ABCFT - YOUnionews - September 27 , 2019
HOTLINKS! In this edition of YOUnionews
| Previous Editions of YOUnionews
YOUnionews for September 20, 2019
YOUnionews for September 13, 2019
YOUnionews for September 6, 2019
YOUnionews for August 30, 2019
YOUnionews for June 13, 2019
YOUnionews for June 7, 2019
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(ABC Federation of Teachers)
In Unity
ABC Federation of Teachers
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K NOW YOUR CONTRACT
Class Size Correction, Teachers on School Site Council, and SPED IEP’s (recordings)
Correction: Our apologies for our flyer that we put out about class sizes. In our haste to get something out right away, we pulled out an older flyer with incorrect information. Hopefully this mix up did not cause too much confusion. Thank you to those kindergarten and transitional kindergarten who caught our errors.
TK Class Sizes were negotiated down to 28 students maximum (was 32) during the last master contract negotiations and kindergarten class was also changed to a maximum of 30 down from the 32 in the 2014 contract. Furthermore, if a TK class reaches an enrollment of 25 students a temporary paraeducator will be assigned to the class for 3 hours until enrollment is reduced to 24 or less.
The last day to balance classes and caseloads is October 1st. Please note that during the negotiations for the 2017-2020 Master Contract there was a change in the final date for administrators to balance classes/caseload and bring them in line with contractual maximums. This date is now October 1st and is no longer October 15th. This change was to address the earlier school calendar changes that have happened over the last decade.
Teachers Serving on School Site Councils must be elected. ABCFT has heard from members that there are school sites where there are either no teachers or there are no elections for school site council positions. Education code states that teachers are to be included in school site councils and that these elected positions have voting rights in these councils. All teacher representatives on a school site council must be elected by a secret ballot of the site unit members. Terms are for two years and should overlap so that all members are not elected in the same year.
You can’t be taped during any meeting or in your classroom without your permission. The exact words from the contract are “no electronic or mechanical surveillance shall take place without mutual consent (Article V. 10, paragraph D). While parents have the right to request in advance to record an IEP meeting, you don’t have to agree to be recorded. If they request to record the meeting, all involved teachers and medical professionals need to be notified so that they can decide if they are willing to consent to be recorded. ABCFT encourages its members to work with their principals and program specialist to create opportunities for reporting in a manner that is safe for all parties. A few more options are that you may choose to give your report in writing, ask to speak before the taping begins, or ask the district SPED representative to help you present your report.
Personal Learning Opportunity - Mindfulness
The second in the series of free members-only Personal Learning is Mindfulness offered by wellness coach, Donna Valenti. Have you ever wondered what your life could look like if you had more clarity, better focus, reduced stress and a sense of purpose, all while having success in your career, meaningful relationships, and the time in your day to enjoy the things you love? Are you over-stimulated, frenzied, stressed, exhausted, fatigued and desperate as you attempt to cope with the challenges of modern life? The culture of driving and nonstop activity is taking a huge toll on your health, happiness, and overall well-being. Let’s have some fun and learn how to give your body, mind, and spirit a fresh start.
Mindfulness
Personal Learning Opportunity
Tuesday, October 15th
from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
at Fedde Middle School MPR
21409 Elaine Ave, Hawaiian Gardens.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Seats are limited so be sure to sign up today!
Click the link to register for the Mindfulness Personal Learning Opportunity.
Picture of the Week
An ABCFT Member Needs Your Help
ABCFT is a community and when someone is in desperate need of help we all rally for that person. This is a special ask from a member who needs help to regain her health. Thank you for reading her story.
“My name is Jessica Sandoval. I have proudly work for the EDP for 28 years. I was educated here in ABC and my fond memories of childhood helped me develop a love for working with the families of ABCUSD. 
Five years ago, I was presented with a challenge when I have diagnosed with stage four renal failure and needed to start emergency dialysis. There have been some obstacles but for the most part but dialysis has helped me continue to enjoy life. I attend dialysis four days a week after work. I am electing to have a kidney transplant and have been accepted as a patient at UCLA medical center. While I feel so blessed to have this opportunity I am in need of a kidney donor. A kidney transplant will allow me to accomplish some educational goals, continue to advocate for school-age children, their families, and after school programs.”
If you or someone you know is interested in being a donor please call the UCLA Donor Hotline at [310] 267-6940.
______________________________
ABCFT 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. Throughout the year I find articles that are interesting and food for thought;
This has been a month of “Fierce Conversations” and this week didn’t disappoint. What do I mean by a fierce conversation you ask? A fierce conversation is that ground truth conversation you have with a student when you are correcting their behavior prior to the escalation of consequences. It is a conversation where you “put the cards on the table, or lay it all on the line.” It’s about having ground truth conversations about the current state of a situation without sugar-coating or avoiding difficult topics. Fierce conversations are about talking about situations but still allowing all stakeholders to have their dignity. A fierce conversation is sometimes the last conversation before things get ugly, but don't forget that fierce conversations are the most important conversations between stakeholders because these conversations are often the catalyst for needed changes. This week ABCFT had its final annual site rep training and one of the major topics of the day was how can have fierce conversations with their site administrators. Addressing problems directly and looking for solutions collaboratively is part of the culture of ABC. If you are interested in a copy of the Fierce Conversations book by Susan Scott send ABCFT an email (we have five extra copies).
Here are a few other examples of fierce conversations I’ve been a part of this week. For example, I visited multiple school sites this week and members expressed their frustration about a great many things. To name a few, the classroom teacher is burdened with PL training, behavior problems, “lawnmower parents”, GATE training, lack of materials, and just general confusion in trying to figure out why it feels like the district isn’t listening to teachers. Often these are emotional conversations and it is important that members are given an opportunity to speak. I listen carefully to what is being said because this is about a members working conditions and their overall job satisfaction. As president, I am an organizing vehicle to drive positive change for all members. Your stories, situations, needs, and frustration are the fuel that drives solutions. The most important question for members need to answer is what changes or actions are needed to help the member feel whole? Teachers are great at thinking on their feet and they often respond with great ideas that can be used for contract language or solutions on how to solve a problem. These conversations are no different then the conversations you have with students and parents on a regular basis. You have my sincere respect for how professionally you address difficult conversations daily.
Here are some short answers to some universal questions I’ve been hearing over the past week. Yes, we will be proposing for a stipend or some sort of compensation for GATE training while also pressuring academic services to modify their certification program to fit the needs of teachers. It is true that collaboration is about working together but it is not about concessions. Collaboration is about having fierce conversations about reality and the needs of teachers, nurses, and SLPs. If the contract is being violated or the member is being abused in some way, ABCFT reps and leadership will ensure that you are protected and will help you through the grievance process. We work with you to make you whole. Lastly, the negotiating team is pushing for the most money we can get out of the district for this school year. The ABCFT Negotiating Team will not be satisfied with an agreement with the District unless it is the best deal they can get for members(the next negotiations are on October 4th). Your support is noticed by administrators, teachers, and parents when you wear BLUE YOUnion SHIRTS during negotiating days. This action alone shows the Administration that we are UNITED in negotiations and that we will be heard and seen.
This week, our Chief Negotiator, Ruben Mancillas, and Executive VP, Tanya Golden also met with many of the nurses and Head Start teachers. I am meeting with ABC nurses every month in preparation for master contract negotiations. The best way to learn about someone's job is to spend time with them. The job of a school nurse is completely different from teachers but our goals are all the same. We are there for the students. In this week's meeting, I heard something profound and universal but made sense. Just like teachers and social workers, the nurse is at your school site is ensuring the physical and mental health of your students. In another meeting, Head Start teachers (in the picture above) have started a full-day program for the 2019-20 school year. This historic change has been difficult and there are many start-up problems. The information we gathered in our meeting will be used to push for solutions to help improve the working conditions of these teachers. Thanks to both the nurses and Head Start teachers for our productive meetings this week.
Finally, the fierce conversations that members have with me give me the emotional energy to fight for ABCFT members at the District or with administrators. Your frustration, anger, resentment or desire to be left alone so you can teach is heard and is turned into action. In closing, keep being real and telling me ground truth in our fierce conversations, these conversations make ABCFT STRONG.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 500 – Paid maternity leave for teachers and school workers
Please take a moment to send a letter to Governor Newsom today, urging him to sign Assembly Bill 500 (Gonzalez, D-San Diego) and stand with educators and support staff who wish to start families.
Sponsored by CFT, AB 500 would require K-12 school districts and community colleges to provide a minimum of six weeks of paid leave for pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, and recovery for both certificated and classified school employees.
Hard-working and dedicated educators and support staff should not be forced to decide between starting a family and keeping their jobs. Too many teachers and school workers are currently forced to “schedule” pregnancies based on the school calendar, or to try to get by without pay.
We salute Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for putting forward their ‘Parents Agenda’, aimed at improving the lives of California's families. Now Governor Newsom has the chance to take a strong stand for our teachers and school workers who wish to start families by signing AB 500.
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
o AFT Leaders,
The strike by members of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) against General Motors that began Sept. 15 entered its second week today. Although negotiations continued over the weekend and into today, news reports indicate that there are many issues that remain unresolved.
Some 49,000 UAW members work for GM. They are striking for fair pay and health benefits, true job security—including a path for temporary workers to achieve permanent seniority—and a fair share of GM’s profits for GM workers. Many of you have already joined a UAW picket line, and have supported these GM workers in their strike, as we have done in the battle to keep the Lordstown, Ohio, and Hamtramck, Mich., plants open. And I am certain that I expressed our collective and individual sentiments in the attached letter of solidarity I sent to UAW President Gary Jones.
Tomorrow, I will join a UAW picket line in Ohio. I urge all AFT locals and state federations to do what you can to support the UAW and its GM workers. Among the actions you can take:
Join the UAW’s 24-hour picket lines and turn out your members to those lines; you can click on this link https://uaw.org/gmbargaining/#
· Amplify the fight on social media; the UAW is using the following hashtags: #standwithus and #UAWStrike; you can find the UAW’s social media toolkit at this site: https://uaw.org/wp-content/
· If the UAW region and local in your area request it, donate non-cash supplies to strikers—food, water, etc. https://uaw.org/wp-content/
You can go to https://uaw.org/gmbargaining/#
In unity,
Randi
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
One-fifth of California students have considered suicide
About one in five California students surveyed by their school districts have thought about killing themselves, according to a new analysis by the Southern California News Group. A Southern California News Group analysis of the CalSCHLS suicide ideation question -part of a survey asking students about drug use, bullying, weapons, and other topics - averaged district-level data from 2013-14 through the 2016-17 school years. That analysis showed about 18% of the high school students surveyed in California public school districts expressed suicidal thoughts. California’s numbers “are in keeping with the national trend,” said Frank Worrell, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education and an expert in at-risk youth, “which does not make it any less serious.”
----- TEACHER JOBS -----
What’s the best U.S. state to work in as a teacher?
Personal finance website WalletHub has published its annual ranking of the best and worst U.S. states to be a teacher. The table is based on “opportunity and competition,” including such factors as average salary and starting pay, the potential for income growth, and job competition in the state; the remaining 30% of a state’s ranking comes from factors such as per-pupil spending, teacher-student ratios, and union strength. North Dakota took the top spot, scoring highly on student-teacher ratio, school safety, and growth in teacher salaries, it was followed by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Connecticut. The states that pay teachers the best in WalletHub's analysis, with salaries adjusted for cost of living, are Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Iowa.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Poverty drives achievement gaps, study says
Poverty, not racial segregation, is responsible for the racial achievement gap in U.S. schools, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University, who examined scores from hundreds of millions of tests over the last decade by students in thousands of school districts and found that students in high-poverty schools consistently performed worse than those from schools with children from wealthier families. “Racial segregation appears to be harmful because it concentrates minority students in high-poverty schools, which are, on average, less effective than lower-poverty schools,” academics explained. “Racial segregation matters, therefore, because it concentrates black and Hispanic students in high-poverty schools, not because of the racial composition of their schools, per se,” the study noted.
Free school lunches vulnerable under federal proposals
About a half-million students could lose access to free school meals under a federal proposal to limit the number of people who qualify for food stamps. Almost one in seven children came from households that were considered “food insecure” in 2018 and, under the plans, an estimated 3 million people could be cut from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, which is intended to eliminate eligibility for people who get food stamps because they have qualified for other forms of government aid.
SAT scores drop though participation rises
This year’s high school graduates' average SAT scores dropped by 9 points on last year's class, according to results just in, though more students nationwide took the exam through publicly-funded testing during the school day. The class of 2019 scored an average of 531 on evidence-based reading and writing, and 528 on math, resulting in a combined 1059 out of a maximum 1600. While some states offer only the SAT in school and others only the ACT, some provide no funds for testing in school while others leave the choice up to local schools. Maryland does not fund statewide SAT testing but school-day testing is available in 16 school systems, including those in Montgomery, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties and the city of Baltimore, significantly boosting SAT participation. By contrast, Virginia does not fund statewide SAT testing and has lower participation in the school-day movement than Maryland, though Fairfax County school officials have said they are considering fully funding SAT testing for the 2020-2021 school year.
Neo-segregation in schools examined
A new report by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder explores how secessions in Memphis, Tennessee, Pike Road in Alabama’s Montgomery Public Schools and East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana - part of a trend of neo-segregation in which predominantly white and relatively affluent areas divorce themselves from school districts that are majority-minority and have greater poverty – have increased racial segregation. In total, 47 secessions occurred between 2000 and 2017 in 13 counties, seven of which are located in the South, and on average, the report says, the secessions increased the proportion of racial segregation attributed to school district boundaries - as opposed to segregation between schools. Study contributor Erica Frankenberg of Pennsylvania State University comments: “If this trend continues, students of color increasingly will be sorted into schools with fewer resources, segregation will become more ingrained, and all students will have fewer opportunities to experience the educational benefits of a diverse learning environment.”
Fewer people defaulting on federal loans
The Education Department has revealed that the share of people not making payments on their federal student loans within three years of leaving college is at the lowest level in seven years. Figures show 10.1% of borrowers who began repayment October 1, 2015, defaulted by September 30, 2018, a 6.5% decline from the prior cycle. More than 4.5m people from 6,130 schools began repaying their federal student loans in October 2015. Of those, 458,687 defaulted. Angela Morabito, a spokeswoman for the department, said: “We are glad to see that the cohort default rate continues to decline. The Department is committed to ensuring borrowers are equipped with the information, tools, and resources they need to make informed decisions.” Cohort default rates, as the three-year metric is known, are used to determine whether colleges are eligible to receive federal student aid. The Education Department can lev y sanctions on schools with default rates of about 30% for three consecutive years or 40% for a year.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California education panel tackles ethnic studies curriculum
Dozens of teachers, activists, former officials and community members from all over California visited the California Department of Education on Friday to give their input on how the state should move forward with the ethnic studies curriculum. The proposed 550-page curriculum was designed by ethnic studies leaders from various school districts and universities, appointed by the State Board of Education. It received support from 22 California State University Ethnic Studies departments, educational leaders throughout the state, and both the San Francisco Unified and San Diego Unified School Districts; however, a number of groups, including the Jewish Caucus, the curriculum omits discussions of anti-Semitism and delves into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “with strong bias and little nuance.” The caucus also stated that the curriculum is too critical of Israel. Several civic groups representing other communities — including Armenian, Hindu and Punjabi communities — voiced concern that the curriculum omits their communities’ struggles when immigrating to the U.S.
Hundreds of California school administrators have pensions that exceed IRS limits
Hundreds of California school administrators hired decades ago are collecting retirement incomes that are too big to qualify as public pensions under federal tax law. CalSTRS issued payments last year for 359 pensions over the IRS public pension limit, according to the retirement system’s data. The IRS limit varies per person based on retirement age, years worked and a range of benefit decisions, but is based on a benchmark annual amount that in 2018 was $220,000. Among the retirees and beneficiaries whose pensions exceeded limits, 151 received $220,000 or more last year. The rest made less but still exceeded the limit based on other factors. Pensions for 343 of them were above $100,000.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Palm Springs launches financial literacy pilot
A group of Palm Springs USD middle and high school students are to take two online courses aimed at giving them the skills they need to make good financial decisions and track their monthly expenses. The information garnered through the pilot program will help District officials design a new financial literacy program for secondary students. “At the end of the pilot, ETIS (Educational Technology and Information Services) and Educational Services will use the data to help plan for a permanent Financial Literacy program that we can scale to fit our students’ needs,” said ETIS Director Will Carr. “If all of the students complete the course along with the pre and post-assessments, the class(es) will be rewarded with a party.”
----- SPORTS -----
CIF plans summit to address decline in high school football participation
Plans are in the preliminary stages to hold a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) football summit in February to address declining participation in high school football in the state. The CIF’s 10 section commissioners, together with coaches, will look into why football participation has declined by more than 12,000 students over the past four years. Executive director Ron Nocetti said he wanted to see how the issues differed from school to school and section to section and seek ideas to reverse participation numbers back into the positive. A survey to seek information from students no longer playing football to determine why they stopped also could be possible.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Teachers looking out for transgender kids
Advocates say teachers, who are increasingly acting to support transgender kids in schools, still have further to go in providing safe, supportive, and inclusive classrooms for transgender and gender-nonconforming students - who are more likely to miss school, have lower grades, and view their school climate negatively than their peers. Sophia Arredondo, director of education and youth programs at GLSEN, says: "Educators really need guidance on these issues. Most of them will tell you they don't want to do anything wrong. They want to be as supportive as possible." Christopher Henry Hinesley, assistant director for campus life at the Q Center at Rochester Institute of Technology, says students seem to be beginning to transition or come out at earlier ages: "I know we have a generation coming who will have already transitioned in middle school or elementary school. That means that teachers of all grade levels need to embed LGBTQ experiences into their curricula, Hinesley said. Just four states - Illinois, California, New Jersey, and Colorado - have mandated teaching LGBTQ history in the last few years," he asserts
San Jose high school opens wellness center
Pioneer High School has opened a Wellness Center, funded with a $49,000 mental health grant from San Jose USD. The facility features couches, bean bag chairs, gentle music, and soft lighting. Coordinator Amy Hernandez says it's a space where students can calm their mind, whether it's reading about mindfulness or practicing yoga. "They'll try meditation, they'll try a meditative app, they'll work with the stress toys, for some students it's sketching," she explained. If it's during class time, students need a pass from their teacher, and they get about 20 minutes in the center. Organizers say students must first identify why they are coming in, rate their wellness and then find a coping strategy.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Hundreds of schools hit by ransomware this year
Ransomware attacks have impacted 49 U.S. school districts and educational institutions, making the education sector the second most-popular for cyber-attackers. As many as 500 K-12 schools were hit in the first nine months of 2019, versus just 11 last year, and Connecticut has the dubious honor of being the state with the highest number of compromised school districts, with seven hit, covering 104 schools. Chris Hinkley, head of threat resistance at cloud security vendor Armor, explains: “Cyber-criminals know these organizations can’t afford to shut down, they are often using out-of-date hardware and software, and they have few security measures in place. This is a deadly combination in the case of a ransomware attack, which provides for a high sense of urgency and a high probability of large payments.”
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Caltech receives $750m pledge for sustainability and climate research
The California Institute of Technology has announced its largest ever gift, a $750m pledge from Stewart Resnick and Lynda Resnick, the family that owns The Wonderful Company. The donation, the second biggest ever to a U.S. academic institution, will create a permanent endowment to fund studies across the school, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA. It will also support the building of a new facility that will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research on topics including solar power, plastics, ecology and biosphere engineering. A new 75,000 sq ft building will be constructed at Caltech and named the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center. It will be the hub for energy and sustainability research on campus and have state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching labs.
----- OTHER -----
Americans trust school principals, survey says
American adults overwhelmingly trust school principals to care about people, responsibly manage resources, and to provide fair and accurate information, according to a new survey by the nonprofit Pew Research Center. Religious leaders, journalists and local elected officials didn’t fare as well, but lower results came in for members of Congress and leaders of technology companies.
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT started 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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