need to get our important work done.
In Unity,
Josh
Josh Pechthalt, President
California Federation of Teachers
2550 N. Hollywood Way, #400
Burbank, CA. 91505
818-843-8226 (w)
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Midterm Election Results
WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the midterm elections:
“In a sharply divided electorate, the American people sent two very important messages. First, on a federal level, they voted for a check and balance on President Trump and were inspired by the women on the ballot. Our values and aspirations as a nation were on the ballot, and, in district after district, the American people chose decency over cruelty, fairness over prejudice, and democracy over demagoguery, by electing a new majority in Congress.
“Second, on a state level, people voted for problem solvers as governors and in their statehouses—governors committed to finding solutions that make life better for children and families, and who believe in public education, good healthcare and rebuilding roads and bridges and water systems. Voters flipped statehouse after statehouse by electing new Democratic governors in Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin, and they maintained Democratic governors in every state Democrats already held. And the wins were even more impressive in state legislatures, from New York to Colorado to Oregon to pro-worker, pro-civil rights, pro-public education ballot initiatives.
“Working people in many of these states have faced years of attacks on their rights, disinvestment of public schools to fund tax breaks for the rich, and attacks on healthcare and voting rights. When public education was on the ballot, voters overwhelmingly chose to invest in public schools and stand with teachers, even electing AFT members as governors in Michigan and Minnesota. And while the safe staffing initiative narrowly lost in Massachusetts, we will continue to fight for affordable healthcare and safe staffing across the country.
“Trump spent this campaign doubling down on hate, division and lies. And in a divided country, it’s disappointing that this demagoguery helped some of Trump’s acolytes narrowly win in places like Florida and Ohio. But even with this divisiveness, voters in Florida also restored voting rights for felons, which is not just a win for democracy but shows what is possible when lies, racist attacks and misrepresentations aren’t front and center.
“On balance, it was a night in which a majority of Americans voted for a check on Trump’s cruel and inhumane agenda, and for leaders who will find solutions to make life better for people.”
- 11/02/2018
Yes, safe patient limits will save lives
- 10/30/2018
AFT members defend democracy in Georgia: ‘Everyone should have the opportunity to vote’
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHTS-----
Teachers' voices...
The New York Times canvasses educators on whether "this generation is misunderstood". Michelle Rooks, an English teacher in Wyoming, says: "School is much harder now than when we were there. Critical thinking is much harder than memorizing facts," while Gini Wozny, an English teacher in Eureka, California, says: "When talking about gender and sexuality, this generation is light-years ahead of us all. They don’t fear “the other” when it comes to race or religion. They also easily accept that mental health issues exist and are common." Shanna Coulter, an art teacher in Canton, Ga, says: "They come from 50% divorced families, multiple home scenarios, parents who have struggled through recession, immigrated, are jailed, absent, both working, drugged, distracted by their own screens, or stressed. Their celebrities and political and religious leaders fall before them, and they observe the environment warming, drying and smoldering. Yet they are still hopeful and full of passion and drive to create a stronger world, albeit in their own way, with their screens on."
Many educators elected in midterms
In a new record for a single election cycle, almost 1,800 educators ran for public office this time around, pushing education-focused agendas in their mission to become governors, members of U.S. Congress, state legislative seat holders and local representatives. Among them were Wisconsin’s next governor Tony Evers, who had his first job teaching science and has served as a school principal, has run multiple school districts and is currently the state’s superintendent of public instruction, and Jahana Hayes, 2016 National Teacher of the Year, who is now Connecticut’s first black Democrat to be elected to Congress. Harry Bhandari (D), a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher, was elected to Maryland's House of Delegates to represent District 8, while in California, fourth-grade teacher Susan Rubio (D), who works in the Monrovia Unified School District, was elected to the state's Senate to represent District 22.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Dems dominate California elections, but state school superintendent victor remains unclear
Democrats were poised to capture at least seven of eight statewide constitutional offices, including attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and controller. Gavin Newsom, Lt.Gov. since 2011, defeated John Cox to succeed Jerry Brown as governor; a key plank of his campaign was the California Promise, “a new way of thinking about education as a lifelong pursuit” that states “our role begins when babies are still in the womb and it doesn’t end until we’ve done all we can to prepare them for a quality job and successful career.” The race to become superintendent of public instruction between Democrats Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond appears much closer to call, however; as of 4 a.m. this morning, Los Angeles school executive Mr Tuck was leading with 50.7% of the vote, with 90.5% of precincts reporting, slightly ahead of his teacher union-backed Assemblyman rival. </ span>
Government efforts to overturn Obama education policies continue
Jessica Campisi profiles the Trump administration's work to amend much of the Obama-era policies and guidelines that previously defined K-12 education - and suggests that more revisions are on the way. The administration is working to rescind several Obama-era documents to help schools take race into account to make their campuses more diverse and has sought to redefine gender, she says, removing Title IX protections for transgender students and scrapping Obama-era guidance on bathrooms for transgender students. The administration has also encouraged Congress to relax ESSA regulations. Ms Campisi adds that special education and school discipline policies could be next on the administration's agenda - particularly the repeal of Obama-era “Rethink School Discipline” policies and the introduction of new measures from the federal School Safety Commission .
Public must govern America’s schools
Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, and author Diane Ravitch, assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush, assert the importance of the public’s right to govern schools - as opposed to school choice advocates looking to expand such systems. The Learning Policy Institute think tank may be sincere in its belief that school choice can be “reformed,” they acknowledge, but claim that such networks are “complicit” in the agenda of those who seek to make public schools obsolete. "The authors would do well to read the resolution of the National NAACP, which called for a moratorium on new charter schools because of the way they destabilize public schools while they are not subject to the same accountability, oversight and transparency as public schools," the authors add.
Career opportunities pledge helped millions
President Donald Trump has announced that over 160 companies and organizations have pledged to provide more than 6m new career opportunities for Americans. The National Council for the American Worker pledge includes apprenticeships, continuing education, on-the-job-training and retraining, and senior adviser Ivanka Trump, noting that no federal funds were used "at all," said: “This represents an enormous opportunity for us to think about making sure that every American worker is equipped with the skills they need, whether they’re in high school and they’re looking to graduate and have a job ready for them upon graduation, or whether they’re a mid- to late-career worker who is looking for an opportunity to learn a new skill or learn a new trade.”
New House Education Committee Chair asserts his role
Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Virginia, who is set to become new chair of the House Education Committee, has pledged to hold Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her staff to account but "seek common ground" with Republicans on addressing soaring U.S. college costs. Asserting that his committee would review civil rights enforcement, accreditation of questionable for-profit colleges, and other pressing education matters, he added: “To the extent we can achieve bipartisan support, we’ll make every effort to do it.” Two high-profile items on the agenda in the coming months include new regulations on the handling of campus sexual assault cases under Title IX and the White House school safety commission, led by DeVos, which is set to release its report on its findings since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Millions of votes still uncounted in state superintendent race
State officials said yesterday that an estimated 4.5m votes in the election for California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction have yet to be counted, including vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and those cast by voters who registered on Tuesday. An update yesterday put former school executive Marshall Tuck in the lead over Richmond Assemblyman Tony Thurmond by 50.6% to 49.4% - a difference of 69,349 votes, down from 86,000 on Wednesday. “I think this is a lead that will hold but I’m not sure of it,” Mr Tuck said. EdSource said the Thurmond campaign did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
U.S. voters approve billions in school support
Over $12bn of bond sales have already been approved by voters to support school improvements - the most in an election since 2006, according to data from Ipreo IHS Markit. The bulk of bond proposals were in California, where nearly $16.bn of state borrowing was proposed to upgrade water infrastructure, support housing programs and renovate children’s hospitals, including notable pledges in the Peralta Community and Chaffey Community college districts, while in Texas, at the time of writing, voters appeared likely to approve major projects in Fort Bend ISD, Frisco ISD,Round Rock ISD and Alvin ISD, with $480.5m expected to be approved for school improvements.
----- DISTRICTS -----
LA Superintendent looks to radically remodel district
Los Angeles USD Superintendent Austin Beutner is reportedly developing a plan to radically reshape the nation’s second-largest school district, with the aim of boosting student outcomes while also saving money. The system, to be made public next month, will be divided into 32 networks, moving decision-making away from the district’s headquarters into neighborhood offices. Schools and their networks would be given more control in areas such as hiring and firing. “The superintendent is trying to move toward a decentralized system that puts the student first,” said one person close to the process who was not authorized to comment publicly. “He’s trying to generate better educational outcomes. That’s the No. 1 goal.”
LA teacher arrested after punching student
A Los Angeles-area teacher was arrested on suspicion of punching a 14-year-old student who used a racial epithet and threw a basketball at him in a classroom. The student was treated at a hospital for moderate injuries and released, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Los Angeles USD officials said they are co-operating with the sheriff’s investigation, adding: "We take this matter very seriously and do not condone violence or intolerance of any kind”.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Editorial - Here’s the latest propaganda from corporate magazines about class sizes. Ask any teacher and they will tell you that smaller class sizes matter.
Few benefits to smaller class sizes, study says
A new global review of class-sizes suggests that there are few benefits to smaller classes when it comes to reading, while in math it found no benefits at all. The study, titled "Small Class Sizes for Improving Student Achievement in Primary and Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review," was produced by researchers at the Danish Center for Social Science Research, and published by Norway's Campbell Collaboration. Andreas Schleicher, director of the education and skills unit at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said: "You can spend a dollar only once and you need to decide whether you invest it into smaller classes, better salaries, more non-teaching working time or longer student-learning hours. If you make that calculation, almost any of the other factors yield better outcomes."
Editorial - Here’s the latest propaganda from corporate magazines about class sizes. It is important that educators know what is being read by the average citizen across the nation.
Teaching study reveals poor classroom performances
A new report entitled “The Opportunity Myth: What Students Can Show Us About How School Is Letting Them Down - and How to Fix It” by TNTP, formerly known as The New Teacher Project, reveals that 74% of lessons observed were below grade level. The researchers studied five unnamed school districts across the U.S., and reviewed almost 5,000 assignments, more than 20,000 student work samples and nearly 30,000 student surveys. Observers also assessed whether teachers encouraged students to think about what they were learning, if they engaged their interest and also held them to high expectations. “Even when we did see students offered grade-appropriate assignments, their teachers engaged them effectively with that content less than half the time, and students had the chance to do the deep thinking of the lesson just a quarter of the time,” the report said.
----- OTHER -----
Kaepernick inducted into Turlock high school hall of fame
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been inducted into his Turlock high school's hall of fame. Mr Kaepernick, who began a national debate when he began kneeling during the pre-game national anthem two years ago in protest against police brutality and systemic racism, grew up in Stanislaus County and attended Pitman High School, which he led to its first playoff win in his senior year. Pitman High School Athletic Director Dave Wells said: "Colin was chosen, like all the others, for their contribution to the history of athletes here at Pitman. Of course, he was an outstanding athlete and a three-sport star."
Banning spanking results in less violent kids
Countries with full bans on corporal punishment in schools and homes experience 69% lower rates of physical fighting among adolescent males and 42% less for females, according to a global study of 400,000 youths in 88 countries by BMJ Open. Researchers said the association held true despite differences among wealth and violence rates between countries.
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