ABCFT - YOUnionews - May 29, 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
Congratulations ABCFT Teacher Leaders for successful completion of the 2019-20 program!
On Tuesday, twelve Teacher Leaders were joined by over 85 ABC community members, friends, and families to the annual showcase which took place virtually. Each Teacher Leader presented their action research and recommendations. The Teacher Leaders self-selected their education-related topic with the intent to influence or create policies locally, state, or at the national level. The Teacher Leaders year-long program is rigorous and it is not for the weak. Some may think it is impossible to fulfill all of their professional and personal obligations AND be a Teacher Leader, but these tough educators did not let a worldwide pandemic stop them. Their dedication and perseverance were evident and we are proud of the high quality of work they produced. ABCFT is honored to offer this program for our members which recognizes and encourages the value of teacher voice and expertise. A special thank you to veteran Teacher Leader and co-facilitator, Erika Cook for her phenomenal leadership, vision, and guidance. If you are lucky enough to know one of these talented teachers be sure to congratulate them on a job well done!
Teacher Leaders action research question or topic and link to their work:
What research-based strategies benefit the social and emotional growth of children? By Jacqueline Okimoto
How does a natural play support the social-emotional and academic learning of transitional kindergarten students? By Audrey Smith
Creating a Safe and Effective Learning Environment for All Students: Teacher Resources Needed to Support Students with Adverse Childhood Experiences By Rachael Smith
Brittney Parker-Goodin
Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, & Secondary Traumatic Stress: Are These Impacting the Working Life of ABC Teachers? By Gabriela Monterosa-Ibarra
How Does the Well-Being of Early Childhood Education Teachers Impact School Readiness for Preschool-Aged Students? By Laura Hernandez
By Goldie Zaldivar
Desiree Molinar
What Impact Would a Systematic Approach to Training New Supervisors Have on Implementation of “ “Playworks” Recess Practices? By Michelle Joyce
NEGOTIATION UPDATE - KEEPING YOU INFORMED-Ruben Mancillas
Notes From Underground
We are taking the unusual step of presenting the district’s initial budget proposal in full but we felt it was important to do so for a number of reasons. It is crucial to keep in mind that this is the district’s budget proposal, not ours. They own this. These cuts are their proposed cuts. We will work together to be part of the solution but again, this is not a document that we created. Secondly, we are aware that this information has already gone out in some form to certain groups and it is important that we are all on the same page and able to clearly refer to the same data. The upcoming timeline is that the district CFO, Toan Nguyen, will present this budget to the school board at the meeting on Tuesday, June 2. Toan needs to present a balanced budget every year for the board to approve and the speed and ferocity of our current economic crisis has meant that a process that ideally would be discussed for weeks is moving very fast. The last big takeaway regarding these proposed cuts is just that, that they are proposed not realized cuts. This is just one possible plan as we move forward. It is the district’s current plan but it is one that still needs to be negotiated. I repeat: all changes to working conditions and compensation would need to be negotiated. To Toan’s credit, he has acknowledged this reality and even has listed the furlough day option on line #29 in red with the caveat that it must be negotiated.
Here are some further considerations and variables that the negotiating team will be bringing to the table. The current proposal includes spending down the district’s reserve at the rate of 2% or approximately 4.4 million a year over three years (see line #12). The reserve is one-time money and the state requirement is that we maintain a cushion of at least 3% but it is an option to spend more of the reserve earlier in order to mitigate some of the immediate cuts. Similarly, the CARES act (see line #11) provides a total of 3.8 million in funds which this budget proposal splits into two, spending 1.9 million this year and saving 1.9 million for next year. We are awaiting some more clarification if any restrictions might be tied to these funds but another option would be to access more of this money in the first year. A few more notes on items 1-14; the cost of step and column increase is tied to the number of retirements. Currently, we do not have enough retirements to make this value-neutral or, ideally, even provide savings that could be used to offset other cuts. We have proposed and will continue to propose the concept of a retirement incentive to potentially help lower this number. With all of the bad news that we are constantly forced to absorb let me point out that health benefits (line #6) only went up 1.24%. Credit to our health benefits committee members for their hard work in keeping our benefits intact with such a reasonable increase. Maintaining the continuity of our health care coverage even during a crisis of this magnitude is a reminder of the power and importance of union solidarity. Some may be surprised to see a compensation increase of 1.4% budgeted for the coming year (line #7) but this is a result of our 3% raise that began in January of 2020. The ability of the negotiating team to lock in that 3% looks particularly prescient now given the bleak economic forecast for succeeding years.
Many of us experienced furlough days during the 2008 recession but here is a quick (and thoroughly unwanted) refresher course in how they operate. Furlough days achieve savings by having employees work fewer days for less pay. This is different than an across the board pay cut where you are still expected to work the same amount but simply with a loss in compensation. We are all too aware that the amount of work required doesn’t suddenly go away just because the number of work days is lessened but at least there is a degree of fairness and logic that if I work less I will be paid less. Currently, the state requires 180 days of instruction but we are awaiting new rules lessening this number and allowing us greater flexibility at the bargaining table to negotiate just where any potential furlough days could be placed throughout our 184 day school year calendar. We also require assurance from STRS, as was the case during the previous recession, that any such state approved reduction in our number of work days would fulfill the requirement for a full service year. And, as in previous years when furlough days were implemented, every employee at every level is affected by the same percentage cut. The principle of shared sacrifice was one that we brought up when first seeing this list, with a specific request that we see an equivalent number and degree of cuts at the district and administrative positions that was being asked of other labor groups.
Lastly, part of what makes all of these potential decisions so difficult is that there is still so much uncertainty about what school will look like next year. Health and safety are the essential issues that must be dealt with but things change so fast that it is challenging to try and budget for conditions that may change in coming months. We remain hopeful, but realistic, that there may be additional stabilization funds approved by the federal government via the HEROES act to offset the severity of cuts to state and education budgets. The August revise will give us more accurate data from the state that reflects the extended tax deadline. The negotiating team is meeting regularly and working on a survey that will go out before the end of the year. We anticipate bargaining with the district soon afterwards as a number of these issues need to be resolved so that we can all plan appropriately for the future. We are cautiously optimistic that we can effectively navigate this crisis much as we did during the 2008 recession. ABCUSD has a bigger reserve than we did during those years and the state is operating with a rainy day fund rather than a sizable deficit. But we are dealing with an economic crisis and a health pandemic at the exact same time. The linked nature and sheer size of these challenges will require that we be as vigilant and as unified as ever to protect our members and our students. We will keep regularly updating you with the latest information and using your feedback to help guide us at the bargaining table.
In Unity,
BY THE NUMBERS - State Budget by Ray Gaer
I know that much of the financial information we are providing today can be overwhelming for most of us. However, it is vitally important that every member have a foundational understanding of the current state budget and how the ABC School District operating budget is directly impacted by the current financial crisis looming for all State legislators and school districts across the nation. I’ve taken some key slides from a LA County of Department of Education budget presentation from last week to illustrate some of the details of the financial situation. The slide above outlines some good overall guiding thoughts as you delve deeper into this subject that will impact everyone in California.
The slide above states many of the certain conditions that are in play during this crisis. The most important line in this slide is for you to understand \this is going to be more severe and drastic than anything we’ve ever experienced in education and that the next couple years will be tough as we recover our economy growth moving forward.
What nobody knows right now is what the recovery will look like or if California’s final budget in August will look worse than anticipated. The combination of these two factors make it very hard for any business or organization to plan for the future. School districts have mandated budget reporting timelines that will add to the looming financial situation. These dealing will throw school boards into panic decision making which inevitability will negatively impact educators, students, and the communities they serve. We don’t know what the recovery will fully look like but my best guess is that the recovery will be gradual and similar to the recession recovery of 2011-2019. The next slide show just how drastic State revenue has fallen over the past quarter. The projected revenue in January was going to be 147 billion dollars (in green) but the current May revision is now projecting 114 billon dollars which is a decease of 33 billion dollars.
In the slide below you can see the impact of the governors proposed 10% budget cut on school districts ADA per student. Looking at this chart you can see that school districts get a graduated increase of money for students as they move through the education system. This is why elementary school distinct teachers are often paid less than unified school districts. The highest-paid educators are typically in high school only districts where they can pass those increases to their employees. This is an old system I don’t agree with personally and I think it is a crystal clear example of how gender inequality is systematically reinforced by our funding mechanisms but we will leave that topic for another day.
What is important about this slide is that it illustrates the actual numbers our school district is using to create a balanced budget. The red numbers are what numbers the school district will use to present an operating budget for the next ABC school board meeting. The big unknown in all of this is the reaction of the Federal Government. The State of California is giving a deadline of September for the Federal Government to provide job-saving dollars for the State’s overall operating budget. If there are federal dollars we may see a decrease in the severity of the current proposed cuts. What is important to understand is that even with federal dollars at the rescue for this next school year we will continue to see challenging State budgets for the next couple of years.
ABCFT is encouraging all its members to listen to the next school board meeting on Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m. This next school board meeting the board will approve a preliminary budget plan by approving a district budget proposal to address the 16 million dollar hole in ABC’s budget. Certain items on this budget proposal will need to be negotiated. (A note of interest, during the recession we were operating at a budget that was 40 million dollars deep over the course of four years.)
To listen to the board meeting on Tuesday use the following contact information. Call Phone Number: (310) 372-7549 Conference Code: 654456
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.
There’s so much going on in this week’s YOUnionews that I’m going to keep it short but I want to make sure you are aware of what ABCFT is planning on doing over the next week. The negotiating team has been meeting and working on surveys that will be going out Wednesday and Friday of next week. The Wednesday survey we are calling the Instructional Delivery Survey which will focus on remote teaching and preliminary questions about the next school year. The survey for Friday is designed to get ABCFT member input about budget priorities prior to negotiations which is set to start at the end of June. I want to thank you all in advance for your valuable input during these turbulent times. Every survey answer is important.
I would like to thank all ABCFT members for your incredible engagement as a YOUnion for the past couple of months. Over 400 members are now now reading the Tuesday Talk and the Friday YOUnionews. Its so important right now that you are all up to date on the changes that are happening. We are doing out best to filter things down to what matters to our members. This Thursday at the YOUnion Chat we had over 165 participants who were able to hear our detailed budget presentation which was followed by a question and answer segment. Dr. Valencia Mayfield also attended the YOUnion Chat as a guest so that she could talk directly with teachers about their experiences over the past two months. We hope to have her come back on June 11 so that she can continue to hear the realities teachers are facing during this school closure and what supports or changes are necessary to help all teachers be successful in the Fall. Keep engaging, keep processing the changes and together we will find solutions that will help all our members.
I’m going to leave you with a funny. Something to lift your spirits. Remember, take time for yourself along the way. Have a good weekend and thanks in advance for your answers on our surveys.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Pandemic leads to big cuts for education in state budget May Revision
Legislative Update
Governor Newsom released the May Revision to the 2020-21 state budget on May 14. California began 2020 with a solid fiscal foundation. As the proposal notes, the state started the year with a “strong and diverse economy, historic reserves, and a structurally balanced budget. It had eliminated past budgetary debts and deferrals and was making extraordinary payments to reduce pension liabilities. In January, a budget surplus of $5.6 billion was projected for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Revenues through March were running $1.35 billion above projections.”
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession has changed the fiscal landscape dramatically. Compared to the January forecast, General Fund revenues are projected to decline over $41 billion. This revenue drop, combined with increased costs in health and human services programs and the added costs to address COVID-19, leads to a projected budget deficit of approximately $54 billion before the changes proposed in the May Revision.
Because of this significant drop in projected revenue, the May Revision estimates that the Proposition 98 guarantee will be $19 billion lower than the January budget proposal. The updated estimates for total Proposition 98 (including state general funds and local funds) are $78.7 billion in 2018-19; $77.4 billion in 2019-20; and $70.5 billion in 2020-21. For comparison, when the 2019-20 budget (current year) was enacted, Proposition 98 funding was $81.1 billion. This translates to a 13 percent year-over-year cut, as proposed.
Given the dire economic forecast of the state, the governor is proposing a number of cuts to public education, as well as a number of strategies to ameliorate several of them. Below is a summary of the proposed cuts and proposed strategies to address the projected budget deficit for early childhood education, K-12 and higher education.
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
Randi Weingarten asserts school reopening priorities
Underlining "spotty and contradictory" federal guidance amid the coronavirus crisis, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, asserts that public schools need immediate investment. The $100bn in education stabilization funds proposed in the House-passed Heroes Act is a vital start, she says, however students, teachers and staff, of different ages, health conditions and home environments, must be properly protected as part of plans to reopen schools. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated glaring inequities, Weingarten adds, rural and low-income students often lack internet, laptops, tablets or phones with which to work, while English-language learners and students with disabilities have been at a particular disadvantage, as have students facing housing or food insecurity. "Although teachers have done remarkable work, the past two months make clear that remote learning is no substitute for in-person classroom learning and interaction. Many parents have newfound respect for the craft of teaching and students say they can’t wait to get back to school," she asserts.
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Face coverings will be part of upcoming California guidelines for schools
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has set out some of the recommendations for school officials to use as they make plans to open their districts for students. During a Facebook Live chat yesterday, he said that students, teachers and staff should expect to wear masks when schools reopen, and to adhere to social distancing on campus and on school buses. Other measures include temperature checks for students and staff, and so-called blended education, a mix of in-person and online instruction. Mr. Thurmond also addressed the “digital divide” between students who have access to computers and the Internet and the hundreds of thousands who do not. Thurmond said California needs to invest at least $500m to get those students computers and Internet hotspots, so that they can receive an effective online education. He called on companies, foundations and individuals to step forward and help in the state effort. “You can just break it down into small parts,” he said. “That means 100 companies that make a commitment of at least $5m to help our students have the success that they need. We can get there in any different way.”
Poll suggests 20% of teachers will not return to classrooms this fall
Twenty percent of U.S. teachers say they are not likely to return to their classrooms this fall if schools reopen, according to a USA Today-Ipsos poll published Tuesday. While most teachers report working more than usual, nearly two-thirds say they haven't been able to properly do their jobs in an educational system upended by the coronavirus. A separate poll of parents with at least one child in grades K-12 finds that 6in 10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending back their children this fall. Nearly a third of parents, 30%, say they are "very likely" to do that. "As our world has changed, almost everything we do has changed, including how we view and approach education,” Cliff Young, president of Ipsos, said. “Though Americans are optimistic about a return to in-person learning, there is angst among teachers, parents and America at large about how to keep our schools safe if the virus isn’t fully contained.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Public schools must share virus aid with private institutions
Betsy DeVos could force public school superintendents to share coronavirus rescue funds with private schools. In a letter to the Council of Chief State School Officers, which represents state education chiefs, defending her position on how education funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, should be spent, the Education Secretary wrote: “The CARES Act is a special, pandemic-related appropriation to benefit all American students, teachers and families. There is nothing in the act suggesting Congress intended to discriminate between children based on public or nonpublic school attendance, as you seem to do. The virus affects everyone.” Educators fear a scenario worse than the Great Recession, from which schools never fully recovered, write the Washington Post's Laura Meckler and Valerie Strauss, after slashed state budgets led to teacher layoffs, reductions in school days, the elimination of some full-day kindergarten programs and a lot less money available for textbooks and equipment.
Groups urge easing of special education funding
A coalition of education organizations has urged Congress to waive a provision in federal law that requires school districts to maintain consistent funding levels for special education from year to year. A letter, signed by the Association of School Business Officials International, AASA, the School Superintendents Association, Council of Administrators of Special Education, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the National Association of School Psychologists and the National School Boards Association, warns that local "maintenance of effort" provision, part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), presents particular challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic as schools confront unprecedented challenges and ballooning budget shortfalls. The groups also note that the "maintenance of effort" effort in IDEA is actually more stringent than the requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act, the nation's core education law.
Coronavirus crisis could make schools a potent election issue
Education could become a significant election issue this year, pushed to the forefront due to the massive disruption of the nation’s schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump and others already are arguing forcefully for schools, which play a key role in the economy, to reopen as soon as possible, while Democrats are previewing a strategy of pinning a potentially tumultuous school reopening on the Trump administration. Teachers’ unions in particular are strategizing about how to influence the political landscape and highlight the needs of their members as well as schools, without overreaching and squandering leverage. In a nationwide survey this spring by the parent-advocacy group Learning Heroes of more than 3,600 public school parents, “School closures/changes will have a negative impact on your child's education” or “Too much screen-time for your child” were cited as concerns more often than “Being able to pay the bills.” The National Education Association, which is America’s largest labor union and endorsed Biden in March, launched a nationwide ad campaign called “School is Where the Heart is” that is slated to run through the end of May. It focuses on the importance of public schools and of educators, and how the latter “need our support more than ever before.” This public-relations push technically is focused on a coronavirus relief bill from House Democrats that includes nearly $1bn in aid for state and local governments and close to $60bn specifically for school districts.
U.S. Gov. could allocate $1bn for supporting homeless students
Homeless youth and families could get more than $1bn under a bipartisan proposal put forth this week in the U.S. Senate. The pledge includes money for school supplies, shelters, motel bills, food and other services intended to help homeless students, numbers of whom are expected to balloon as unemployment soars. Darla Bardine, executive director of the National Network for Youth, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., comments: “We were already at record levels of youth homelessness before the pandemic, but the coronavirus has put a spotlight on these deep fissures in our society.” While there are at least 207,000 homeless students in California this year, according to an EdSource analysis of California Department of Education data, the actual number is probably closer to 370,000, according to a state audit released in November.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California superintendents need more money to reopen safely
School superintendents in California are forging ahead with plans to re-open this fall with a "staggering and expensive mix" of new health and safety precautions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing number say they won’t be able to afford the extraordinary efforts required to safely reopen school buildings this fall and are instead considering opening for a few days a week or, worst case scenario, waiting to reopen buildings until a vaccine is developed. Kathy Granger, superintendent of the Mountain Empire Unified School District in southeastern San Diego County, spends $1.5m a year—7% of her annual budget—to bus 3,200 students to eight schools, but now fears that she needs to quadruple the district’s 14 bus routes a day to 56. Cindy Marten, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, which annually spends more </ span> than $1bn , said her costs will jump another 20% in order to safely open schools this fall. "I’m not ready to give up yet. A lot can happen this summer. But we need to be very clear about what it’s going to take,” she asserts.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Palm Springs USD projects $29m deficit
Preliminary estimates show that Palm Springs USD has a projected $29m deficit in its FY 2020-21 budget as a result of the COVID-19 recession. The impact of the recession is expected to linger longer than just the next year – it could impact the district’s budget for the next two to three years, said Brian Murray, PSUSD assistant superintendent of Business Services. “We are trying to make ends meet for the upcoming school year,” Murray said, though there are still many unknowns for the upcoming year, such as enrollment numbers and impact of a possible second surge of COVID-19 cases in the fall.
School Districts Facing Possible Reduction In Money From States, Increase In Costs To Operate Safely
USA Today (5/28, Richards) reports the “country’s unprecedented economic pause to slow the spread of the coronavirus has depleted sales and income tax revenue for states, and, in turn, for schools.” And preliminary estimates “predict jaw-dropping state budget holes that some education funding experts warn could cost in the range of 300,000 teaching jobs.” What’s more, districts are grappling with an “increase in costs to operate safely as the pandemic wears on.” The $2 trillion CARES Act passed at the end of March “included $13.5 billion for school district budgets,” but those funds “could be used only for costs related to the pandemic, not to plug budget holes.” School boards across the country are now “passing resolutions that call on federal lawmakers to support a new round of money for schools.”
Education Week (5/28, Burnette) reports more than half of the nation’s school districts receive the majority of their revenue from state aid. These districts typically “serve a disproportionate number of poor, black, and Latino students, many of whom were lagging academically before the crisis abruptly closed schoolhouse doors this spring.” EdWeek highlights seven key issues state lawmakers will need to consider when planning their agendas that will affect school finance. For example, because “state lawmakers will first do everything they can to avoid cutting back money that flows through their funding formula,” it means “big initiatives launched after a state created its funding formula are at risk.” Districts may also seek waivers from states’ K-12 finance rules – such as requiring districts to spend a base amount on items such as special ed costs – but civil rights advocates “have urged legislatures to be cautious when deciding which rules to waive.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
Guiding principles for reopening schools
Early childhood educator Erika Christakis explores the growing challenges faced by schools in the push to "reopen the country." When children do return, she asserts, K–12 schools and child-care programs should be guided by four core principles; knowledge of child development and all its variation, prioritization of the youngest and most vulnerable students, flexibility for families and teaching staff, along with a shared sense of purpose and duty. The 7m children receiving special education should also receive high priority for returning to in-person education, Christakis suggests, because caregivers without training or support simply cannot deliver specialized services, including those for physically disabled students. While many urban schools have limited outdoor space, she adds, many of the biggest school districts in the country are in milder climates, including Texas, California, and Florida, where providing safer outdoor schooling experiences should be more possible.
Rethinking schools following COVID-19
Naaz Modan considers what schools might look like when students return from the COVID-19 lockdowns. As superintendents and principals are being ushered to rethink daily operations and traditional approaches to learning, she begins, many school leaders are focusing on rekindling relationships and providing SEL support when buildings reopen rather than picking up where teachers left off with instruction. Karen Niemi, president of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, which works to advance and implement SEL practices and policies, comments: "Leaders must think innovatively about how we’re structuring the school day so that we can use that time to prioritize relationship building and support structures for teachers and for students." Joel Rose, CEO of New Classrooms, a nonprofit focused on helping schools navigate classroom and curriculum redesigns, notes that the pandemic has also forced districts to incorporate a much quicker shift to educational technology and personalized learning that many had been slowly moving toward. John King Jr., CEO of The Education Trust and a former secretary of education under the Obama administration, suggests: "I hope we emerge with a ‘New Deal’ moment where educators ask, 'What can we do to reorganize?’"
----- FINANCE -----
Financial meltdown looms for America's schools
School leaders across the U.S. are warning of a financial meltdown that could devastate many districts, and set back an entire generation of students. Schools receive nearly half their income from state funds; however, with businesses closed and unemployment at almost 15%, state income and sales taxes have plummeted. "I think we're about to see a school funding crisis unlike anything we have ever seen in modern history," warns Rebecca Sibilia, the CEO of EdBuild, a school finance advocacy organization. "We are looking at devastation that we could not have imagined ...a year ago." Ohio has already detailed $300 million in K-12 budget cuts, while legislators in Georgia and Michigan have warned of cuts of between 14%-25%. Michael Griffith of the Learning Policy Institute estimates that if states slash education spending by 15%, schools could be forced to shed more than 300,000 teaching positions, almost 10% of the national K-12 teacher force.
----- LEGAL -----
Appeals court hears Gavin Grimm bathroom case
A federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday in the case of a transgender man who sued his former high school in Virginia over restroom access. The hearing was the latest in a five-year court battle in which Gavin Grimm, 21, sued the Gloucester County School Board after it passed a rule requiring students to use only the bathroom of the gender with which they were born. In August, a federal judge ruled in favor of Mr Grimm, but the school board appealed the case to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The three-judge panel heard arguments Tuesday in which the school board said the creation of a third, non-gendered bathroom should sufficiently accommodate transgendered students' needs. Circuit Judge James Wynn Jr. said the creation of a third bathroom option amounted to segregation, and was “stigmatizing” to trans students. A decision by the 4th Circuit panel is e xpected to take several months.
Trans girls cannot compete on girls' teams
The U.S. Education Department has ruled that allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports leagues is illegal and could mean schools allowing the practice lose federal funding. In a 45-page letter to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), in response to a federal lawsuit filed by three female track runners who argued they were put at a physical disadvantage competing against trans athletes, the department’s civil rights office said the policy violates federal civil rights law that guarantees equal education for women.
----- CHILD DEVELOPMENT ----
COVID-19 crisis threatens child-care system
The child-care community is becoming increasingly concerned that the system, fragile even before the pandemic, is vulnerable to collapse without substantial help from Congress. Despite around 12 million children under the age of five and their families depending on providers for care, 336,000 child-care workers lost their jobs between March and April, according to Hanna Melnick, who co-leads the early childhood learning team at the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute, a California-based think tank, while thousands of child-care centers and family child-care homes are in danger of closing permanently. Melnick wrote in a blog on the institute’s website that closures of these programs “could lead to the loss of as many as 450,000 child care slots,” which would make it difficult for parents to return to work.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
How is COVID-19 affecting children's health?
Education Week addresses some of the issues that education leaders will need to consider, as they prepare for the reopening of school buildings over the next few months, specifically with regard to how the coronavirus emergency has impacted children both physically and mentally. Although, as of May 20, only 3.6% of all U.S. coronavirus cases have been aged under 18, health experts have raised concerns about a severe immune reaction in children and young adults exposed to the virus. In more than 200 cases across 20 U.S. states and other countries, children have suffered from multisystem inflammatory syndrome, experiencing high fevers, stomach pains, and swelling of the hands and feet, as well as the heart and other organs. Some researchers theorize that the same strengths in children’s immune systems that seem to make them less vulnerable to a COVID-19 infection can also make hyper-immune responses more likely. While schools may be a hotspot for the virus, studies have suggested that this is due to their physical structure, with narrow travel spaces, inadequate ventilation, and crowded classrooms. Erin Bromage, a biology professor and comparative immunologist at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, noted that the risk of infection goes up the longer people sit and speak together in an indoor room, even if they are socially distanced.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
New poll: California college students fear pandemic will derail graduation
Most of California’s college students are concerned the coronavirus pandemic will prevent them from graduating. An Education Trust poll, released Thursday, found 77% of college students nationally and 75% of California students had concerns about staying on track to graduate because of the coronavirus. And nationally, 84% of black and 81% of Latino students said they were worried. All of California’s public colleges and universities moved most classroom instruction online during the pandemic. Asked to evaluate their learning, 43% of students said the quality of instruction they’re receiving is getting worse and 49% say their interest and engagement in coursework is waning. Despite their concerns, 75% of California students said their college was handling the coronavirus well. All of the California students who responded to the poll attend a California State University campus, but EdTrust officials said the results are representative of all students across the state.
----- OTHER ----
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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