Sunday, March 31, 2019

ABCFT - Week in Review - March 29, 2019

ABCFT - Week in Review - March 29, 2019
FACT: Albert Einstein was a member of the American Federation of Teachers

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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ABCFT Delegates Attend the 2019 CFT Convention
Last weekend, thirty-five ABCFT delegates attended the three-day convention for the California Federation of Teachers. This year’s CFT Convention was was monumental because CFT delegates celebrated the 100th anniversary of CFT as a union of professionals. At this year’s convention, ABCFT delegates voted on a name change for CFT, elected officers positions, and took part in resolutions on the convention floor.  The ABC Federation of teachers is the 14th largest local in the CFT organization but the way we do our business at a convention it looks like we are one of the largest locals. ABCFT delegates were prepared and engaged as they participated in crafting resolutions in convention committees and flexed their voting power at the polls and on the convention floor.


CFT: New Leadership and a New Name
The CFT said goodbye to its long time President Joshua Pechthalt and elected Jeff Freitas who served as Josh’s Secretary Treasurer  as the new President of CFT. Joshua Pechthalt ended his eighth year as President of the CFT after serving in that position for four terms. Josh gave a tearful and inspiring speech highlighting the CFT accomplishments of the past eight years. Most notably during his tenure we saw the passage of Proposition 30 and Proposition 55 which provided additional money to education during the recession and recovery. Without his leadership on these two propositions California teachers would have faced even worse financial consequences during the Great Recession.  Convention delegates elected Jeff Freitas as CFT President and Luukia Smith as Secretary Treasurer for the next two years. Freitas and Smith ran on the United4CFT Slate which included twenty-four CFT Vice Presidents. Among those reelected was ABCFT President Ray Gaer who has served eight years as Vice President for the CFT.

In addition to electing a new governing body, delegates discussed and voted to rebrand the CFT by changing the name to the CFT: A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals. Classified members of the CFT were elated that not only were they now identified in the CFT name but also that they have Secretary Treasurer Luukia Smith as the first classified member to be elected to one of the top two leadership positions. The name change will be instrumental in helping to promote internal awareness of the culture  and importance classified workers in education.



ABCFT delegate Rachael Smith, Carver Academy, 4th Grade
It was an immense honor and privilege to serve as a delegate to the 2019 CFT Convention in order to share in the 100th anniversary of the CFT.  During this convention, we saw the passing of landmark resolutions and historic events: the 100th anniversary of the CFT, the celebration of Josh Pechthalt’s term as CFT President, and the rebranding of CFT as “A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals”.  These events served to unify members of CFT at an even deeper level. During her speech on Saturday, AFT President Randi Weingarten stated that “Joy is a form of resistance,” and the spirit of this sentiment was fully embodied during the convention. My father was a 42-year member of the Teamsters Union and when he first found out I would be joining the CFT, he encouraged me to become involved immediately.  I look forward to further involvement with ABCFT Local 2317 as we continue to fight the good fight CFT began 100 years ago.

Dues Changes
Delegates voted on the dues changes for the next two years for CFT members. ABCFT members will not see an increase in there CFT dues in the 2019-2020 school year and because a special assessment is expiring next year we will see a decrease of CFT dues of -$1.03 in the 2020-2021 school year. Just so that ABCFT members are aware, the ABC Federation of Teachers has not raised local dues since 2007 and over that time members have seen a salary increase of over 16% over the past eleven years. If you are interested in seeing a budget for ABCFT please contact your site representatives for a copy of that document. Every month ABCFT distributes a budget report at the monthly Site Representative meeting.


ABCFT Members Recognised
Tired from the two previous days, ABCFT delegates attended a 7:30 a.m. EC/TK-12 Awards Breakfast where selected ABCFT members were recognized for their accomplishments and their volunteer time spent advocating for all ABC Teachers, Nurses, and Medical Professionals.

This year, ABCFT presented five awards for excellence. Ruben Mancillas received an award for Dedicated Unionist for his continued work as VP At Large, ABCFT Chief Negotiator, and overall ABCFT advocate. Ruben follows in the footsteps of his mother Pat Mancillas who was a long time Vice President and Site Rep for ABCFT. Lori Eulberg was awarded recognition for Educational Issues because of her tireless advocacy for special educators throughout the district. Lori is the ABCFT VP for Special Education and for many years has helped to provide food and beverages for ABCFT Site Reps at our monthly Site Rep meetings. Kelly Forsythe received the award for Emerging Union Leadership. Kelley started as a site representative at Niemes but soon found that she had a knack for advocating for teachers and their working conditions. Kelley continues to grow as a unionist as she supports teachers in PASS and next year hopes to be a support and inform new teachers about the union and how ABCFT works for them. David Hind received the award for Political Involvement for all the work he did behind the scenes during the 2018 Measure BB Bond Campaign. David attended many meetings with community members and board members tirelessly providing teacher input and guidance when it was needed most. David is also the ABCFT representative on the ABCUSD District Strategic Planning Committee and next week he flies to Sacramento to talk to legislators about increasing educational funding and charter school accountability. Lastly, Diane Jhun received the Union Activism award for her innovative and endless efforts to represent Adult School teachers in ABC. Diane is a shining example of how the union helps to connect the different Adult School campuses so that all teachers feel connected and supported. If you see these five individuals around town tell them thanks for all their volunteerism, dedication, and support for ABCFT members.

Next week, we will continue our report and focus on the CFT legislative report and the important resolutions that were discussed at the convention. Finally, next week we will highlight pictures from the 100 year Gala Celebration and how Stowers site rep Hector Ruiz braved some of the creepiness of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

A gigantic sign behind a plane at the beach thank you to all the ABCFT Delegates who attended the convention who played hard and worked hard in committees late into the night. ABCFT LEADS!

ABCFT - 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 Rachael Smith a first-year teacher. She is currently teaching 4th grade at Carver Elementary.

If you could give ”first-year teacher you” advice what would it be?
Listen to the advice of veteran teachers because they do really care for your success and survival of this high-stress profession.  Also, in the spirit of Randi Weingarten, have joy and find friends at your work site, because it is the greatest and most life-giving form of resistance.
How did you get involved with the union?
My father was a 42-year employee of Stater Bros. and member of his local Teamsters Union.  When I first became a member of ABCFT Local 2317, my father told me that I should become involved and advocate immediately.  He reminded me of all the amazing things his union provided for our family: a stable medical, stable income, and peace of mind regarding his position.  I knew immediately I wanted to advocate the same for all others.

Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
This job is more than what we do on a daily basis in each of our classrooms.  Unless you go out, learn, and actively engage in the democratic process of passing educational resolutions, you will not be able to fully advocate for others.  I learned this through the words and actions of my site rep, Ka Yang.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
My favorite book is Jane Eyre and my favorite song is "How Can I Forget" by MKTO
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
Instagram: rachaelmarie146   Twitter: @rachaelmsmith1 Snapchat: rmsmith145
What do you do for fun?
For fun, I love to go out and try new all types of new foods!  During the 2019 CFT Convention, my friends and I ate at Grand Central Market.  I also love going to the beach, going out dancing with friends, and trying new things such as salsa/bachata dancing classes.
Do you have a bucket list?
1. Get a permanent position as a teacher in ABC.
2. Be an advocate by lobbying and working with the ABCFT Local 2317.
3. Finally, have the courage to get my tattoo!
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
I would love to fly so I could avoid all the traffic!
Thank you, Rachael, for sharing your story with the ABCFT community.



C.U.E Conference Resources and More Plans
by Susie Gomez
 
After her initial Review article, we asked our guest writer and ABCFT Teacher Leader Susie Gomez to share more about what she thought were the some of the best things about her CUE Conference experience. Here is her inspiring to reply to our question.

One of the best parts was definitely learning about all the different tools we can incorporate in our lessons to give our students a voice. In addition to the exposure to strategies and tech, the ability to connect with a teacher in and out of ABCUSD was powerful. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to collaborate and share ideas with ABCUSD teachers to better serve our students at all grade levels and school sites.

On a related note, Angela Barnett (Willow ES) and I would like to start an informal teacher think tank of sorts. In speaking to all the ABC teachers at CUE and a few responses I’ve received via email from ABCUSD  teachers who have accessed the resources, they want more teacher-led Pd and discussions. We were thinking of possibly starting a hashtag on Twitter where teachers from all over the district could share their strategies and have chats about instruction.
We want to make teacher-led PD a continuous learning experience instead of a one-time event. Ultimately, we would also want to create meetups for teachers in the district to share and learn together in person as well. We want to keep motivating our younger teachers to stay excited and our veteran teachers to find a PLN within our own district. Let me know what you think.

We think it’s a great idea Susie and great that teachers reached out to you. Susie had the idea that ABC teachers can start using the #abcfteachers as a way to share resources with fellow teachers. In addition, here are a couple of resources that Susie shared with us that help to organize some of the resources that were shared at this year’s CUE Conference. Thanks again Susie for sharing. We all look forward to where this effort leads. 😊





GATE Certification Update
Over the past four years, ABCFT has been having ongoing discussions with Academic Services about the GATE Certification process. Both Tanya Golden and Connie Nam have advocated for teachers about this process in discussions with Elementary Curriculum and Professional Supervisor, Beth Bray of academic services. Over the past couple years, ABCFT has provided updates on developments and opportunities for the GATE Certification process.

At the last ABCFT Representative Council, members posed the question of whether a teacher could be moved from a school site if they didn’t have GATE Certification.  ABCFT reached out to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Dr. Zietlow to get clarification on how GATE Certification training will impact teacher placement. Below is a list of responses from Dr. Zietlow:
  • ABCUSD started the process 4 years ago to provide teachers at every site with GATE Certification Training.
  • The process began with a 2-year review by a GATE Committee (comprised of teachers, district and community members) and ABC joining a GATE Consortium in Orange County.
  • ABCUSD has been offering training for teachers from every school site for the past 2 years.
  • This year is the 6th Cohort for teachers who have chosen to become GATE Certified.
  • GATE curriculum is for grades 4th-6th.
  • If a teacher does not want to be GATE Certified, they will not be moved to a new school site but they may move to a new grade level if they are at a site where there are GATE students in all of the 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade classes.
  • ABCUSD will continue to offer a Cohort each year for new teachers or veteran teachers who want to become GATE Certified.
We will continue to advocate for teachers and students. At the next master contract language, ABCFT will explore GATE stipends and possible language to protect teachers. If you think you’ll be affected by the implementation of GATE certification, talk to your principal about your specific site GATE needs.


School of Choice Update by Ray Gaer
I hope that you are enjoying this ongoing report from the districts School of Choice Committee. What are some of the takeaways from all this data that we’ve all been looking at over the past month? Here are some of the thoughts and opinions  that we seen forming within the community and in the SOC committee.

First, is the fact that there is an academic and funding advantage to having interdistrict transfers (out of district). Not only do they increase our LCAP and help support our programs (mental health, PD, money to sites) but they also score high academically.  Second, the specter of closing a school doesn’t make sense when you look at the data because those schools that have low enrollment are in communities that actually produce high numbers of students. Third, there seems to be a need either recruit more students or build  programs at those low enrollment schools so that we see a natural redistribution of the enrollment numbers. What are your thoughts? If you see Tanya or me on campus or anywhere in the district please feel free to stop us and let us know your thoughts.

The next meeting for the SOC committee is on April 11th. We will have another update shortly after that time.
Thanks for reading and being a part of the conversation.

If you have specific questions or you see something that jumps out at you when you look at the documents email me abcft@abcusd.us


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MARCH 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's 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 March.


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.



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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.

Goodbye March! This month flew by and Spring Break is within sight now. Hang in there everyone and keep in mind that we come back from our Spring Break and it’s a fast sprint to the finish line….glorious.

Early days and late nights are the signs of a teacher in the springtime as we move our students to the testing window. I was in a meeting at the district office and the topic of teachers getting pulled for professional development during this month came up. The ABCFT team spoke up and let the district administrators how frustrating for teachers to have professional development days sprinkled in each week and how it disrupts the flow of a classroom and the delivery of curriculum. Granted much of the PD is timely and appreciated because teachers need the latest tools and time to learn as professionals but as you know a classroom has a flow like a symphony when things are going well and a disruption is like taking a bathroom break in the middle of the concert, how rude, right? That being said, the ABCFT leadership is at its wits end and we are encouraging the negotiation team to deliver language next year that would keep us from getting pulled from our classrooms the month or so before testing. Something has to change.

There is a change in the air about mental health at all levels of our district. I’ve been to two board meetings in a row where the amount of money that is being spent on mental health became an issue with all of the School Board Trustees pushing for more funding and a shifting of LCAP funds for more mental health support. District administrators are also starting to say publicly that our level of mental health support can be enhanced and that it is a priority. Just this week, Dr. Sieu had three slides in her presentation devoted to mental health services in her annual “State of the District” address in front of city council members, chambers of commerce members, community groups, business supporters and principals. The tide is turning and mental health supports are becoming a priority.

Those administrators who say teachers who want social workers so teachers can kick kids out of their class are being outnumbered by those administrators who are asking for more support at their schools. ABCFT is leading the charge because it matters to our members and our members are desperate for tools to work with the kids in our new reality. I was visiting Melbourne Elementary on Thursday for their annual classroom reading event and saw the future. Melbourne’s principal and staff are  working on creating a mental health center for students and parents to work in conjunction with their parent community center that has parents in it every day of the week. The Wellness center and Parent Center are both concepts that support the community, students, and teachers of a school. This is the future.

Next week, I hope to get out visit more schools to see what exciting things are happening so I can share those ideas with you or to spotlight those things that exceptional practices. If you have a program at your school that you would like to highlight let me know so I can come and visit and learn about what you and your colleagues are doing to make ABC and excellent place to teach and learn.

Thank you for all you do each day. Have a good Weekend!

In Unity,

Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT

CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Check out the new website at the California Federation of Teachers for education news and how the State organization is supporting members interests. Click the Union Strong logo to go to the convention webpage for details on the CFT 100th year Convention.
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.

The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

AFT President Randi Weingarten on Public Schools Week

WASHINGTON—March 25-29 is Public Schools Week, a time when the nation comes together to celebrate one of our greatest values: the promise of public education. The AFT is proud to join educators, parents, community advocates, businesses and others in celebrating the schools that 91 percent of American students attend. We celebrate not just to lift up the great things happening in our public schools, but to call for strengthening all of them, including providing the necessary investment.
AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement:
“Public schools in America are foundational to our democracy, and to our economy. They are the only institution that promises to help all children—regardless of who they are or where they’re from—realize their dreams and aspirations. And every day, educators across this country devote themselves to making our public schools safe, welcoming spaces where kids can learn and thrive.
“Our public schools prepare the next generation of artists, engineers, linguists, and athletes; our schools sit at the center of our communities, bringing people together to make life better. Over the last year and a half, while educators around the country have walked out of their classrooms to demand more investment in public schools, a record number of parents and allies have stood with them.
“That’s why the AFT has launched the Fund Our Future campaign, a nationwide effort to build on the momentum of educators, parents, and communities coming together to demand adequate and sustainable investment in our public schools. Neither demography nor geography can dictate destiny. Opportunity must.
“And it’s why we fight so that students—particularly our most vulnerable and at-risk children—have the resources they need to succeed and schools where they feel nurtured and safe. We fight so that every school in this country has access to appropriate and up-to-date textbooks and instructional resources, counselors and nurses, and manageable class sizes. And we call on federal legislators to fulfill the promises made by Congress, including supporting the bipartisan Full Funding for IDEA bill being introduced by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Pat Roberts and led by Rep. Jared Huffman in the House.
“This week, and every week, we fight to fund our future, so every public school can be a place where parents want to send their kids, teachers want to teach, and children are engaged.”



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

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

California lawmakers propose sweeping college admission reforms
State lawmakers have proposed a sweeping package of bills written to close loopholes they say give the children of wealthy parents a side door into elite universities. They include requiring that three college administrators sign off on special admissions and banning preferential admissions for students who are related to the institution's donors or alumni. The Democratic Assembly members also want to audit public universities' admissions practices and study phasing out college admissions tests, and require college admissions consultants to register with the state. The bills are in response to the Operation Varsity Blues investigation in which federal prosecutors have charged 50 people with being part of a scam in which well-connected parents allegedly paid large bribes to buy their sons and daughters entrance to elite universities or high scores on admission exams.

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

Devos defends Special Olympics funding cuts
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is standing firm on proposals to cut funds for the Special Olympics. "The Special Olympics is not a federal program. It's a private organization. I love its work, and I have personally supported its mission. Because of its important work, it is able to raise more than $100 million every year," Mrs DeVos said in a statement, adding: "There are dozens of worthy nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don't get a dime of federal grant money." Her statement followed the raft of criticism over proposals to cut the Education Department's budget.
DeVos: Special-education rule has not been implemented
The Department of Education has not begun implementing regulation designed to ensure children of color are not disproportionately punished or sent to special-education classrooms, despite a court order. A federal court ruled three weeks ago that the Trump administration must implement the Obama-era rule immediately. But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Thursday that the Education Department was still “reviewing the court’s decision and discussing our options.” The rules were supposed to have taken effect in 2018. DeVos moved last summer to delay them for two years. The court decision, issued March 7, was a rebuke of her action. Under the regulation, states face tighter rules about how they tabulate data about the demographics and treatment of children in special education to ensure there are not racial disparities. Those calculations may tip more states over a threshold that requires them to create a plan to ensure students of color are not being disproportionately targeted.
Trump pledges to fund the Special Olympics
The federal government will continue to fund the Special Olympics, President Trump has announced, telling reporters at the White House, “The Special Olympics will be funded.” The announcement appeared to reverse the previously proposed elimination of approximately $18m in government funding for the games, which had first appeared in the 2020 budget of the Department of Education. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled to defend the cuts during congressional hearings this week, where she told senators the cuts represented only a fraction of the “tough choices” the department had to make about funding. “I hope all of this debate encourages lots of private contributions to Special Olympics,” she said.

President signs an executive order on campus free speech
An executive order signed by President Trump will allow freedom of speech on college campuses. Mr. Trump said he was taking “historic action to defend American students and American values that have been under siege.” The order was welcomed by people who say universities are fostering an unbalanced, liberal indoctrination of students — and condemned by those who say freedom of inquiry is a fundamental tenet of higher education, one the government should not be defining. Over 100 students joined the President for the signing, according to a statement from the White House, along with state legislators, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The order directs 12 agencies that make federal grants, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, to ensure colleges are complying with the law and their own policies to promote free inquiry and debate.

March for Our Lives' first anniversary marked
Sunday marked one year since the huge March For Our Lives march in Washington, where Emma Gonzalez lovingly read out the names of her classmates and teachers killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Valentine’s Day last year. The group's anti-gun violence rhetoric has dominated news headlines, casual conversation and political campaigns since, prompting lawmakers in 27 states to pass 67 new laws aimed at restricting gun access, according to Giffords Law Center. Jeff Foster, an Advanced Placement government teacher at Stoneman Douglas, said the march on Washington was “magical,” though cautioned: “I think cynicism unfortunately reigns because these members of Congress are still pushed by corporate dollars in the long run. I think it’s gonna be the same unless we have this massive shift from caring about the Kardashians to caring about politics.”

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

New figures reveal rising costs of California school pensions
California school districts’ expenses for employee pensions on average doubled to about $1,000 per student over the four years ending in 2017-18, according to newly released state data. The average cost per student in California rose from $506 per student in 2013-14 to $1,020 in 2017-18, an increase of 102%. Pensions have been one of the fastest-rising costs in school budgets. Before passage of the new rates, districts statewide paid $2.8 billion in 2013-14 to CalSTRS and CalPERS. Four years later, those costs had nearly doubled. Pension expenses consumed about 8 percent of K-12 districts’ budgets in 2017-18 and will rise to an estimated 11 percent in 2020-21.

Mountain View to build affordable staff housing in state first
Mountain View School District school board members have voted to become the first district in California to provide housing for teachers and staff, in a bid to account for the high local cost of living. MVSD plans to build 144 apartments for $56m, with employees paying rent to the district. School Board President Tamara Wilson says the district has already received "so much interest" in the plans from teachers, adding: "I hope they can see that we're doing everything in our power and our financial capability to insure that they know they're valued."

New bill proposes stronger protections for students with special needs
Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) has proposed legislation that would require schools to report any incidents involving law enforcement or child protective services within one day to local education agencies and the California Department of Education. AB 1172 was penned in response to the November 2018 death of 13-year-old Max Benson, a student with autism who died after being placed in a face-down restraint for one hour and 45 minutes by staff at Guiding Hands School in El Dorado County. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sponsored the bill, calling for a need for greater clarity and additional statutory requirements in nonpublic schools. “It would be an injustice to the families we serve if we did not do everything within our authority to ensure that students are placed in an environment where their safety is the number one priority of those who have been entrusted with their care,” he said in a statement.

----- DISTRICTS -----
Novato approves budget cuts
Novato USD trustees have approved $1.8m in cuts to the district’s preliminary $88m2019-20 budget, including about $800,000 in staff reductions through attrition from declining enrollment. In administrative cuts, the district will reduce staffing by 2.8 full-time positions. That includes closing the district’s print shop, resulting in the loss of an almost full time staff position, eliminating one full-time food service position, reducing office staffing by a half-time position and cutting a half-time coordinator financed by a grant. “Our declining enrollment is based on one factor,” assistant Superintendent Yancy Hawkins said. “Lower birth rates in Marin County. Starting in 2009, during the recession, birth rates in Marin County dropped from 2,800 births a year to 2,300 a year.”

Sac City settles on school start date
Sacramento City USD has pulled back on plans to change the start of its school calendar year. The district had previously announced that the year would begin August 14th, and end May 28th; however, it was unable to reach an agreement with labor unions on the proposed changes. The first day of school will be August 29th, and the last June 11th 2020. The district added it may push for an earlier start for the following year, however: “We want to give families plenty of advance notice that the district will once again be proposing an earlier start date for the 2020-21 school year and hope to begin negotiations with all of our labor partners on our proposed calendar very soon,” it said in a statement.
San Diego reaches agreement with union on special education services
San Diego USD has reached an agreement with the San Diego Education Association that will see it phase in lower caseloads for special education teachers who work with students who need mild or moderate support. The district will also hire 26 more special education teachers, and by fall 2020 it begins implementing a cap of 20 students per education specialist. San Diego officials had originally planned to increase caseloads by 20%, with some special education teachers reclassified as “resource specialists,” assigned up to 26 students each.

San Rafael board votes for district elections
San Rafael City Schools board members this week voted unanimously to switch to from at large elections to district elections, joining other local government and school agencies including Novato USD. The change aims to allow greater representation of "protected" classes by enabling specific neighborhoods to elect their own board members. The change will be affected in time for the next school board elections in 2020. The school board acted after receiving a legal warning from a Malibu attorney that staying with the large election model may leave the district liable to be sued under the California Voting Rights Act.

Santa Rosa school district, teachers union reach contract agreement
The Santa Rosa Teachers Association canceled a strike planning meeting yesterday, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with Santa Rosa City Schools offering a 3% raise in July, and a 4% raise the following year. The deal, which still needs to be ratified by the school board and the union’s 961 members, also includes a $1,500 increase in medical benefits over the next two years, creating a total of $6,800 in annual medical contributions for teachers. “I’m very happy about [the agreement],” said Will Lyon, union president. “Nobody wanted to go on strike.” He added: “This is a win-win. This is going to help teachers, and it’s going to help the district solve some of its systemic problems,” Lyon said. “It goes forward, not backward.”

----- FINANCE -----


Galt trustees approve early retirement incentive
Galt JUHSD trustees voted 5-0 this month to approve an early retirement incentive, offering eligible teachers the chance to retire early whilst securing a cost savings for the district. Five out of nine eligible GJUHSD teachers have accepted the offer, with the district set to save an estimated $200k by replacing leavers with teachers with some experience on mid-range salaries.

----- LEGAL -----

Lawsuit alleges Sac City decided layoffs behind closed doors
The Sacramento City Teachers Association has filed a lawsuit against Sacramento City USD, claiming that it has been holding discussions regarding budget cuts in closed session meetings, in violation of the state’s open meeting law. The teachers union said the district had closed session meetings in February and March that relied on discussions around budgetary matters; it then adopted resolutions for 163 teacher layoffs. The Ralph M. Brown Act stipulates that meetings on budget matters must be held in open session. The district denies the union’s allegations.
San Diego settles anti-Islamophobia case
San Diego USD has settled a lawsuit, first filed in 2017, targeting a now-shelved plan to target Islamophobia, in which parents and other groups accused the district of seeking to give Muslim students special treatment. The plaintiffs had argued in part that there was no Muslim bullying crisis, but rather the initiative was a pretext to establish the district’s preference for Muslim students in violation of the First Amendment. They also alleged that the district’s relationship with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, was unlawful. The district, which did not admit any liability, agreed as part of the deal to circulate information to school leaders describing “limits on the conduct of public school officials as it relates to religious activity.”

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

States need charter school reform
Jeremy Mohler, of national nonprofit In The Public Interest, warns that increased funding for charter schools is coming at the expense of traditional public schools. In states including California and Arizona, and cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C., more and more public money is being invested in charter schools as alternatives to neighborhood schools, he says, urging states to learn from the now "decades-long experiment" with charter schools and reform their laws to ensure that all public school students can attend great schools.

----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----

Admissions cheating scandal colleges now being investigated
The U.S. Department of Education has opened preliminary investigations into eight universities whose athletic coaches were allegedly part of the college-admissions cheating scheme being prosecuted by the Justice Department. Letters dated Monday were sent to Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin, Wake Forest University in North Carolina, the University of San Diego, Yale University and the University of California, Los Angeles, asking for details dating back a decade about how they convey their admissions policies and standards to consumers, as well as any reviews the schools have done of admissions decisions for recruited athletes. Additionally, former coaches from California universities are among a dozen individuals to plead not guilty yesterday to charge s related to their alleged involvement in the scheme. The defendants include Jorge Salcedo, the former head men’s soccer coach at UCLA; Donna Heinel, formerly USC’s senior associate athletic director; former USC women’s soccer coaches Ali Khosroshahin and Laura Janke; and ex-USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic.

Financial aid still comes with crippling debt for some UC students
Research from The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) and the University of California Student Association has found that students of color and low-income graduates are up to three times more likely to take on student loan debt than their white and wealthy peers at University of California schools. Although UC has strong financial aid offerings in place, 67% of African-American and 66% of Latino graduates left with loan debt, well ahead of the 40% of their white counterparts, and far above the 50% average for all students. “When you dig beneath averages, you start to see subgroups that are more affected than others,” said Laura Szabo-Kubitz, TICAS’ associate California program director and author of the study. She added that she hopes the report paves the way for UC to look into adjusting aid amounts based on a student’s family income and to strengthen the Cal Grant program.

Universities prioritizing out-of-state wealthy white students
Certain public universities disproportionately focus their recruiting efforts on out-of-state students from affluent, white communities and private schools, according to a new report by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Arizona. "In contrast to rhetoric from university leaders, our findings suggest strong socioeconomic and racial biases in the enrollment priorities of many public research universities," the report says.

----- INTERNATIONAL -----

Kenyan educator celebrates Global Teacher Prize
Peter Tabichi has been awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize in Dubai - in a ceremony hosted by U.S. actor Hugh Jackman. The Kenyan teacher, who has given away most of his earnings to the poor, won the $1 million prize on Sunday for his work teaching in a government-run school that has just one computer and shoddy Internet access.



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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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