ABCFT - Week in Review -February 1, 2019
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(ABC Federation of Teachers)
In Unity
ABC Federation of Teachers
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Previous Editions of The Week in Review
UTLA Strike Aftermath
Here are a few follow up stories that were released over the past week regarding the UTLA Strike. ABCFT will continue to report on the aftermath of the strike and how it continues to guide the conversation about education funding in California and the United States.
LAUSD teacher contract could render district insolvent
The Los Angeles County Board of Education says that Los Angeles USD may not be able to afford the spending promised in its new contract with unionized teachers, and that the district could become insolvent over the next few years. Insolvency means the district could be taken over by the state of California which would be allowed to cut staff and faculty in order to balance its budget; it has been given until March 13th to detail a plan of how it will either cut expenditures or raise money in order to remain solvent.
AFT President Randi Weingarten on Los Angeles School Board Charter School Moratorium Vote
WASHINGTON—The Los Angeles school board voted 5-1 yesterday to place an eight- to 10-month local moratorium on the opening of new charter schools, which would allow for the completion of a state study on the impact charter schools have on traditional schools. The vote comes after members of the United Teachers Los Angeles settled a contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District last week; one of the major issues in negotiations was how the exponential growth of charter schools has drained resources from the city’s public schools.
UTLA is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement:
“In the wake of tax caps, the lack of appropriate investment has been a challenge for public education in Los Angeles for decades. Add to that the unregulated growth of charter schools that siphoned off more funding, and the result was the scarcity that led to the L.A. teachers’ strike. While charters were sold as a response to the demand for better schools, they too have a mixed record. More than 80 percent of charter schools cannot meet their projected enrollment numbers, and 8 of the 10 worst-performing schools in L.A., including one that has already been closed, are charter schools. So a moratorium is a good idea to bring equity and sustainability back to LAUSD, and with this vote, the school board made good on its promise to help do it.
“Now, we work to rebalance the city’s school system so every student has access to a well-funded school with normal class sizes, school nurses and counselors, and the same transparency and accountability measures to make sure kids’ needs are being put before anything else. This resolution allows everyone who cares about education in Los Angeles to take a step back and make sure those needs are being met.”
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 Ray Gaer in his 21st year in the ABC School District. He was a Social Studies teacher in another district before becoming a Special Education teacher (RSP) for thirteen years at Artesia High School. He is currently in his 8th year as ABCFT President and has been on the negotiating team since 2001.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be? 
Try to make connections with staff in all grade levels and all subjects. You never know when or where you will find supports and inspiration.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
Accidently. I forgot to take my name off a site rep ballot and was voted to be an alternate. I went to my first site rep meeting and enjoyed all the information that was shared so I stuck around. The following year Laura Rico placed me on the negotiating team to represent Special Education on the team.
Describe a day in the life in your current position.
I listen a lot. I’ve learned that listening is the most important skill a leader can have to connect with members. My typical day is usually about bouncing from meeting to meeting, taking lots of notes, answering a ton of emails, and always making things fun. Laughing is important.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
My favorite movie is Groundhog Day. My favorite movie is Groundhog Day. repeat
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
Actually I do very little of those but I spend time daily on Boardgamegeek.com because I’m a super nerd.
What do you do for fun?
Board games, watching hockey and boxing, reading, but most of all trying new places to eat food with my family.
Do you have a bucket list?
I want to live for six months in South Africa, Costa Rica and Spain when I retire.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
The power to slow down time when I liked so I guess that would be timecontrol.
Thank you Ray for sharing your story with the ABCFT community.
If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member Click this link here
HEALTH BENEFITS UPDATE 
There was no health benefits committee meeting for the month of January. The next meeting will be on February 12th so we will have a new report the first week of March after the ABCFT representative council meeting of March 7th.
JANUARY 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 January.
MEASURE BB UPDATE (repeat)
In Dr. Sieu’s Monday message she continues to outline the process for changing the Measure BB vote into funding for projects that are slated to begin this Summer. Here is her detailed report on what went on at this Tuesday’s school board meeting.
During February and March, the school board will determine the projects that will be included in the first issuance of Measure BB bonds. By mid to late April, 2019, we will sell the Measure BB first Bond issuance. Our goal is to fund the first Measure BB projects by late April, 2019.”
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - repeat
When to bring a union representative
You have the right to have a union representative at any meeting or investigatory interview with a supervisor or administrator that you reasonably believe might lead to discipline. These are called your Weingarten Rights, named after a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Your supervisor does not have to notify you of your right to union representation — you must assert your Weingarten Rights. This applies to everyone who works in a unionized child care center, school, college or university, whether public or private.
To assert your Weingarten Rights, say:
“If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined, terminated, or could affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present.”
> If you have a problem on the job or you see a violation of your union contract, contact your site representative or local grievance officer. If you think you have a legal problem, contact ABCFT at Ext. 21500 or ABCFT@ABCUSD.us or ABCFT2317@gmail.com immediately.
Each week I work with unit members in representations, contract resolutions, email/text/phone call questions, site concerns, site visits, presentations, state/national representations and mediations. Here are some of the highlights of interest.
Everytime I look out of my window and I see that it’s going to rain I get a sinking feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love rain and it saves me the time of watering my plants, but the rain also means tough days for teachers and students. I taught at the high school but when I was new to this position I was unaware of how rain impacts elementary teachers. At elementary schools or in child development programs it is crazy on those rainy days and when you walk around the schools and classrooms it almost feels like the personal space between everyone is shrinking. Recess and lunch outside are underrated, just ask any student or teacher when it’s raining. Therefore, I’m thankful that this week was dry for more of the time than was predicted because every elementary or child development teacher needs time to air out their rooms and a few minutes to regroup.
This week I attended an Elementary stipend committee that was set up by human resources and the ABCFT negotiating team (Dr. Zietlow and Ruben Mancillas respectfully). In this meeting we discussed the stipends that are currently in the ABCFT/ABCUSD Master Contract. In attendance were a couple of principals, Dr. Zietlow, members of the ABCFT negotiating team and handful of site representatives from elementary schools throughout the district. In this meeting we discussed how stipends are used at the individual sites, what stipends are still relevant and what stipends could be added in the future. This meeting was eye opening to me because it seems like there are no clear guidelines on how things are done. For example, there were questions about who pays for stipends. Do they come out of the site budget or the district? When does a site request stipends and when does the school receive those funds from the district? I know that sounds totally crazy, but I think the only people that may know how things are currently done is fiscal services in the district office.
I think having this meeting and all the other stipend subcommittee meetings will bring a watershed of information that will change how we all think about stipends. Here’s another example of how we are impacted by things that we don’t realize are happening. The District nor the principals ever really know how much money a school site or a district has because every district office relies on the Los Angeles Department of Education (LACOE) to process receipts. Here’s the kicker, LACOE does everything on paper which is the equivalent of how we all used to write checks two decades ago. When is the last time you saw someone write a check at a grocery store? The good news is that LACOE is currently trying to go digital and they are on Wave 2 in their implementation and ABC is Wave 4. Therefore, sometime in the future the entire budget process will be streamlined. So, the next time you hear a principal say they don’t know if there is money in the budget it's pretty much the truth at this point. Both the school district and the school sites are months behind the actual money in their budgets. We will keep you up to date on what we learn through this process so that everyone fully understands both the site budget and the stipend process.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the ABC Social Workers who stopped by for my monthly focus group meeting. I greatly appreciate what social workers do for our students and teachers at our school sites and programs. Without them there would be more chaos than we could handle. Also, a special thank you to all the Cerritos High School teachers and staff that met with Tanya Golden and I during our full day visit with the teachers in their classrooms. Getting to know your faces and hearing your thoughts on a wide range of topics makes the YOUnion stronger. If we didn’t get to see you this time around, we’ll make sure to track you down in our next visit in the Spring. We will be visiting Artesia High School next Wednesday, February 6th and Ross Middle School on February 8th so pencil us in during your duty free time.
Stay dry this weekend and Go Rams!
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
01/29/2019
Union power is rising
Schemes to undercut public sector unions—epitomized by last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME—have stalled, according to new data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite a billionaire-funded, interminable war on public sector workers’ right to join a union, public service union membership has held strong at 7.17 million, roughly half of the 14.7 million total union members in the United States. Public service unions have seen more joins than drops since the Janus decision last June.
Since then, Janus funders have poured millions into deceptive campaigns urging public service workers to quit their unions. But courts are increasingly siding with employees. The facts and public opinion have always been on our side.
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Strike authorization vote called for Oakland teachers
Following on from a recent one-day walk-out, Oakland USD teachers are set to hold a strike vote beginning today and running through to Friday, creating the possibility of strike action early next month. The district has offered a 5% pay raise over the next three years; however, the Oakland Education Association is looking for 12% over three years, with class-size reductions and more counselors, nurses and psychologists for students.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Graduation rate improvements 'stalling'
The U.S. high school graduation rate hit 84.6% in 2017, according to the Department of Education's latest data, only ‘inches’ up from 84.1% in 2016, leaving education professionals concerned that the nation is losing momentum in improving outcomes for pupils. The graduation rates for black, Hispanic and low-income students and students with disabilities, increased by 1 to 2 percentage points, but decreased by 0.5 percentage points for students for whom English is a second language. John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises, warned that the figures should serve as a "major wake-up call" and should compel leaders to take action: "We have made great progress over the past decade, but we are losing momentum and urgently need to rededicate ourselves to finish the job," he said.
100,000 public comments over proposed sexual assault probe rules
The Education Department has received nearly 100,000 public comments in response to proposed rules guiding how schools handle sexual assault allegations. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the rewrite was needed to balance the rights of assault survivors with those who are accused, and to inject more due process into a high-stakes process. Terry Hartle of the American Council on Education, said: “This is the most controversial regulatory undertaking in the history of the Department of Education.” He estimated the volume of submissions would total 20 times what is typically received for a major regulatory proposal. The proposed rule, published in November, replaced nonbinding guidance issued under the Obama administration. It narrows the cases that schools are required to investigate, creates a more limited definition of sexual harassment and allows schools to create a higher legal standard i n considering evidence.
Trump offers support for Bible literacy classes
President Donald Trump has suggested his support for Bible literacy classes in public schools. While critics have pushed back against proposals to promote Christianity in schools, as a threat to the constitutionally-protected separation of church and state, bible literacy bills have been introduced this year in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia, and on Monday Trump wrote in a tweet: "Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!"
----- STATE NEWS -----
Slight rise in chronic absenteeism in California schools
Over one in 10 students in California were chronically absent from school in 2017-18, according to recent data released by the California Department of Education. “The numbers are bad and getting slightly worse,” said Rob Manwaring, a senior education policy advisor for Children Now, a statewide child advocacy organization, referring to the fact that the statewide rate rose to 11.1% from 10.8% in 2016-17, the first year the state released the numbers. Missing as much as 10% of the school year, or approximately 18 days, can have adverse consequences for a child as early as kindergarten. A significant body of research shows students with high rates of absenteeism are less likely to be able to read at grade level by the end of the 3rd grade, are more likely to drop out in high school and are less successful in college.
Homeless community college students may be allowed to sleep in cars overnight
California Community Colleges may need to start providing special parking for homeless students who live in their cars, due to a bill introduced on Tuesday by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto). The legislation would require campus administrators to “grant overnight access to those facilities (parking facilities) to any homeless student who is enrolled in coursework, has paid enrollment fees, and is in good standing with the community college. The current law already requires California Community Colleges to provide showers for homeless students in good standing.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Oakland votes to close Roots International Academy
Oakland USD’s Roots International Academy will be closed next fall, after the board voted 6-1 in favor of a measure being taken to help it stem a $30m budget deficit. The district says Roots Academy has poor test scores and less than 200 students. “We have too many schools for the number of students, and we have our resources pretty thinly spread,” district spokesman John Sasaki said. Roots serves a predominantly low-income population, with nearly 93% of its 266 students qualifying for free lunch, according to data from the state department of education. The vast majority are also students of color, with 52% of the population Latino and 35% black students. “It’s about the message that they’re sending the kids,” parent Addy Rios said. “They’re saying, ‘We’re closing your schools because they’re not good.’ What message is that giving the kids? That they’re not good.”
Brea school to keep name that shows on KKK member list
Despite challenged claims that he belonged to the Ku Klux Klan, a former superintendent’s name will remain on a Brea elementary school. A group of activists had campaigned to rename the William E. Fanning Elementary School, titled after a former Brea-Olinda USD superintendent, claiming he had ties to a local KKK chapter in the 1920s. A major reference for the group was a 2011 OC Weekly article by Gustavo Arellano which details Fanning’s potentially divisive past. Arellano, who now writes for the Los Angeles Times, wrote a series of articles exposing possible members of the KKK in Orange County using the list at the Anaheim Heritage Center as a reference.
Report suggests targeting parents for kids’ truancy works
Officials and investigators from the Merced County Office of Education and Merced County District Attorney’s Office say they have found bringing parents of chronically absent students in front of a superior court judge has been one of the best motivators for school attendance. Since the Merced County prosecutors and educators joined forces more than a year ago, some of the most chronically absent students have turned their attendance records around, Steve Tietjen, the superintendent of schools for Merced County, said. “We’re not in the business of taking parents to jail unless it’s absolutely the last step,” said William Olson, chief investigator for the Merced County District Attorney’s Office. “But in getting a parent to take responsibility for their children, sometimes that’s the only answer.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
School suspensions may help to celebrate violence
The Conversation looks at how school suspensions may actually lead to students celebrating violence rather that stopping it. When school officials suspend students, the idea is to maintain a safe environment and deter violence and other problematic behavior on the school campus. However, Dr. Charles Bell of Illinois University, interviewed 30 children in southeast Michigan who had been suspended from school, and found suspensions might actually be having the opposite effect. He claims that students use school suspensions strategically to earn respect and build a reputation for being tough. Dr. Bell made the finding, which will be published in the Journal of Crime and Justice – as part of his ongoing research into how black students and their parents view school discipline, school safety measures and the police.
----- LEGAL -----
Former Montebello leaders awarded $5m
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield has collectively awarded more than $5m in attorneys’ fees to former Montebello USD Superintendent Susanna Contreras Smith, and former chief financial and operations officer Cleve Pell. The pair had sued the district, contending they were whistleblowers who lost their jobs in 2016 for coming forward about alleged misconduct by the then-Board of Education and Chief Business Officer Ruben J. Rojas.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Call for ‘menstrual equity’ in schools
Students have protested at the Education Department in Washington calling on Secretary Betsy DeVos to tackle "period poverty," along with demands for comprehensive period education for students of all genders before age 12. Activists have long pressed for school bathrooms to be supplied with menstrual products as part of a national movement for “menstrual equity,” which aims to provide access to menstrual products to anyone who needs them - especially those from low-income families.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
FYI - The AFT represents 7,500 members at 237 charter schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Since summer 2017, educators at 12 charter schools have joined the union.
LA school board passes charter-limit resolution
The Los Angeles USD board have approved a resolution asking the state to put new charter schools on hold while the state studies their effects, as demanded by a union for more than 30,000 teachers in a six-day strike that ended last week. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the union for teachers in the district, argued during a strike that won widespread support from parents and prominent Democratic politicians that charter schools are a vehicle for "privatization" of education and divert resources from traditional classrooms. The resolution will not affect the continued operation of the district's 275 charter schools.
West County Charter Middle School to disband
The West Sonoma County Union High School District school board has voted to disband the West County Charter School, which opened in fall 2017. The school was given approval to launch on the basis that it would be self-sustaining; however, district chief budget officer Mary Schafer uncovered deficiencies in the school’s accounts that required an emergency loan of $150,000 to fix. The perennially strapped high school district is faced with making $500,000 in cuts to its programs over the next three years. Because of its financial difficulties, the district is required to present a Fiscal Recovery Plan to Sonoma County Office of Education in mid-February, making further subsidies to the charter appear untenable.
School choice agenda challenged
School choice critic Carol Burris, a former New York high school principal who now serves as executive director of the nonprofit Network for Public Education, considers the relevance of National School Choice Week, the privately-funded charter advocacy group headed by, she notes, a president who used to work for Betsy DeVos at the American Federation for Children - a 501(c)(4) lobbying and advocacy group. "In study after study, when it comes to academics, students in charters overall do no better than students in true public schools, and the preponderance of research on vouchers show that students who leave public schools for private or religious schools do the same or worse," she argues.
State officials call for Thrive charter schools closure
The California Department of Education says San Diego-based Thrive charter schools should not be renewed for another five years, due to its poor academic performance. The State Board of Education will have the final vote on whether Thrive, which serves around 1,000 students on four campuses, can stay open; Nicole Assisi, the charter school’s CEO and founder, said the expects it approve the renewal application, despite the DoE’s recommendation.
----- SOCIAL & COMMUNITY -----
‘Ground-breaking’ transgender report
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 2% of high school students in the U.S. identify as transgender. Other data found: 27% feel unsafe at school or traveling to or from campus; 35% are bullied at school; and 35% attempt suicide. The data published by the CDC comes from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 10 states and nine large urban school districts. The survey is conducted biennially among a representative sample of U.S. high school students in the ninth through 12th grades. Amit Paley, chief executive and executive director of the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, called the report’s findings “ground-breaking.” “This is the first time we’ve had a federal government report of this magnitude showing that transgender youth exist in this country and in larger numbers than researchers had previously estimated,” he said in an interview. The report, he said, shows “the very real health risks” transgender youth face in school.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Freshman applications dip at UC for the first time in 15 years
For the first time in 15 years, the number of would-be freshmen applying to theUniversity of California has dropped, by 3% for the coming year to 176,530. UC officials said it was difficult to pinpoint reasons for the drop in freshman applications, although they said possibilities include a decrease in the number of high school graduates; wildfires and other natural disasters that could have made it harder for students to apply; an incentive to enroll in community college using a new state waiver of tuition for the first year; and the deterrent of newly restrictive federal immigration policies
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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