ABCFT - Week in Review - December 21, 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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Happy Holidays from the ABCFT Union Office!
(ABCFT Ex. VP Tanya Golden, ABCFT Retiree President Silvia Rodriguez, ABCFT President Ray Gaer)
How School Policy Changed in 2018
The year's biggest education stories...
Writer Carolyn Phenicie recalls the year's biggest education stories, including school safety discussion following the Valentine’s Day shooting in Parkland, Florida, which prompted a wave of activism on both sides of the gun control debate, and the Janus decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that dissenting public-sector employees may no longer be forced to pay union dues. She also underlines proposals earlier in the year to merge the Education and Labor departments to combine the agencies’ "overlapping duties in workforce training to more effectively respond to market needs."
Click here for the story ---> The 74 Million
ABC HIGHLIGHTED IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON COLLABORATION
The Case for Collaboration is Clear
A good relationship takes time to build, and along the way, trust is formed, collaboration grows, and the collective does better. The same holds true when district leaders, unions/associations, and school boards work together. Decades of research support this claim, and the results show gains in student achievement, improved school climate, increases in teacher retention, and both principals and association representatives being seen as stronger resources by educators in their school.
Rutgers Professor Saul Rubinstein, co-author with Cornell University Assistant Professor John McCarthy of a national study on collaboration in public schools, says state- and district-level partnerships among unions/associations, school boards, parents/community, and management leads to collaboration within the school building.
What’s Going on with UTLA - A Strike Action Looms
What is important about what is going on in Los Angeles is that our fellow CFT local UTLA is throwing a spotlight on how California’s current education funding is not enough to support the needed educational supports, class sizes, or work force for our schools to be successful. ABCFT hopes that you will continue to stay aware of this important fight for public education and better learning conditions because this worthwhile fight affects us all.
Los Angeles teacher union sets January strike date
Teachers in the nation's second-largest school district will go on strike next month if there's no settlement of their long-running contract dispute, union leaders said Wednesday. United Teachers Los Angeles said teachers will strike on January 10th, the first seen in Los Angeles USD in almost 30 years; the union argues that the district is hoarding a large reserve of $1.8bn that could be used to pay teachers more, lower class sizes, improve conditions and add more full-time nurses at campuses. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the union will not agree to a salary increase if the district fails to address its other demands. The stalemate between the district and the union has lasted nearly two years as both sides have failed to settle the contract at the bargaining table and through state-led meditation.
LA teachers stage downtown march, as strike action looms
Thousands of teachers, students and union allies marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, from City Hall to the Broad museum, threatening to strike for the first time in almost 30 years, as frustrations mount over more than 18 months of negotiations with Los Angeles USD. In October, United Teachers of Los Angeles rejected the latest contract offer from the district, which included a 3% pay raise retroactive to 2017-18, plus a guaranteed 3% raise for 2018-19. Union officials also said the offer fails to address demands such as hiring more nurses, counselors and librarians; reductions in standardized testing; and accountability measures for charter schools. “Amidst the wealth of Los Angeles, we should not have class sizes of 45 students,” UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl told the crowd at a rally, adding that after 20 months of bargaining, “the time draws closer to taking dramatic action.”
Fact-finding report adds to LAUSD-UTLA rancor
The contract dispute between Los Angeles USD and the United Teachers of Los Angeles union intensified yesterday, with both parties disagreeing over whether an understanding had been reached on a 6% pay increase. Superintendent Austin Beutner held a news conference Tuesday at the district’s downtown headquarters to release a report from a state-appointed fact-finding panel, which evaluated the union and the district’s contract proposals and aimed to create a framework for how the two sides can avoid a strike. Mr Beutner told reporters the report said the 6% offer is “appropriate,” and that UTLA agreed with it. However, the union denied any agreement had been reached; UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the claim “tells us [Mr Beutner] is more interested in perpetuating falsehoods than finding a real path to an agreement that respects teachers, parents our students and communities.” The panel suggested pilot projects to test out some ideas while recommending that some proposals on both sides be dropped. However, with the two parties at a seeming impasse, the possibility of a full strike in January remains high.
MEET A MEMBER
The ABCFT YOUnion is made up of 1,050 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 Leonore Bello in her 29th year as an Educator, 12 years as a Site Rep and 4 years as the ABCFT Treasurer.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be? 
Do less talking and more listening and learning from veteran teachers. Be a team player and make great friends of your faculty.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
I have always believed in the work of unions but did not know much about ABCFT. When I was asked to be a site representative about 14 years ago, I accepted and have been involved ever since.
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site. As a Rep my staff depended on me to speak out about equity issues on campus and following our contract. The staff confided in me with issues they were dealing with for support, and admin spoke to me about concerns on campus. Currently, as the union treasurer, I work with the executive board on a weekly basis about our work with our members and making sure we are financially sound. Leonore has really undersold all the hard work and thousands of hours she has volunteered as an Executive Board member as well as the big job as our treasurer. Next time you see her, be sure to thank her for all that she does for us as union members.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
My two favorite movies are Return To Me and The Proposal. I don't have a favorite song, but I love John Legend and James Blunt. I read all kinds of books but I don't have a favorite.
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
None. Not a fan of social media. Wait until her grandkids get on social media, she’ll be following their every post!
What do you do for fun?
Long walks at the beach, go to see musicals on Broadway, or play with my granddaughters.
Do you have a bucket list?
No bucket list, just to enjoy life, do as much traveling as I can squeeze in while still being the best Nana for my granddaughters.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
I would like to be like Rapunzel and have the power to heal others.
Thank you Leonore for sharing your story with the ABCFT community!
If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member Click this link here.
MEASURE BB UPDATE
ABCFT will have ongoing updates about Measure BB and what is happening around the school district. We’ve taken a clip from Superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu’s Monday Message where she discussed the next steps for the roll out of Measure BB over the next couple of months.
“It’s official! Measure BB passed by 58.35%. On Dec. 7, 2018, we received the “Certificate of the Canvass of the Election Returns” from the Registrar-Recorder’s Office regarding Measure BB. The Board will need to adopt the Resolution Entering into the Minutes the Certification of the Election Results at the Board of Education Meeting on January 15, 2019. Attending that Board Meeting will be our Bond Counsel, Rob Anslow who will discuss the Citizens’ Oversight Committee and the Bylaws for the Committee. Thank you to all those involved with supporting Measure BB! We have much to look forward to in 2019!”
MEET OUR ABCFT Members- Teachers from Extended Day Program repeat
The ABC Federation of Teachers is made up of members from thirty schools and a dozen other educational programs. One of our largest group of members work in the child development department. Having the opportunity to to learn about fellow members is one way to broaden our understanding of the membership who makes ABCFT strong. At the ABCFT Site Representative meeting this month, Extended Day teachers Patty Alcantar and Renee Navarro pictured on the right, were able to give the site reps a short presentation about their program. Here are some highlights from their talk:
- EDP opens at 7:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M (end of school day to 6:00 p.m.)
- EDP has 31 classrooms throughout 14 sites. 13 are Elementary and 1 Middle School (Tetzlaff).
- EDP is a fee based program that is paid by the community.
- Our EDP teachers hold a Child Development Credential and have to renew every 5 years with at least 105 clock hours of PD outside work hours. We also have teachers who have their BA in Multiple Subjects and have their Masters. Some of our teachers currently sub within our District as well.
- EDP teachers are responsible for supervision of children, daily schedule, lesson plans, homework and enrichment.
- When planning lessons the teachers use Mathematical Practice Standards and College and Career Readiness Standards.
- We have had limited training in Common Core and are pushing for more PD. Ideally we would like to follow the district suggested pacing guides. AFT reps visited us at Rep Council in October and will work with the district to offer PD for our teachers.
- We have PAL meetings monthly with our supervisor.
- We have staff meetings once a month and Union PAL Partnership information at the end of each meeting.
- Our Leadership Team consists of 5 EDP teachers (including Patty and myself) that meet once a month and a PAL Team that consists of all of Child Development Reps that meet monthly also.
Thank you so much for your support and giving us the opportunity to share about or program.
DECEMBER ABCFT ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE repeat
Each month Connie Nam and Rich Saldana work with Beth Bray and Carol Castro to provide teacher input about professional development, curriculum changes and testing changes. ABCFT believes that the biggest working condition impacting teachers are the key curriculum and the professional development being churned out of academic services. Many times the district is implementing changes that are coming from the State of California but rarely do unions get involved in those changes. ABCFT believes that teacher voice helps to provide the district office with classroom advice and input that helps to deliver better comprehensive changes. Each month at the ABCFT Representative Council Rich and Connie give reports and take questions on all things related to academic services. Here is the report for the month of December.
HEALTH BENEFITS UPDATE repeat 
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
AFT Member Benefits repeat
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.
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.
Happy Holidays everyone! We made it! Today is the last day before we get a well deserved break. This week has been full of parties, performances, and social events centered on the holiday season. This week is historically busy for the union with representations as tensions are usually strained prior to a much needed vacation. This year is no exception and because we are working all the way to the 21st the kids are climbing the walls, parents are going bonkers, and teachers are at tired from balancing all their duties.
I think there is definitely a culture change in the air as I hear people say Merry Christmas to each other. I think when people say Merry Christmas to each other now it's more about celebrating the holiday season and sharing joy regardless of what you celebrate in your personal preferences. People just want to wish happiness on each other and that is the main thing, loving each other. As crazy as the world seems sometimes, the way we treat each other in our communities and in our families is what really matters. Anyway, it’s just an observation I witnessed as I visit across the district.
This week, I attended an Online Ad Hoc Committee comprised of district administrators and teachers who are currently coordinating the online programs at their school sites. ABCFT negotiation team members Tanya Golden and Ruben Mancillas were also in attendance as we gathered information that will help ABCFT craft contract language that not only supports programs but also provides protections for teachers and students by ensuring the fidelity of ABC’s online offerings. At this meeting, we discussed the current usage of online classes, what the programs look like in each school, how many students are enrolled, the number of credits earned, how to increase data collection on the success rate of students. We will be attending a follow up meeting in early Spring to discuss data from some of ABCFT’s questions about our online programs. We are hoping to have a MOU (memorandum of understanding) sometime this school year in preparation for next year.
Lastly, this week I was able to attend the Burbank second grade holiday performance. I tell you, there is nothing more energizing than watching a bunch of kids have a great time singing and performing for their gushing parents and family members. My hat goes off to congratulate the second grade teachers at Burbank for all the hard work they poured into this performance. A special thank you to all those teachers across the district who go above and beyond to make this time of the year special for our students. It is amazing how we can impact the lives of our students.
I hope that all of you have a wonderful Winter Break that is full of joy and relaxation. Let’s remember and be thankful for the incredible, happy, sad, and important events in our lives during the year 2018. Together we look forward to what 2019 has in store for us!
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
AFT’s Randi Weingarten on the Federal Commission on School Safety Report
WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the report released by the Federal Commission on School Safety:
“The Federal Commission on School Safety took a horrendous year of school shooting tragedies and produced a report with a smorgasbord of recommendations—some of which we have championed for years—aimed at making our schools safer. Unfortunately, the report doesn’t address the root causes of the gun violence epidemic: too many guns in our communities and not enough investment in addressing the social-emotional health of our kids. And, sadly, the Trump administration has no coherent plan to address this crisis.
“While the report proposes some worthy strategies already recommended by students, teachers and school staff—including support for school counselors, cyberbullying prevention, extreme-risk protection orders, the troops-to-teachers program, and active shooter training—it does not contain a single proposal for new funding for these initiatives.
“What’s more, the commission appears to punt on the question of arming teachers, rather than taking a strong stance against it, even though parents, students and teachers agree: Putting more guns in schools only risks making schools less safe. But Betsy DeVos continually advocates for this lunacy. The report doesn’t recommend age restrictions on firearms and appears more concerned with the National Rifle Association and the school security industry than with the needs of the people in classrooms.
“But most curious and disappointing is the report’s use of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to push an anti-civil rights agenda that won’t keep schools safe. The report suggests rolling back Obama-era school discipline guidance that was intended to help prevent the disproportionate suspension and expulsion of students of color, students with disabilities and LGBTQ youth—under the guise of making schools safer. The shooter at Stoneman Douglas had in fact been expelled and reported to law enforcement; rescinding discipline guidance and kicking kids out of school doesn’t prevent school shootings.
“Today, the commission and the Trump administration missed an opportunity to bring the country together. Parents, students and educators want schools to be safe. That requires fair discipline policies, but also a real investment in meaningful mental health supports and other key recommendations in the report, plus the advancement of common sense gun safety reforms to help curb the gun violence epidemic in our country.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Los Angeles teacher union sets January strike date
Teachers in the nation's second-largest school district will go on strike next month if there's no settlement of their long-running contract dispute, union leaders said Wednesday. United Teachers Los Angeles said teachers will strike on January 10th, the first seen in Los Angeles USD in almost 30 years; the union argues that the district is hoarding a large reserve of $1.8bn that could be used to pay teachers more, lower class sizes, improve conditions and add more full-time nurses at campuses. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the union will not agree to a salary increase if the district fails to address its other demands. The stalemate between the district and the union has lasted nearly two years as both sides have failed to settle the contract at the bargaining table and through state-led meditation.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Student loan debt hits new record
Outstanding U.S. student loan debt hit a record $1.465tn last month, according to Bloomberg analysis, more than double the $675bn outstanding in June 2009 at the end of the last recession. "Over 90% of student loans are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education, meaning that if a recession causes a rise in youth unemployment and triggers mass defaults, this contingent liability could prove burdensome for the U.S. government budget," said Paul Della Guardia, economist at the Institute of International Finance.
Federal Commission on School Safety report published
The Federal Commission on School Safety, which consists of four cabinet officials led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has issued its long-awaited report, commissioned by President Trump himself, and it focuses on improving mental health services and training school personnel in the use of firearms to stem school violence while broadly playing down the role of guns. Though the administration had considered the possibility of funding firearms for school officials, the report in “no way” recommends federal funds be used to arm school personnel, but does suggest school resource officers and armed school staff members in communities "that welcome them." The commission also recommended that schools continue to put “character education” programs in place and outlined several potential models for improving mental health resources, including Primary Care, Family Services, and Court-Ordered Treatment suggestions. The administration also focused on rescinding the Obama-era "Rethink School Discipline" policy that advised schools on how to discipline students in a non-discriminatory manner, suggesting that the previous government had a flawed interpretation of Title VI, because research had found a “recurring narrative” that teachers and students felt threatened by the idea that people “trending toward violent behavior" were left unpunished or unchecked. President Trump himself highlighted a recommendation that the news media not publicize the names or use photos of shooting suspects: "They make these people famous. They’re not famous. They’re the opposite. They’re horrible, horrible people. I think that’s an important one,” he commented. Separately, the Justice Department issued a rule banning bump stocks - devices often used in massacres as they enable guns to fire continuously.
New York Times Los Angeles Times Washington Post USA Today Politico U.S. Department of Education U.S. News and World Report
Sandy Hook School dismissed following anniversary threat
Students at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Connecticut, were sent home on Friday after a bomb threat forced an evacuation on the sixth anniversary of the massacre which killed 20 first-graders and six educators. Moments of silence had been observed in memory of the victims that morning.
----- STATE NEWS -----
State super “extremely disappointed” by federal school safety report
State Superintendent Tom Torlakson has criticized a federal report on school safety for staying “nearly silent” on gun control and working against Obama-era efforts to reduce student suspension and expulsion rates for students of color and students with disabilities. The School Safety Commission was set up in the wake of this year’s Parkland shooting to recommend changes to safety policies. In an official statement, Torlakson says he is “extremely disappointed” that the report “ignores one of the key contributors to school shootings – easy access to military-style assault weapons,” whilst making “a misguided recommendation to eliminate a policy that has nothing to do with [school shootings] – the quest for disciplining students in a proportionate, fair manner.” The California super also renewed his call for stricter background checks and a ban on military assault rifle sales, which “put students and educators at risk.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
Protesters shut down LA school board meeting
More than 50 protesters, including students, attended a meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Education earlier this week, to support Los Angeles USD teachers in their dispute with the district over a new contract. The United Teachers Los Angeles union has set forth contract demands, including a 6.5% pay raise, more money for schools, a boost in the number of counselors, nurses, social workers and librarians, and more accountability for charter schools. Teachers say that if no agreement is reached, they will strike next month. L.A. Unified officials say their offer would increase district costs by $430m over the three-year life of the contract, while the union demand would cost $750m over that same time. To make its case that money is available to give teachers more help, the union points to what remained unspent in the district’s budget at the end of the last fiscal year. Recent numbers fixed that amount at $1.99bn.
----- FINANCE -----
Pasadena USD finalizes $10.1m in cuts
The Pasadena USD board voted 5-2 last Thursday in favor of sending a financial report to the Los Angeles County Office of Education outlining $10.1m in long-term cuts. The largest portion of the cuts comes from the closure of Cleveland Elementary School next year, when 100 students are transferred to Washington Accelerated School. Other cuts include layoffs, and changes to the procurement process. More cuts could be on the cards; a subcommittee is set to study what Superintendent Brian McDonald refers to “right-sizing” the district, including the possibility of consolidating and closing schools in the future.
----- LEGAL -----
Teacher fired for needing time off for cancer treatment can sue school
Kristen Biel, a fifth-grade Catholic school teacher in Torrance, has had an unfair dismissal lawsuit against her former employer reinstated by a federal appeals court. Ms Biel was fired by St. James Catholic School after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off for chemotherapy; her lawsuit claimed the school violated the federal ban on job discrimination against the disabled. An earlier ruling against Ms Biel, in early 2017, concluded that the school could fire her because she worked as a minister, meaning the Constitution would prevent her from suing under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms Biel’s lawyer, Andrew Pletcher, said his client is still struggling with cancer but is delighted by the ruling. Lawyers for the school were unavailable for comment.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
El Grove parents voice concern over youth suicide increase
Community members in Elk Grove USD are rallying against a concerning increase in youth suicides in the area. At least three youth suicides have occurred in the last three months, with several parents at a recent school board meeting voicing problems with bullying in schools. EGUSD spokesperson Xanthi Pinkerton noted that the increase mirrored a national rise in youth suicides in recent years and said that the district took cases “very seriously,” with systems in place to identify at-risk students and provide support for eventual re-entry to school. Michelle and Josh Anderson, who lost their son to suicide and now run a youth suicide prevention foundation, say that not enough is being done by adult administrators to “stand up to” class bullies.
Teen drug use down but vaping booming
Twice as many high school students used electronic cigarettes this year compared with last year, according to a federally funded survey by the University of Michigan, which researchers attributed to newer versions of e-cigarettes, like those by Juul, which can be used discreetly. Usage of alcohol, cigarettes and more serious drugs all declined however, and Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, explained that kids are increasingly staying home and communicating on smartphones rather than hanging out: “Drug experimentation is a group activity,” she noted.
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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