Wednesday, December 12, 2018

ABCFT - Week in Review - December 7, 201

ABCFT - Week in Review - December 7, 2018


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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HEALTH BENEFITS UPDATE
Every December starts the process for the district health committee to look at the health usage data from the previous year and preparations with the broker for anticipated changes from the health providers.

ABCFT has three representatives on this committee which is made up of all the bargaining groups and administration. Each group has equal representation which gives us a 25% stake when voting. For this reason, we work closely with our CSEA and AFSCME sisters and brother about possible changes or messaging to our members.  This year we would like to recruit an ABCFT member who would be interested in becoming an alternate representative. If you think you would like to be on the ABCFT Health Committee team please contact us at abcft@abcusd.us and let us know.

Megan Harding who is the ABCFT Vice President of Secondary and ABCFT health committee point person has filed this report for the membership as we enter a new year of negotiations for health benefits. In Megan’s presentation to the ABCFT Rep Council this week she discussed how important it is for ABC to have a viable alternative to Kaiser since it give the the ABC Health Committee negotiating leverage when speaking with their representatives. If Kaiser has a monopoly on health plans in ABC then they can raise rates with impunity which would be bad for all employees. Therefore, the ABC Health Committee is working with the broker to improve the services offered by the Blue Shield Trio plan. At this time the coverage in Trio’s Orange County offerings is better than the Trio coverage in Los Angeles County  and the committee is working to improve the Los Angeles County coverage.

Here are some other highlights from Megan’s report from the health committee.
  • Rates for the last year are trending well- this means that there should be no need to increase rates.
  • There were 20 people that left Blue Shield (largely due to retirements)
  • 2 More people chose the Trio plan
  • 7 People joined Kaiser
  • New hires have not yet been calculated
  • Open Enrollment went smooth
  • This year we will continue to investigate the financial impact on richer vision benefits


SCHOOL BOARD REPORT - THIS YEAR’S REORGANIZATION
Each December the School Board elects their own officers to lead the Board. At last night's Board of Education Reorganizational Meeting, the Board elected the following new Board Officers: Ernie Nishii, President, Dr. Olga Rios, Vice President, Sophia Tse, Clerk, Chris Apodaca, Board Member, Maynard Law, Board Member, Leticia Mendoza, Board Member, and Soo Yoo, Board Member.

Soo Yoo was also recognized for her efforts as the outgoing Board President. Ms. Yoo’s leadership skills, ability to bring stakeholders together, treats others with dignity, and her trustworthiness are some of her best qualities. Soo also played an instrumental role in getting Measure BB the bond passed.
the Board elected the following new Board Officers:

Ernie Nishii, President
Dr. Olga Rios, Vice President
Sophia Tse, Clerk
Chris Apodaca, Board Member
Maynard Law, Board Member
Leticia Mendoza, Board Member
Soo Yoo, Board Member

MEASURE BB PASSES and HERE ARE THE NUMBERS
The final votes for this years elections have been counted. Below are how the cities within the ABC School District voted on Measure BB. It should be noted that there was a +15% YES vote increase from four years ago when Measure AA was defeated. Bond Measure BB for $256 million dollars for ABC facilities will pass with just over 58%.

TOTAL VOTES CAST IN 2018 = 28,294
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN 2014 = 17,226

ARTESIA.
2018.   55.60% YES
2014    44.49% YES

CERRITOS  
2018.     53.66% YES
2014.     38.27% YES

HAWAIIAN GARDENS
2018.      72.74% YES
2014.      61.59% YES

LAKEWOOD  
2018.       67.43% YES
2014.       64.44% YES

LONG BEACH
2018.       48.10% YES
2014.       46.67%. YES

NORWALK
2018.        65.21 % YES
2014.        50.37% YES

--
Richard Hathaway
Treasurer
Yes on Measure BB



AFT  Member Benefits
As an AFT member, you belong to a community of colleagues -- with benefits that go beyond the workplace. AFT+ Member Benefits brings you the purchasing power of AFT’s 1.7 million members. With a union , you don't have to go it alone on or off the job --or in making financial decisions big and small. Need a great deal on your next car? A competitive mortgage rate?  A choice of no-fee credit cards? A great wireless plan? The AFT+ Benefits program is just one more way that being a member has its benefits. Next week ABCFT site representatives will be placing a brochure for AFT benefits in your school mailbox but if you are curious now click the link below for more information.

Negotiations Update (repeat)
We wanted to update you on the timeline for the off schedule/one-time 2% monies that was a part of the two year deal from last year. We were told that this 2% off schedule extra check would be issued by February 15, 2019. We were getting a little bit of the run around from the district about when this would happen and when human resources hinted that it would by in April we decided that was too late and not what we negotiated. As an example of our power as a YOUnion, ABCFT told the District that we were considering having every teacher and classified employees in the district call to question the timeline for this check. Well, they didn’t really want all 3,600 employees calling the district office and very quickly thereafter we got a reasonable date when this check will be issued.

When do negotiations for salary raises start again?

The timeline for negotiations begins in January when the Governor proposes his preliminary budget for the 2019-2020 State fiscal year (July 1). The negotiating team will be attending a budget seminar that analyzes his proposed budget and its impact on the State's educational budget. Therefore, you can expect to see an update on the State’s funding and how it will impact ABCUSD sometime in late January. The final election results  and the passage of Measure BB facilities bond will be external factors that will have influence on the District’s budget priorities.

Expect to see a summary of the Governor’s report in January from ABCFT and a timeline for salary negotiations for the 2019-2020 school year.

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 Marci Levins in her 27th year as a Special Education Teacher and Site Rep Alternate at Cabrillo Lane.
 
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be?
Have a vision for your students. Own your classroom and guide it. Rely on your instinct on what is best for your students. Students first always!
Why did you get involved in the Union?
The Union protected me when an aggressive student made me his target.
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
We have a very small number of members at our site.  There is little Union involvement. Although there is limited involvement, it’s reassuring to know the union is available to support our members when needed.

What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, Oliver, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Jackson Browne.....too many!
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
Facebook.

What do you do for fun?
Travel, line dancing, and hanging out with family/friends.

Do you have a bucket list?
Stay healthy, travel more, and find a lifelong companion.

If you could have a superpower what would it be?
The power of touch that heals people.

Thank you Marci for sharing your story with the ABCFT community.




PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer video profile here
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.

I hope everyone's parent conferences are going well and that for your sake we don’t have too many more rainy day lunches before this Winter Break. I grew up in the secondary world so rainy days meant something different to me but my wife has taught kindergarten and now middle school and by seeing her at the end of the day I know that rainy days are extra hard on our elementary or child development teachers. Hang in there.

This week has been busy all week with my visits to the classrooms of the Gahr High School Staff. As I was telling the ABCFT Site Representatives yesterday, I feel like ABCFT is pushing into a new phase where the most important meetings we can all have are face to face meetings. Email is great, texting is fast and sometimes fun but face to face meetings are where relationships are formed and understanding occurs. This week I spent a couple of days just walking from classroom to classroom, meeting with teachers during their duty free period to see how there year is going and if there was anything on their mind about their school, district, facilities, or just how are they doing. I think I’ve found my new favorite thing to do and I’m going to do it at every secondary school site over the next couple of months. Next week, I’ll be visiting with Tetzlaff teachers  to see how they are doing. I think ABCFT is developed enough as an organization to invest in more time spend on face to face meetings. Thank you Gahr staff for your time and candid conversations, it was very informative.

Speaking of face to face meetings, mark your calendars all you ABC Art teachers. On January 9th we will be having a ART Focus group meeting where we hope to see all the Art teachers from all the secondary schools to discuss, working conditions, curriculum, support, and how to get them together regularly to network and share ideas. Mark your calendar Art peeps.

I didn’t forget about Elementary teachers and all the other programs and departments. We want to see you too! Tanya and I are making the rounds by visiting during lunches and attending elementary union meetings.  

This week we had our monthly ABCFT Site Rep Council meeting on Thursday. We asked if people were wearing blue and we were told that the shirts are not warm enough and that we should offer the opportunity to buy an ABCFT hoodie or jacket. Is anyone interested in a hoodie or jacket, let us know.

The other big even we held this week was the financial aid debt forgiveness clinic. We had almost 60 teachers and medical professionals attempt this presentation at Haskell. Some members have asked if we could send out the information since they couldn’t attend this week. Unfortunately, for legal reasons we cannot send this information out but what we are doing is setting up another debt clinic in the Spring of 2019. The feedback from those members that attended was positive and many hoped there would be another meeting in the future so that others would have access to this valuable information.

Thank you for all you do everyday. Your hard work is recognised.

In Unity,

Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT

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



Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----

State bills seek to boost education accessibility
California state legislators this week introduced two bills which would boost access to education at both the preschool and college level. Assembly Bill 2 proposes that the state provide two years of tuition-free community college education for first time, full time students. Meanwhile, Assembly Bill 123 proposes an expansion of preschool education for low and middle-income families – with children in areas where 70% or more families fall below a certain income line to receive free pre-K AB123 proponent Kevin McCarty argues that early childhood education is “the place to go” for investing surplus state funds, citing early educations impact on “education, achievement, the economy and childhood poverty.”

----- NATIONAL NEWS -----

White House to launch STEM push
The federal government will launch a five-year strategic plan for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at the White House today, to encourage students to pursue STEM careers and to increase access to STEM among historically underserved students. "It represents an urgent call to action for a nationwide collaboration with learners, families, educators, communities, and employers," a statement said. White House officials conceded at least one challenge however, the lack of STEM teachers in K-12, and Jeff Weld, senior policy advisor for STEM education in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said: "No doubt about it. We will have premium demand on professional development services."
Trump administration relaxes school lunch rules
The Trump administration has relaxed rules aimed at making U.S. school lunches healthier, a move that will affect institutions that feed 30m children annually. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, delivering on a promise he made when he took office in May 2017, said schools under the current rules faced challenges serving meals that were both appetizing and nutritious. The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act set school lunch maximums for calories, cut sodium and artery-clogging trans-fat, and required more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The new rules will provide the option to offer flavored, low-fat milk to children and more time to reduce sodium levels in school meals. The federally funded U.S. school lunch program, started by President Harry Truman in the 1940s, is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and feeds more than 30m, mostly low-income, children .

----- STATE NEWS -----

Butte County Super says staff “traumatized” by Camp Fire
Today marks a return to school for thousands of children who lost their homes to the Camp Fire in Northern California. Schools in Butte County have been closed since November 8th, when the fire ignited and swept through the towns of Paradise, Concow and Magalia. Butte County Superintendent Tim Taylor says that the return to school after the disaster will be difficult for both students and staff in Paradise USD due to trauma from the emergency, describing the situation as “victims teaching victims.” All 4,200 PUSD students and all district staff survived the fire, which saw 88 people perish, but Taylor says that “most” of the “hero[ic]” teachers, bus drivers and staff who safely evacuated schools as the flames hit are “traumatized” by the ordeal, with some not yet fit to return to work. Paradise High School Principal Loren Lighthall said “There are 13 days left in the semester. We’ve just got to get through it. Most of it won’t be about learning. It’ll be about trauma. It’ll be about being with their friends. But we want to do things that are ethical. We want to get kids their credits, but we can’t just give them to them.”

Free preschool gains traction with California lawmakers
Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, who campaigned on expanding early education, said yesterday that he wants the state to take steps toward free preschool for all children whose families don’t make enough to afford private alternatives. “The only real argument is, how much can we do?” he said. “You can’t get it to universal even if you wanted to because you would be shortchanging quality. We don’t have the facilities and we don’t have the workforce. ... It all can’t happen overnight.” Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) has introduced a bill to make an additional 100,000 children ages three-four eligible for free preschool. Expanding the program from its existing 175,000 children would cost the state around $1.3bn over three years, he said. Under Mr. McCarty’s proposal, AB123, state would also allow for middle-class families who live in high-poverty a reas to qualify for free preschool. He also introduced bills that would place a $500m bond on the 2020 ballot to pay for new preschool classrooms, and raise salaries for teachers at state-subsidized preschools.
California’s school funding formula seen to be working
A study into California’s school funding formula, which allocates more state money and spending-control to the school districts with the highest need, found that, although districts didn't drastically change how they spent their money, there was a cultural shift in how districts were more intentional and took more responsibility in where the resources were directed. Marguerite Roza, a researcher at Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab who led the study, said the state's funding model has "tightened the link" between more spending and better outcomes. "You want money to bring bigger returns to kids," she said. "We looked at the relationship between spending and outcomes and it went from negative to positive." California K-12 education funding determines a base grant by calculating its average daily attendance, with 20% extra per student falling within three disadvantaged student groups. It receives an extra 50% of its base grant if a district's student population is made up of 55% or more of students from those groups.

California’s new school dashboard provides statewide accountability updates
The California Department of Education’s newly-designed and updated School Dashboard went live yesterday, the first time it has included performance markers in all six of the statewide measurements, along with local indicators, with the aim of giving a more rounded view of how schools are doing. Michael Kirst, president of the California State Board of, said in a statement that the dashboard “shows us which students have the greatest needs and which areas of our educational system need the most attention, which is exactly what it was designed to do.” However, critics say the system is sometimes confusing. Carrie Hahnel, interim co-executive director of Education Trust-West, said: “There’s a lot of data to explore, and that’s great,” Hahnel said, “but it’s not always intuitive and it does take some digging and deciphering to make sense of it all.”




----- DISTRICTS -----
Los Angeles class sizes “not unreasonable”
As the United Teachers of Los Angeles union plans a strike for January to demand teacher pay rises and class-size reductions, California Teachers Empowerment Network president Larry Sand says that class sizes are “not exactly...unreasonable.” Data cited by Sands shows that pupil-to-teacher ratio in LA is 19.7 to one – higher than the national average of 14.5 to one, but “far below the 1955 level” of 26.9 to one. Further, recent Danish studies corroborate older research in suggesting that the benefits of smaller class sizes are only minimal – with no benefits in math at all, and “tiny benefits” for only some students in reading.

----- FINANCE -----

All but one Los Angeles County districts in deficit
Californian State Senator John Moorlach has released a new report finding an epidemic of “ungodly deficits” amongst Los Angeles County’s school districts. 79 out of 80 school districts in the county have a budget deficit, with Gorman JUSD the only one with a positive balance sheet. Hermosa City Beach ESDfared second best countywide for per capita ‘Unrestricted Net Position’, followed by Lowell JUSD and Whittier UHSD – but only 18 out of 80 districts came in the top half of California’s 944 school districts.
Corporate tax breaks hitting schools
Corporate tax subsidies are denting the finances of American public schools, according to a new report by Washington think tank Good Jobs First, which suggests that, in fiscal 2017, schools lost $1.8bn across 28 states through such tax incentives. “Cities say they care about economic development, but then they end up granting subsidies in a way that cuts out control by school boards, parents and others,” said report author Scott Klinger, who noted that the 10 most affected states could hire more than 28,000 new teachers if they were able to use the lost revenues.

----- LEGAL -----

Latest lawsuit to test 'right to education'
In light of the latest class-action educational equity lawsuit being filed, by public school students and parents in Rhode Island, which accuses the state of failing to give people the tools they need to exercise their constitutional rights, Jessica Campisi highlights the raft of similar cases that have appeared in U.S. states nationwide. Each with the potential to reach the Supreme Court, she notes, the latest case could have major implications for education in America.

Maywood teacher seen on video punching student charged
A Los Angeles-area teacher captured on video punching a student who had repeatedly called him a racial slur has been charged with a misdemeanor count of corporal injury to a child. Film of the incident shows a student throwing a basketball at 64-year-old Marston Riley, and repeatedly calling him names, before the scuffle escalated. A Gofundme page has to date raised more than $187,000 on behalf of Mr Riley, a music teacher at Maywood Academy High School.

----- WORKFORCE ----

Charter Oak teachers to boycott holiday parade
A number of Charter Oak USD teachers and other staff members are planning to boycott the district’s holiday parade today, in response to the teachers’ union president being placed on administrative leave. Charter Oak Educators Association President Pam Heins, head guidance counselor at Charter Oak High School, was placed on administrative leave November 16th with little explanation from the district. Thirty-four members of the association have confirmed they will not attend the festivities. District Superintendent Mike Hendricks said he could not comment about Heins being placed on a leave because it was a confidential personnel matter. He also declined to comment about the boycott.


----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----

Berkeley approves policy to expand access to free menstrual products
Berkeley USD’s Board of Education has unanimously approved a policy requiring that free menstrual products be provided in all-girls and gender-neutral restrooms at the school district’s middle and high schools and in at least one restroom at each of the school district’s elementary schools. Several of the school district’s secondary schools have already installed dispensaries, meaning that the estimated one-time cost of installing dispensaries in the remaining schools will be less than $5,000. Additionally, the annual cost of stocking the dispensaries across the district is projected to be $5,000.


-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----

Chicago teachers launch first U.S. charter school strike
Hundreds of teachers at Chicago’s 15 Acero charter schools took industrial action yesterday, beginning the nation’s first strike over a contract at the independently operated campuses, and impacting around 7,500 students. The charter network has told parents it will cancel all classes, athletics, and extracurricular activities, although school buildings will remain open with group activities supervised by nonunion staff members. The Chicago Teachers Union says key issues behind the industrial action include reduced class sizes, maternity and paternity leave, a revamped teacher evaluation system and better pay. The union said they were also unable to secure commitments on special education services. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten joined striking workers at Acero campuses on the city’s Southwest Side, with picketing also taking place at the charter management or ganization’s headquarters .

----- OTHER -----

Simple toys over high-tech gadgets
A new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that heavy use of electronic media could actually interfere with children’s speech and language development - and even lead to obesity. Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a pediatrician at NYU Langone Health in New York and co-author of the study, explained that while many parents feel pressured by ads promoting tablet-based toys and games - the best toys for toddlers are old-fashioned hands-on playthings like blocks and puzzles which spark imagination and creativity. Studies say more than 90% of U.S. kids have used mobile devices and most started using them before age one.







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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