ABCFT - YOUnionews - May 22, 2020
Member Voices - We Want to Hear from YOU
YOU are a vital part and voice of the YOUnion. ABCFT leadership wants to know what is on your mind. Do you still have unanswered questions? Still unsure about remote learning, contact language, salary, negotiations, evaluations or anything else related to our current working conditions, click this link here. All questions will be anonymous. For universal issues, we will address the answers each week in our Tuesday Talk.
TEACHER LEADERS PROGRAM by Tanya Golden
Register today for the Teacher Leaders Virtual Showcase on May 26th - For the third year, in conjunction with our national affiliate, AFT, we are proud to offer the ABCFT Teacher Leaders Program. The Teacher Leaders met monthly this last year to learn about local, state, and national union and education-related issues. The Teacher Leaders Program is designed to give a voice to the experts of education, our teachers and nurses, who understand the complexities of providing a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environments for the students and family communities we serve.
After working tirelessly throughout the school year, ABCFT Teacher Leaders will be sharing the results of their action research virtually at our third annual showcase. The intent of their action research is to influence education policy. Each participant self-selects their research topic. Some of the research areas covered this year are kindergarten and preschool readiness and a variety of models, interventions, strategies to improve student and teacher well-being as well supports for teachers. We are hoping you can find time in your busy schedule to join us in celebrating and supporting the hard work of your fellow educators and union activists.
Tuesday, May 26th
4:00-6:30 pm
CALL TO ACTION - Tell Congress: Pass State and Local Aid
It’s time to press Congress as hard as we can to fund the frontlines of this pandemic. And it’s the Senate majority that is the real problem.
Members of Congress have a choice: They can stand with McConnell and his corporate donors, or they can stand with the frontline workers, like teachers and nurses, who are getting us through this crisis—and will continue to do so in its aftermath. Standing with the heroes means Congress must provide state, local and school aid while state economies are effectively shut down.
State and local stabilization funds aren’t the most exciting issue to talk to Congress about. And that’s part of what McConnell is counting on. He thinks the public doesn’t care and won’t speak out. But we will. Because we know this aid is critical for all of our communities. We can’t let him or Donald Trump forfeit our future.
What are we talking about in real terms? We’re talking about money that states are spending on expenses like providing COVID-19 testing to their residents; acquiring personal protective equipment for their healthcare workers; and paying the salaries of the public safety officers who are protecting us, and the educators and school staff who are teaching students remotely, and even feeding them, during this pandemic. This is money that states need to be able to continue to save lives while their revenues are way down because of high unemployment and shut down hotels, stores, restaurants and so much else.
NEGOTIATION UPDATE - KEEPING YOU INFORMED-Ruben Mancillas
Notes From Underground
The latest news from the state regarding the overall budget and the impact on ABCUSD is not good. While the May revises is more of an estimate given that the tax collection deadline was extended from April to June the preliminary numbers are sobering. Governor Newsom proposed a 10% cut to public education statewide and while there are some small glimmers of positive news, more funding for special education, for example, the magnitude of the cuts means that everyone will be adversely affected. The implications for us at the local level are similar. Our district has a healthy reserve that we are willing to use to help get through this crisis but the deficit is so large that cuts that no one wants will need to be part of the solution. To compound matters, we are not only dealing with an economic crisis but a health crisis at the same time. That is what makes our current situation even more challenging than the recession we successfully navigated in 2008.
Questions remain about what school will look like when we return and the answers to some of these questions inform how we are going to approach next year’s budget. Our first priority is everyone’s health and safety. But the particulars of which model we might use to deliver instruction are still dependent on guidance from the state and updated public health data. ABCFT will continue to work with the district as we fight to protect our members. A consistent part of our message is that any changes to working conditions and compensation must be negotiated rather than simply imposed.
I am also a strong proponent of the principle that our members should not be asked to do even more in unfamiliar conditions while at the same time being burdened with financial sacrifices. Hopefully, the August revise numbers will be better. And significant federal stabilization funds that would mitigate the majority of the proposed cuts for states and districts have already been passed by the House of Representatives in the form of the HEROES act. But for now we are focusing on closing out this school year and preparing for an online summer school.
The negotiating team will be meeting with the district in the coming weeks to find equitable solutions for our intertwined problems; how to address our budget shortfall while delivering quality instruction in the middle of a pandemic? We are confident we can get through this together and will continue to keep all of our members informed with surveys and updates throughout the process.
In Unity,
Ruben
MAY ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
This month’s academic service update is vital for all teachers. We hope that you will take a moment to look at this monthly report which discusses changes in academic services. This document provides the union with a means of giving the District feedback on the many programs or changes they are proposing at any one time. Without your feedback or questions on these changes, it is harder for ABCFT to slow down and modify the district’s neverending roll out of new projects. Please submit your comments and questions to the appropriate ABCFT liaison.
Resources on ShareMyLesson.com for Special Education:
For Elementary curricular issues please email Kelley at Kelley.Forsythe@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
For Secondary curricular issues please email Rich at Richard.Saldana@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
For Special Education issues please email Stefani at stefani.palutzke@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Communication is a union’s most important tool for advocating for its members at the bargaining table. Every conversation with the membership is focused on the end result of negotiating for the future prosperity and wellbeing of ABCFT members. The purpose of this weekly report is to keep the membership informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental wellbeing. Together we make the YOUnion.
Another crazy week with more changes, more uncertainty, and more adjustments for everyone. At the end of last week and the beginning of this week there has been a flurry of activity over elementary and secondary grading policies and how they are impacting students and graduating seniors. In the big scheme of life this drama over grades will be insignificant but it has been a frustration for some and a nightmare for others. Throughout this shutdown, the changes in our grading policies have caused many teachers to reflect on the purpose of grades and how our own belief systems are reflected in our own grading practices. Are we as teachers grading ability on a level scale or an effort differential based on student abilities, or weighing out the significance of instructional participation? When we as an institution go back to the new normal I am sure that the intense discussions of our grading systems and their reflection of the purpose of education will continue.
This week was significant also because we now have a better understanding of how the governor’s 10% budget cut will play out in ABC and in the short term things are not favorable and there will be cuts next year. How deep those cuts go and the impact of those cuts will be decided by the Federal government’s Heroes Act that is now working its way through Congress. Timing is everything and Districts across the nation will be looking to the Federal government to throw State budgets a lifeline in their greatest time of need. This is no exaggeration when I say lifeline, this money is critical to keeping the system moving. I hope that you will go to the article at the top of this YOUnionews to send your representatives a letter in support of money for education. The form is easy to use and the application doesn’t put you on an email spam list.
The preliminary ABC budget report for June will not look good but we must look at this negotiating as a three-month-long process and that in an opening proposal things always look the worst. ABC as a District has a 10 million dollar hole to fill in district budget without any support from the federal government. We’ve all been hearing that Congress is working on “something” to help States which in turn will help school districts. Those decisions in Congress will happen over the next couple of months. In the meantime, you will hear rumors and you will hear about possible cuts. Just know that these proposed cuts will be part of a larger negotiation that will in the end have a solution you help to bargain but also a solution you understand and can live with. ABCFT will be sending more information next week about the district budget and how together we can make the choices that will get us through this time of uncertainty.
ABCFT is committed to not only keeping any proposed cuts far away from our classrooms but also ABCFT is committed to protecting its members. Nothing is more important during this time than having peace of mind by knowing that you are being protected and that you and your family are ABCFT’s number one priority.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Proposed 10% cut to K-12 schools, community colleges, and UC will hurt students and threaten California’s economic recovery
Yesterday Governor Newsom introduced his updated state budget, which included a proposed 10% cut to K-12 schools, community colleges, and the University of California.
In a statement released following the Governor’s announcement, CFT President Jeff Freitas urged the Governor and lawmakers to show resolve to protect students and schools from the proposed cuts, which threaten their future.
“A 10% cut to our schools will hurt our students and endanger the economic recovery of the state,” said Freitas. “All available solutions, from federal stimulus dollars to expanding California’s revenue streams, must be considered.”
CFT urges Congress and the President to immediately pass the HEROES Act, a proposed second COVID-19 recovery bill that would invest nearly $1 trillion in state and local governments, including $100 billion in public schools and colleges.
We also urge our elected leaders in Sacramento to look at every possible avenue to avoid the proposed cuts. At the community college level, instead of cutting essential services to students, lawmakers should instead look to cutting duplicative programs such as Calbright College.
Urge Governor Newsom to close Calbright College
Part-time faculty from across the state are being told that their classes are going to be cancelled in the fall. If allowed to go through, these cuts will devastate not only the jobs and futures of these valuable educators, but the ability of our community colleges to meet the needs of our students and the newly unemployed workers who desperately need our community colleges to help them re-enter the workforce.
Please sign this letter now, urging Governor Newsom to close the misguided and mismanaged Calbright College, and invest the critical resources back into our traditional community colleges. Our colleagues’ jobs may depend on it!
K-12 leader to join CFT President Jeff Freitas on Facebook Live today at 3:00 p.m.
CFT President Jeff Freitas will be joined by Nelly Vaquera-Boggs, President of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, on Facebook Live today at 3:00 p.m. to discuss how her members are finding innovative ways to support their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in on CFT’s Facebook page.
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
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
California schools face ‘devastating’ coronavirus cuts as they struggle to reopen
California school districts face major funding cuts that could potentially lead to teacher and staff layoffs and leave some schools struggling to safely reopen campuses in the fall, according to district officials and educators. The proposed budget hit to schools, about $19bn split over the next two years, worsens their existing financial challenges and does little to help with pandemic-related costs. Responding to the revised budget unveiled Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, president of the California School Boards Association, said: “This budget would be insufficient in ordinary times, and is less than what is required for most schools to reopen safely during a pandemic.” Other school leaders likened the proposed cuts to those during the Great Recession of a decade ago. “The proposed education cuts for the 2020-21 budget will be devastating at a time when students need more support,” said E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Association, and “will lead to cuts to vital student programs, educator layoffs, furlough days and pay cuts just like it did during the last recession when we lost 33,000 educators.”
California schools say budget cuts will delay reopening
Six California school districts representing more than 900,000 students say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $14bn in budget cuts will delay the reopening of schools. Officials with Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and Long Beach have signed a letter stating: “We cannot in good conscience risk the health and safety of our students and staff by returning to the classroom prematurely and without funding for the necessary precautions" given the lack of nationwide testing and a better understanding of the virus. The superintendents suggest several ways to bridge the funding gap, including a new statewide utility charge to provide all students with internet at home. The schools would like flexibility to reduce the school year without penalty and to suspend new mandates, according to the letter. The Legislature must approve a revised budget by mid-June.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
CDC Releases Guidance Offering Scant Details For Schools Deciding How To Reopen
The New York Times (5/15, Bogel-Burroughs) reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday “released six flow charts meant to help schools, restaurants, transit systems and other businesses decide when to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, the agency’s first release of such guidance after a more comprehensive draft was rejected by the White House.” The public release of the guidance “comes after a tumultuous back-and-forth between the C.D.C. and the White House.”
Chalkbeat (5/15, Narbum) reported the CDC document is a single page, “and suggests that officials consider three questions before deciding to reopen: Is doing so consistent with state and local directives? Can the school protect at-risk staff and students? Can staff and students be screened for symptoms and prior exposure to the coronavirus?” The guidance provides several common-sense tips for schools, like “encourage anyone who is sick to stay home” and “promote healthy hygiene practices such as hand washing.”
Education Week’s (5/15, Blad) “Politics K-12” blog reported the document “still leaves unanswered questions for education groups that have called for more detailed federal guidance on the issue.” For example, the guidance “does not address questions about seemingly conflicting parts of previously announced White House guidance on ‘reopening the country.’”
U.S. News & World Report (5/15) reported the head of the national school superintendents association is urging district leaders to follow a leaked document the “CDC prepared for the White House that provides step-by-step instructions to help education officials, business owners and others begin reopening their communities.” These documents were buried, according to the AP, “by White House officials who preferred less restrictive guidance that left discretion up to state and local leaders rather than a national response.” Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association, stated: “The bottom line is that this new guidance is underwhelming. The proposal that was leaked we found very comprehensive, providing the specificity we had been looking for. Apparently that was too specific for the administration and was squelched.”
Betsy DeVos defends decision to direct stimulus money to private schools
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has defended her decision to direct federal stimulus money away from high-poverty public schools and to private schools serving wealthy students. In an interview with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, on Sirius XM radio, Dolan asked DeVos if she was trying to “utilize this particular crisis to ensure that justice is finally done to our kids and the parents who choose to send them to faith-based schools,” to which she replied “Yes, absolutely. For more than three decades, that has been something I’ve been passionate about. This whole pandemic has brought into clear focus that everyone has been impacted and we shouldn’t be thinking about students that are in public schools vs. private schools.” Congressional Democrats have pushed back on the policy; a letter co-signed by Rep. Bobby Scott, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, lawmakers said DeVos' efforts run "in contravention of both the plain reading of the statute and the intent of Congress." Scott is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Murray is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
USDA extends child nutrition program flexibilities
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced the extension of three nationwide waivers to provide child nutrition program operators flexibility to continue feeding children while respecting social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has extended the following waivers nationwide through August 31; Non-Congregate Feeding, which allows meals to be served to children outside of the normally-required group setting, Parent Pickup, which allows parents or guardians to pick up meals and bring them home to their children, and also Meal Times Standards, to allow grab-n-go options and for multiple days-worth of meals to be provided at once. In addition, the FNS is approving states for Pandemic-EBT, which provides food-purchasing benefits, equal to the value of school meals, to households with children who would otherwise be receiving free or reduced-price meals at school.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California Governor Proposes Education Cuts To Cover Budget Shortfall
The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle (5/15, Koseff) reported California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a revised state budget plan Thursday that dropped guaranteed funding for public schools and community colleges “by $19 billion, or nearly a quarter, compared to January projections.” To cover the deficit, Newsom “proposed using federal stimulus money, redirecting pension payments and temporarily raising corporate taxes,” but the state still faces “a nearly $7 billion shortage next year for school funding, the single biggest item in the state budget, as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the economy.”
Politico (5/14, Mays) reports Newsom said Thursday that a reduction in Proposition 98 “will create a $15.1 billion shortfall for K-12 schools and community colleges in 2020-21 thanks to pandemic-fueled revenue losses.” To mitigate this, Newsom “is recommending a host of options, starting with $4.4 billion California received as part of the federal CARES Act.” He said these funds will “address learning loss and equity issues exacerbated by the Covid-19 school closures” and to otherwise modify campuses “including supporting an earlier start date for the next school year.” Newsom is also “redirecting $2.3 billion he had proposed to help pay down school pension obligations and clearing out $524 million from the education rainy-day fund to ease the strain.”
The Los Angeles Times (5/15, Blume, Agrawal) reported additional cuts “include a 10% reduction under a state funding formula that prioritizes aid to English learners and to students from low-income families. Similar reductions will apply to specialized programs such as vocational and teacher training.” Newsom further “zeroed out ambitious programs announced in January, such as an effort to combat the state’s teacher shortage and expand the quality and quantity of early education.” The governor, however, did preserve “an increase to state funding to serve students with disabilities.”
California education chief previews ‘new normal’
Most public school districts in California are planning to reopen campuses on their regular start dates in late August and September, state Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday - but the new normal amid the coronavirus outbreak will likely include masks, daily school sanitation and smaller class sizes to maintain six feet of distance, along with a combination of in-person and distance learning. Thurmond said the state was not mandating when schools would open and that the California Department of Education was working with public health officials, school leaders and workplace safety experts to compile guidelines for how to do so safely. “There will not be a common opening, rather school districts will make their own decisions about when they will open,” he said. The state education department will release guidance for the first time later today for how districts can safel y reopen schools.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Poway faces $57m loss from COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic and its related closures will have an impact of about $57m on Poway ISD, according to district staff. According to Ron Little, associate superintendent of business support services, the district is facing about $47.6m in pandemic-related expenditures and another $9.5m in lost revenue for the 2019-20 school year. The latter total includes about $350,000 in bus pass fee refunds, $400,000 in facilities use refunds $79,119 in adult education tuition refunds for cancelled classes, $2.6m in Food and Nutrition meal sales, and $6m in Extended School Services program revenues, for the district’s before- and after-school programs. Little said more will be known and presented to the board, along with possible budgetary solutions, at the board’s two June meetings
LA schools’ distance learning amid coronavirus has uneven results, survey says
Parents fear that their children are losing vital learning opportunities with school campuses closed due to the coronavirus, according to a new survey. In Los Angeles, fewer than half of families in a recent poll of public school students said distance learning has been successful, and more than half also report one or more family members losing jobs, the district reported. “The survey results don’t surprise me,” said UCLA education professor Pedro Noguera. “Many of the concerns raised by parents were present before the pandemic. Now they have been exacerbated. Superintendent Austin Beutner called attention to poverty in his weekly update, which is broadcast on Mondays. Before the pandemic, he said, 70% of district families reported a household income of less than $50,000 and 35% less than $25,000. Since then, 57% of families reported at least one household member who has lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Let that sink in,” Beutner said. “Most families were struggling to get by before this crisis and for more than half of them, their situation has gotten worse.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
Some US schools are pulling the plug on distance learning
Some US school districts are beginning to call time on distance learning as it's too stressful, the lack of devices and internet access is too much to overcome and what students get from it just isn't worth the struggle. Officials in some suburban districts in Nebraska, Washington, D.C. and some in New Hampshire say they want to relieve stress on families, ease problems for students without internet access and focus instead on preparing for a fresh start in the fall. Andrew McEachin, an education policy researcher at RAND Corp, however warns that kids in struggling households may suffer most from being cut off from the normalcy of a school routine. “I think the biggest thing about cutting a school year short is not what it does on average, but what it does on equity. Even if school isn’t working as well as we want it to be, that may be the best access low income students have to learning,” he says.
Analysis: This Year’s “Summer Slide” May Permanently Affect Low-Income Students
Evan Mandery, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, writes in Politico (5/17, Mandery) that society has not “begun to reckon with how uniquely harsh the effects of the pandemic will be for economically disadvantaged students.” A recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers found that, “during the school year, low-income students learn at more or less the same pace as students from higher-income families.” But the same study “found that during summer recess students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds lost 1.90 points in reading comprehension test scores while students from families with higher incomes gained 46.58 points.” Mandery is especially worried about “summer slides” because “their effects are cumulative. By the time a student gets to middle school, they’ve lost an average of two years to summer slide.” Plus, as “certainly as epidemiologists know that relaxing social distancing measures will cause people to die,” Mandery says “closing schools will cause economically disadvantaged students to fall further behind.” He concludes, “Without immediate action, the resulting gap in educational outcomes will be impossible to repair.
----- FINANCE -----
Federal relief ‘key’ to cushioning falling tax revenues, academics warn
Christiana McFarland, Research Director at the National League of Cities (NLC), and Brenna Rivett, a principal research associate at the NLC’s Center for City Solutions, underline the impact of local tax revenue shortfalls on public services, including school finance, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysing the U.S. Census Bureau, along with unemployment projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the academics found a 1 percentage point increase in unemployment results in a 3.02% budget shortfall for cities, towns and villages, which collectively amounts to over $360bn in projected lost revenues between 2020 and 2022. The portion of revenues for cities, towns and villages generated by sales and income taxes will have the largest relative fiscal impact on budget shortfalls, they add, followed by revenues generated by fees and charges and then property tax revenues. "Federal relief for local governments who have been on the frontlines of this crisis is critical to ensuring that families and workers in our communities will be safer, healthier and more prosperous, and that our national economy is resilient in the face of this unprecedented, pandemic-induced recession," they assert.
----- LEGAL -----
Class-action lawsuit filed over AP testing issues
A class-action lawsuit has been filed over the technological glitches experienced by some students taking the online Advanced Placement (AP) tests. While the College Board said last week that it had found the problems students faced submitting answers were largely caused by outdated browsers and students’ failure to see messages announcing the end of an exam, the lawsuit, filed in California by parents on behalf of students who could not submit answers, as well as by the National Center of Fair and Open Testing, a nonprofit organization known as FairTest, which advocates end the misuse of standardized tests, demands that the College Board score their answers instead of requiring them to retake the test in June - along with over $500 million in compensatory damages. The lawsuit, dated Tuesday, claims that students’ inability to submit answers was the fault of the exam creators and it charges that the College Board engaged in a number of “illegal activities,” including breach of contract, gross negligence, misrepresentation and violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Lori Loughlin to plead guilty in college cheating scam
Former Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, will plead guilty in the college admissions scandal for paying to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as fake rowing recruits. Known as Aunt Becky in the popular TV sitcom, Loughlin has agreed to a sentence of two months in prison, a $150,000 fine and two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service Politico
----- WORKFORCE ----
Many principals considering leaving, survey reveals
Almost half (42%) of US school principals are currently considering leaving their roles, according to a new report based on a survey conducted by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which reveals concerns over heavy workloads, low compensation and lack of evaluation practices. Principals surveyed also complained that they lack decision-making authority and access to professional development and learning opportunities. The number of principals planning to leave is higher for those in high-poverty and rural schools.
Teachers working less per day during pandemic
A new survey of the nation’s educators from the Education Week Research Center has found that teachers are working an average of seven hours a day, compared with nine hours a day before schools closed due to the coronavirus. Teachers in the highest-poverty districts reported working seven hours per day, one less than their counterparts in the lowest-poverty districts; a switch from the pre-COVID era, when teachers in districts where 75% or more of students came from families living in poverty reported working nine hours per day, compared with eight hours per day among teachers in districts where less than a quarter of students come from families living in poverty. Other findings from the survey include that teachers are spending less time teaching new material, while student engagement is much lower than it was before the lockdown. Access and connectivity gaps are still an issue for many, with 59 % of teachers saying their schools had at least one device for every student in May, just two points up on the same in February.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
CDC reopening guidelines finally released
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published its detailed, delayed road map for reopening schools, child-care facilities and public transit networks, which suggests that coronavirus transmission rates should dictate the pace. The 60-page document was posted without fanfare, following much debate over whether the guidelines were too restrictive. For schools, the CDC recommended desks at least six feet apart and facing the same direction, lunch in classrooms, staggered arrival times, cloth masks for staff and daily temperature screenings for all. It advised that buses leave every other row empty and that child-care centers limit sharing of art supplies. The agency also said schools must have adequate supplies for proper hygiene, including soap, hand sanitizer and no-touch trash cans, and that windows and doors should be left open to help air circulate. The document does not mention a "hybrid" model for schooling that would combine in-person and online education, though many districts are already considering such a strategy.
Superintendents dismiss CDC's updated reopening guidance
School superintendents appear to prefer the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's original leaked guidance for making decisions about how and when to reopen schools, which the White House brushed off last month, to the newly-published updated federal guidance. The CDC's original documents were buried by officials who preferred guidance which left discretion up to state and local leaders rather than a national response, however the long-awaited updated CDC guidance, which is a simple one-page decision tree which prompts more questions than provides answers, has left many school leaders underwhelmed. "Our recommendation to our members will be to follow that first report, official or not, because at least it gives pretty specific guidelines," says Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. US News and World Report
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
Pajaro Valley hands charter more classrooms
The Pajaro Valley USD Board of Trustees has approved a plan to give additional space to its newest charter school. Watsonville Prep School,which already occupies seven portable classrooms at E.A. Hall Middle School,will now take another four rooms at Ann Soldo Elementary School. The Trustees denied the organization’s initial charter petition in 2018, and the Santa Cruz County office of Education denied it on appeal three months later. But in January 2019 the State Board of Education approved the petition. Under a state law known as Prop 39, PVUSD must provide space for the charter school, the district’s financial state notwithstanding. Watsonville Prep, which is run by Navigator Schools, started with 180 students in kindergarten through second grade, and plans to add one grade per year until it has an eighth grade. The school’s charter calls for a total of 420 students when fully operational in 2023.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Technical Problems Frustrate Online AP Exams
USA Today (5/15, Richards, West, Altavena) reported “submission hiccups, registration problems, outdated computer browsers and plain old human error...dampened the roll-out of online Advanced Placement exams” last week. The College Board “quickly pivoted in March to create shortened, online versions of the tests” and it “included safeguards” for cheating. “Remarkably, it’s worked for a majority of students: The College Board said that out of 1.6 million tests taken since testing began Monday, more than 99% have been submitted without a hitch.” But that “remaining 1% – 10,000 students or more – is a vocal bunch.”
The New York Times (5/16, Gross) reported technical glitches “have heightened stress for students and families figuring out a process that’s anxiety-inducing even under the best of circumstances.” Zach Goldberg, a College Board spokesman, said in a statement, “We share the deep disappointment of students who were unable to complete their exam. ... We’re working to understand these students’ unique circumstances in advance of the June makeup exams.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education (5/15, Hoover) reported the College Board’s figures say tech troubles hampered nearly 15,000 exams. Yet “the organization’s numbers didn’t seem to square with what many high-school counselors were hearing,” as emails sent to the Chronicle found that “more than a dozen said 5 to 10 percent of their students had faced technical problems that kept them from submitting exam answers.”
The Washington Post (5/17, Strauss) reports the College Board “said Sunday that it will allow some test-takers to email their responses this coming week,” but “that does not apply to students who” had trouble with last week’s exams. The College Board “posted on its website details of the change, starting Monday, explaining how students taking browser-based AP exams can email their responses immediately if they are unable to submit them the preferred way.”
----- SPORTS -----
High school sports reopening guidelines published
The National Federation of State High School Associations has released a set of guidelines for state associations to follow as they "reopen" high school athletics during the coronavirus pandemic. State, local or school district guidelines for cloth face coverings should be strictly followed, the guidance asserts, though exceptions will be made for swimming, distance running and other high intensity aerobic activity. Locker rooms will not be utilized. In phase three, providing that phases one and two have been successful, gatherings of up to 50 individuals will be allowed indoors and outdoors.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Nearly half of U.S. families say the pandemic has changed their college plans
According to a survey funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by Civis Analytics, nearly 50% of American parents say the coronavirus pandemic has led them to change the education plans they had made this year for their children post-high school. Non-white families report they are most affected by the virus and its economic fallout. Among black parents, 59% say their children’s post-high school plans have changed. An even greater number of Latinx families, 61%, report they are changing plans for their children. By contrast, 43% of white families have changed plans.
California community college chancellor endorses going online-only this fall
California’s 115 community colleges will likely remain an online system of higher education in the fall, its chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley said yesterday. “As we transition to the fall, many of our colleges have already announced that they’re going fully online in the fall,” Oakley said. “I encourage them to continue to do so. I fully believe that that will be the most relevant way for us to continue to reach our students and to do it in a way that commits to maintaining equity for our students.” Oakley’s remarks began the meeting of California Community Colleges Board of Governors meeting, the body that oversees the system of 2.1m students. He also cautioned against advocates who want to pull money from one community college program to support others. “It’s increasingly important that we stay together in our advocacy in this budget year, not to pick one college or one part of the budget and try to use that to mitigate cuts, but to protect all of our colleges to protect all parts of our budget,” Oakley said.
UC imposes pay freeze as losses mount
The University of California is imposing a system-wide freeze on salaries of its non-unionized employees due to enormous financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, President Janet Napolitano said Monday. Napolitano is taking a 10% voluntary pay cut, as are the system’s 10 chancellors, she said in a statement that was sent to faculty and staff systemwide. She said her office has initiated conversations with union leaders so they understand the seriousness of the financial situation. “I know some of this news is unsettling, during an already difficult time,” Napolitano said. “The present realities and ongoing uncertainties, however, require us to take actions in order to adjust to current circumstances.” UC estimates financial losses of nearly $1.2bn from mid-March through April
USC to raise tuition 3.5%
The University of Southern California will increase tuition 3.5% for the 2020-2021 academic year regardless of whether it holds most classes online. Undergraduate tuition will be set at $59,260, an increase of $2,004. School trustees approved the tuition increase before the pandemic, a USC statement said. “It mirrors last year’s change in tuition, which was among the smallest percentage increases in 50 years,” the statement said. The hike “will help fund the high-quality education, broad range of outstanding academic programs and important research activities that are the hallmarks of USC,” it added.
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Reopening guidelines from other countries explored
Researchers at the Learning Policy Institute compile preliminary information on health and safety guidelines from five countries; China, Denmark, Norway, Singapore and Taiwan, that have been successful to date in avoiding the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Examples of successful policies include Taiwan's "classroom suspension," procedure, that the nation used during the H1N1 influenza outbreak, whereby if one or more students or staff in a class is confirmed to have COVID-19 that class is suspended for 14 days. Norway’s social distancing guidance is similar to Denmark’s, limiting class size to 15 students per class in primary school and 20 students in middle school. Hong Kong offers only half-day classes to facilitate schools’ cleaning of their premises, while in China, masks are required at all times for teachers, as well as for students as young as age 3. "Research suggests that social distancing techniques, along with careful hygiene, cleaning, and use of quarantine, can reduce the spread of disease in schools," the academics conclude.
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Future schools' priorities outlined
Warning that school leaders have around 90 days to get "future ready," Tom Vander Ark outlines four infrastructure decisions and four innovation decisions leaders should prioritize. The four new or updated elements of future-ready infrastructure include a blended core program, a distanced onsite strategy, an updated remote program, and an online program. The four innovation opportunities are work that matters, skills for thriving, meeting learners where they are, and also responsive options. Amid an increased demand for full time online learning and hybrid options, he adds, many school districts and networks will this fall find themselves running a distanced onsite program and a remote program simultaneously.
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.
To All Members of the ABC Federation of Teachers,
National Teacher Associates (NTA) is committed in our efforts to helping educators through tough times. It’s what we do. After all…in our eyes you are the heart and soul of our communities.
Protecting you and your families has been our goal for over 45 years. Despite the current global pandemic, we are not about to slow down now. We know that many of you have had our programs for years and sometimes forget the intricacies of how they work. NTA wants to help facilitate any possible claims for now and in the future. Fortunately, all claims and reviews can be done by phone and on-line. I personally want to offer my services to guide you in the right direction with your NTA benefits.
We also apologize for not being able to finish the open enrollment for those of you who wanted to get our protection. We are still able to help by extending our enrollment window for the near future. Again, this can be done over the phone, email, or on-line.
Please contact Leann Blaisdell at any time either by phone or email.
562-822-5004
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