ABCFT - Week in Review - February 22, 2019
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(ABC Federation of Teachers)
In Unity
ABC Federation of Teachers
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Members Only Student Debt Clinic
Tuesday, March 12th at Haskell Middle School 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Got Student Debt? Want to apply for Loan Forgiveness? Due to popular demand, ABCFT is holding a second student debt clinic.
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 and we need to know how many copies to make of the handouts you will receive.:
Click here to register for Student Debt Clinic
Education Strike Watch by Ray Gaer
This week we continue to spotlight the teacher’s strike in Oakland and we have a follow up article from the West Virginia strike. If you would like more background information on why and the issues and problems that have caused the teacher’s strike in Oakland please read the news articles below on the Oakland Strike. .
If you’d like to follow developments on the Oakland Strike visit the OEA website and
twitter pages you can find them here ------> Oakland Teachers Association. #WeAreOEA #United4OaklandKids
Oakland teachers head into 2nd day of strike
Teachers in Oakland USD are heading into another day of strikes over pay, class sizes and other issues, although district leaders are due to meet this morning with officials from the Oakland Education Association to resume bargaining talks. The walkout affects 36,000 students at 86 schools, although support for the action is reported to be strong, with parents and students refusing to cross picket lines. Teachers from Berkeley High School joined demonstrations. Jah-Yee Woo, a history teacher at Oakland Tech, emphasized that the strike began with student interests in mind. According to Woo, a teacher’s ability to provide “individualized attention” to students is a priority of the strike. “As a history teacher, we know that movements succeed because of solidarity, that people stand shoulder to shoulder with each other when the cause is important, and our students — and investing in their education - is a just cause,” he added.
Oakland teachers begin strike action
Oakland USD officials and union representatives were unable to find common cause and agree a new deal for teachers yesterday, despite last-minute talks. The teacher walkout beginning today affects 36,000 students at 86 schools, which the district says will be open as usual and staffed by non-union officials and substitute teachers. Oakland’s educators have been working without a contract since 2017 and say their salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living; they are seeking a 12% retroactive raise covering 2017 to 2020, to compensate for what they say are the among the lowest salaries for public school teachers in the Bay Area. They also want the district to hire more counselors to support students and more full-time nurses. The teacher union and the school district have another bargaining session scheduled for Friday morning.
AFT-West Virginia Teachers Declare Victory
CHARLESTON, W.Va.—Statement by AFT-West Virginia President Fred Albert and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on West Virginia House’s decision not to reconsider the state Senate’s omnibus education bill today, effectively killing it. The House is working on a “clean” bill that just deals with a 5 percent pay raise for all state employees, including teachers and other school employees, and the Senate likely will consider it in the next few days. The teachers have decided to go back to work on Thursday.
AFT-West Virginia President Fred Albert: “This is what the power of educators’ voices looks like. More than 30,000 educators proudly and loudly stood up to state senators who wanted to retaliate for last year’s walkout with so-called reforms that would have hurt public education. We want our kids and their families to have strong, well-funded public schools, not charters and other privatized options that take away funding from public education.
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 Sandra Espino a teacher at Head Start Willow Elementary in her 20th plus year as an educator and currently a Site Rep.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be?
Seek support from your veteran teachers and team leaders.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
To get support and voice our needs. Help teachers and provide solutions.
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
Constant communication and having to deal with some staff understanding the contract.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
Bohemian Rhapsody Am I the only one that still has the song, We Are the Champions in my head after watching this great movie?
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
None
What do you do for fun?
Shopping and cooking.
Do you have a bucket list?
Travel to Japan, teach my son how to be more independent, and have my family live a healthier lifestyle.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
Time traveling. Wonder if Sandra would want to travel back or in the future or both!
Thank you Sandra for sharing your story with the ABCFT community.
If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member Click this link here.
MEET OUR ABCFT Teacher Leaders
What an exhilarating day at CFT’s annual Lobby Day for our Teacher Leaders! It was a long day starting with a 7 am flight to Sacramento, a quick review of the CFT legislative talking points, and off to meet with the legislator’s and their staff. Thank you to our special student lobbyist, John Harding and these dedicated educators for advocating for the students and teachers of ABC. We will have a more complete report in next week’s review.
Pictured left to right, John Harding, Erika Cook, Connie Nam, Sharon Zamora, Catherine Pascual, Susie Gomez, Ray Gaer, Marivel Aguirre, Kelley Forsythe, Stefani Palutzke, Tanya Golden, and Megan Harding.
ABCFT RETIREE CHAPTER
Dear Sisters and Brothers: I hope you had two restful long weekends.
This week I saw a post on Facebook that touched me to the core.
It said: FACT: EDUCATORS LOSE SLEEP OVER OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN.
My friend posted this. This post is a very direct comment to a recent attack by Donald Trump Jr who called teachers “loser teachers.”
I had the opportunity yesterday of attending the local’s E-Board meeting and I patiently waited for everyone to arrive (I was very early and this is not “normal” for a Cuban like me) During my wait, I reconnected with one of the officers who I go way back with at Willow E.S. We became fast friends then and have shared many experiences together over the years, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. With some tears in her eyes she asked me if I remembered a student we had at Willow. I said I think so. She proceeded to tell me that she saw her at one of our local schools where she is now an ABC para educator. This young lady shared with how she wants to become a teacher like her. She further said that her reasons for wanting to enter the education profession were because of how she as her teacher impacted her life, and that she was the best teacher she ever had. (Apparently that makes her a loser in junior’s eyes!!!).
It seems rare to hear from our students they leave us, usually we don’t hear about them. Even if they don’t become teachers, the fact is that we do inspire our students. Many of you reading this have stories like this, and we need to hold them up to the light so that teacher haters know that they are not the majority. Bravo for everyone for inspiring our students!
Even though we are retired, we all remember the hard work, the frustration of not reaching that one student, the long hours of correcting, the parent conferences that ended up being, as I used to called them, “Catholic confession time,” the long meetings to teach us how to implement one more idea in our daily lessons, and on and on and on.
Our chapter is still part of The ABC Family. We support our community in many ways because we know that children are our future.
Cheers to all of you. You are winners!!!! With love and light.
In Unity,
Silvia T. Rodriguez
President of ABCFT Retiree Chapter
HEALTH BENEFITS UPDATE 
There was no health benefits committee meeting for the month of January. The last meeting was on February 12th so we will have a new report the first week of March after the ABCFT representative council meeting of March 7th.
FEBRUARY ABCFT ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
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 February.
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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.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer 
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.
Bye Bye February, you were so rainy, cold, and full of surprises both good and bad….enough said.
This week Membership Coordinator Tanya Golden and I accompanied a group of ABCFT Teacher Leaders in Sacramento for the annual CFT Lobby Day where members have the opportunity to meet directly with state legislative representatives from their local areas. At the Capitol, we lobbied for increased base funding for education, child development, special education, maternity, and charter school accountability. Overall, it was a hugely successful trip and we were able to have meaningful conversations with legislators by providing them with firsthand accounts about the state of education and the need for additional funding and supports. ABCFT will have a complete report next week where we will highlight the bills, talking points and topics that we focused on when speaking with the legislators. Thank you to all the Teacher Leaders who allowed me to accompany them during this empowering lobby day.
On Thursday, Tanya and I were able to spend some valuable time with the staff at Tracy High School who just was awarded the California 2019 Model Continuation High School award. There is a great energy at Tracy and there seems to be a desire to shake myths of the past. This is just an amazing staff and their dedication to their target population can be heard in their words and seen in their actions. Staff members are discussing ideas on how to continue to change their structures and class offerings so that students who are not successful at the comprehensive high school feel that Tracy is a place where they will succeed. I really felt from talking to the staff how deeply they are both compassionate with their student population but also how committed they are to helping these students transition into successful adults. I was blown away. Thank you, Tracy teachers for all you do for advocating for this population of students and thank you for taking the time to share your hopes, fears, and concerns.
I’m rushing this letter this week since I’m running out the door for a representation that will have a common theme and something we as a district need to look at closely, “means of correction.” How do we deal with challenging students and how do we as teachers protect both ourselves and our students yet provide the supports needed to make sure that challenging students get the proper supports and guiding consequences along the way. When I’m in long meetings my mind will wander and think of funny comics about situations. When I think about the means of correction and how much the definition of those words have changed since I was in school it is amazing. Picture a comic where on one side we have all the means of correction we currently employ such as redirecting, positive reinforcement, having conversations with students and parents about how we can support their decision making in the future and talking about how we can work together to make better choices. Whereas, on the other side of the comic are the old school means of correction. Such as when I was in school and the “means of correction” was the paddle with holes hanging in the principal’s office that would swat the behavior out of the kid. Times have changed and the expectations on teachers and how we deal with discipline in the class has changed dramatically, here lies the problem and it a subject the education community needs to address.
Anyway, I want to write more and I will next week but I wanted to plan a seed of thought in hopes that you will also be thinking about how we can start to have discussions about all the changes that are happening around us. It is a trying time for many. Keep the faith and together we will find the path to success.
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-West Virginia Teachers Declare Victory
CHARLESTON, W.Va.—Statement by AFT-West Virginia President Fred Albert and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on West Virginia House’s decision not to reconsider the state Senate’s omnibus education bill today, effectively killing it. The House is working on a “clean” bill that just deals with a 5 percent pay raise for all state employees, including teachers and other school employees, and the Senate likely will consider it in the next few days. The teachers have decided to go back to work on Thursday.
AFT-West Virginia President Fred Albert: “This is what the power of educators’ voices looks like. More than 30,000 educators proudly and loudly stood up to state senators who wanted to retaliate for last year’s walkout with so-called reforms that would have hurt public education. We want our kids and their families to have strong, well-funded public schools, not charters and other privatized options that take away funding from public education.
“Educators agreed to return to their classes on Thursday. The House killed the Senate bill, and it should stay dead,” Albert said, noting that in the next few days the Senate is expected to take up Gov. Jim Justice’s bill, which would provide all state employees with a 5 percent pay raise. “We hope and expect that the Senate and House will quickly agree to that and from here on out will understand that the public wants the ‘public’ in public education.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten: “Let West Virginia serve as a lesson to those who feign devotion to our students but do the opposite. We’ve dealt with these shenanigans for a while; but what has changed is that we are willing to engage in direct action as a last resort. That’s why educators converged on the Capitol these last two days, and I was honored to stand with them. Funding public schools is essential for our students to succeed; so is teacher voice. We thank the House of Delegates for seeing that and the governor for reinforcing it with his veto threat.
“Now, as we return to school, it’s time for both chambers and the governor to make good on the pre-election promise to provide a wage increase and the supports our kids need. That is what our kids, teachers and support staff need and deserve.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
A Lesson for Donald Trump Jr., From a 'Loser Teacher'
Earlier this week, the president's son slammed teachers for "indoctrinating" students
By Gina Caneva
February 14, 2019
We teachers are not new to hearing our profession be disparaged. You've heard the insults, too, including, "those who can't, teach." You’ve heard people ask, "Why should teachers be paid more since they get their summers off?" Or, someone claim that our day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. That's a joke! These misperceptions are generally easy to counter, and we usually do so with a calm "teacher voice."
That is, until this week: A rather striking insult to the profession came from a not-so surprising source, Donald Trump Jr. On Monday, at a rally to support his father's long-promised border wall in El Paso, Texas, Mr. Trump Jr. stated, "I love seeing some young conservatives because I know it’s not easy. Keep up that fight. Bring it to your schools. You don’t have to be indoctrinated by these loser teachers that are trying to sell you on socialism from birth. You don't have to do it. Because you can think for yourselves. They can’t."
"With this soundbite, Mr. Trump Jr. made teachers an enemy to his father's base, just as the president has done with journalists."
"Loser teachers? Loser teachers! LOSER TEACHERS!" I yelled at the television, careful, though, not to awaken my sleeping preschool-age son and 1st grade daughter in the next room. I watched the clip again later to see how the audience responded—they clapped and cheered. With this sound bite, Mr. Trump Jr. made teachers an enemy to his father's base, just as the president has done with journalists.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Smarter teachers lead to smarter kids, study says
Teachers with higher cognitive skills facilitate better performances from students, according to a new global study using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. While teachers in the United States perform lower than the average teacher in numeracy, and better than the average in literacy, U.S. students perform below average in math and about average in reading. Study author Eric Hanushek, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, said: "What we show, I think, is that countries that have smarter teachers ... make an active choice to hire teachers from higher up in the distribution of college graduates."
Homelessness among students increases 70%
New federal data shows that the number of students in kindergarten through the 12th grade who are homeless has increased by 70% over the last decade. The report, by the National Center for Homeless Education, provides a three-year snapshot of homelessness from the 2014-15 school year through the 2016-17 school year using federal data reported annually to the Department of Education by states. The number of enrolled students reported as experiencing homelessness at some point increased 7%, from 1.26m students in the 2014-15 school year to 1.36m students in the 2016-17 school year. Nine states tallied increases of upward of 20% over the last three years, and 20 states reported a growth in their homeless student populations of 10% or more. The report does not weigh in on reasons for the continued increase in homelessness among students, but it does note certain student subgroups that experienced the most marked increases: The change in the unaccompanied homeless youth subgroup was the most extreme, with an increase of 25%. According to the report, unaccompanied youth make up 10% or more of the homeless student population in 28 states, up from 20 states in the previous school year.
House Democrats outline education oversight agenda
Virginia Democrat Robert C. Scott, chairman of the House Education Committee, has outlined a wide-ranging oversight agenda for the committee. While he plans to champion bills that would pump $100bn into public school infrastructure, limit the use of restraint and seclusion practices of special-education students and increase low-income and minority students’ access to a four-year college or university, Democrats will also seek to challenge the Department's carrying out of the Every Student Succeeds Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, recommendations from the Federal Commission on School Safety, led by Betsy DeVos, and also the Department’s role in the rebuilding of schools in Puerto Rico and other disaster-hit areas. Separately, five leading House and Senate Democrats have claimed that the Trump administration sought to remove Sandra Bruce, the Education Department’s acting inspector general, last month - after she pushed back on a request to “reconsider” her investigation into DeVos’ move to reinstate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Senator reintroduces bill calling for later school start times
A bill vetoed last year by then-Gov. Jerry Brown that would require California’s middle, high and charter schools to begin classes no earlier than 8:30a.m. has been reintroduced in the legislature. SB 328 has been refloated by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena); the last version of the bill passed both chambers in 2018 before being vetoed. Sen Portantino argued that studies found that students perform better in school with later start times. The move has been opposed by both the California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association, who say that school start times should be individually decided by districts at the local level.
Most California districts not ready for new science test
Students in school districts across the state may not be prepared to sit the new California Science Test in March, with most California districts yet to approve textbooks and materials aligned to the test standards. Next Generation Science Standards were adopted six years ago by the California Board of Education, with the CST piloted in 2017. 19 states across the country have now adopted the standards, which emphasize critical thinking, hands-on science projects and personal investigation over rote memorization.
----- DISTRICTS -----
LAUSD board rebukes Supt. Beutner
Los Angeles USD board member Scott Schmerelson introduced a resolution at yesterday’s board meeting that ultimately led members to informally rebuke Superintendent Austin Beutner for a lack of transparency. The resolution against Mr Beutner was tabled for not providing the contracts and the work done by consultants who have been advising him on the plan he is developing to restructure the district. Although more than 100 pages of contracts have been made available, Mr Schmerelson said they do not make clear the freedom that networks have to go outside the district to shop for key services such as food, student transportation and hiring. “The secrecy has got to stop,” Mr Schmerelson said. “It’s an affront to me and to the constituents I represent. I remain incredulous that it took four months and a formal resolution to get you to disclose these documents.”
Oakland teachers to strike
Teachers in Oakland, California, are to strike this Thursday. Their union, representing around 3,000 teachers, announced the walkout over the weekend, along with calls for smaller class sizes, more counselors and full-time nurses, and a 12% raise over three years. Oakland USD, which has about 37,000 students, has offered 5% and Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said she was pleased with the recommendations and hoped they would coax the union back to negotiations. Writing in USA Today, in consideration of the raft of recent U.S. teacher strikes in Los Angeles, Denver and Virginia, Josh B. McGee, a research assistant professor in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, warns that it’s clear that the rising cost of benefits that were meant to protect teachers is now "endangering teacher pay and larger school funding in a way that was never anticipated." Indeed, he adds, U.S. school districts will "likely be seeing red for some time."
Berkeley to introduce electric school buses
Berkeley USD is set to incorporate eight new electric school buses into its transportation fleet as soon as the 2019-20 school year. As part of a long-term sustainability initiative, BUSD aims to convert half of its diesel buses into electric vehicles by 2030, with benefits including lower maintenance costs and lower pollution levels for children.
Clovis bans MAGA hat on campus
A high school student in Clovis USD student has been banned from wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on campus. The senior at Clovis North High School says that she wanted to wear the hat in support of conservative activist group Valley Patriots and argues that the school’s refusal to allow her to do so violated her First Amendment rights. School officials cited the campus dress code in banning the Trump-affiliated hat, although the CUSD dress code does not mention political clothing.
----- FINANCE -----
Vallejo City school board cuts $7.25m from budget
Vallejo City USD trustees have voted unanimously to cut $7.25m from next fiscal year's budget, as the district grapples with a $22m deficit. $3.5m of the cuts were made in academics, with 50 positions removed.
San Carlos faces $2.5m deficit
San Carlos ESD trustees met on Thursday to discuss making cuts to staffing and operational costs, as the district faces a deficit of $2.5m. Ahead of the meeting, superintendent Michelle Harmeier also noted that the district has lost 100 students since last year, attributed to the rising cost of living in SCESD.
Gilroy board approves $3m in cuts
Gilroy USD’s Board of Education has approved almost $3m in cuts to the district’s 2019-2020 budget, citing a continued trend of declining enrollment, lost revenue and increased costs. The district lost 250 students from its intake last year, resulting in over $2m in lost state funding. The deepest of the cuts announced was $1.2m in full-time salaries, the equivalent of approximately 12 positions. Superintendent Deborah Flores said that the staffing cuts will not require layoffs, but will be accomplished through attrition, such as retirements and resignations.
Calaveras board votes to lay off 11 teachers
The Calaveras USD board has voted 4-0 to lay off 11 certificated employees, part of the Multi-Year Action Plan (MYP) to resolve some of the issues of the district’s budget. The board discussed the item before voting. Trustee Cory Williams broke into tears as she shared her personal experience of being laid off from the district and finding work in a different district. “We don’t want to lay people off, ever. These aren’t just names on paper, but these are people in our community – some really great people,” trustee Sherri Reusche said.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
Trustees vote to close Nevada City Charter
Nevada City Charter School is to close after 24 years in operation, after Nevada City trustees votes unanimously not to renew the charter past the end of this school year due to low test scores on the CAASPP. Advocating for the closure, Superintendent and Principal Trisha Dellis noted: "The board is required to consider academic performance as the most important factor when reviewing renewal."
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
New med school waives tuition for first classes
Tuition will be waived for the first five classes of students at the new Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in Pasadena. The school announced yesterday it has received preliminary accreditation, and will begin accepting applications in June for the first class in summer 2020. Clinical education will primarily take place in the greater Los Angeles area in Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics and in partnered community health centers. Kaiser’s medical school follows in the footsteps of New York University’s School of Medicine, which in 2018 began waiving tuition fees for all students in an effort to ease both student debt and the ongoing physician shortage.
