ABCFT - YOUnionews - May 8, 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
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 educational 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
NEGOTIATION UPDATE - KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Ruben Mancillas
Notes from Underground
The negotiating team will be meeting next week to talk about next steps in what is clearly an atypical bargaining environment. The state calendar is still somewhat the same; the May budget is expected on May 14, the constitutional deadline, and it will likely include cuts and proposals affecting the current year budget, and incorporate plans to maximize the impact of the Rainy Day Fund and federal funds. The Legislature will then consider the proposals and must pass a budget by June 15, so it can be enacted by July 1, the start of the fiscal year. However, since the state tax filing deadline was extended to July 15, legislators are expecting the 2020-2021 will be updated in an “August Revise” process, when better revenue estimates will be available.
What does all of this mean for us? We would describe the outlook for next year’s funding in ABCUSD to be “stable.” District Chief Financial Officer Toan Nguyen noted in this week’s board meeting that we have been through drastic budget cuts from the state before. During the 2008 recession, funding was cut by almost $30 million and the state and district are both in better financial positions going into this crisis than we were in 2008. The district has received new revenues of approximately $3 million from the state and federal government to specifically address COVID-19 issues this year and has already spent some of this on masks, face shields, thermometers, hot spots for internet access, and devices. I participated in a (virtual, of course!) labor advisory meeting this week with Congresswoman Sanchez and communicated the importance of significant additional federal stabilization funds to the states in the next round of CARES negotiations, particularly in terms of funding for education.
The shutdown has presented all of us with a great deal of challenges. ABCFT has worked with the district to try and maintain realistic expectations and flexible approaches to solving the many challenges, both anticipated and unforeseen, that we have been forced to deal with in a constantly changing environment. When we have opportunities for meaningful input, as in the case of the video conferencing guidelines, the results can be positive. But when policy is pushed out and we have to try and address issues after the fact, which was the case with grading and progress reports, the outcome tends to be frustrating. ABCFT and the negotiating team is listening carefully to our members during our Tuesday Talk Q&A and our YOUnion Thursday Chats. We are getting your emails and hearing from your site reps. We are gathering evidence for what has worked and what may need to be changed as we move forward into the start of the next school year. Thank you for this input because it will allow us to bargain more effectively as we negotiate our master contract or make improvements to our existing MOU.
In Unity,
International Year of the Nurse and Midwife
The United Nations World Health Assembly resolved to celebrate nurses and midwives by declaring 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife (IYNM). May 12 this year marks 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale and the birth of formally recognised nursing in public health. This year, more than ever, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses should be celebrated and recognised not as “unsung heroes”, but as professionals who deserve the respect of all society and are worthy of decent wages and protection.
Unions representing nurses and healthcare workers, want International Nurses Day 2020 to mark the day governments turned away from the failed, and ultimately dangerous, ideology of neoliberalism and austerity, and instead committed to rebuilding economies through large scale investments in universal public health.
The pandemic has demonstrated how vital public health workers are to our survival. Yet nurses are being dangerously overworked, given inadequate protective equipment, suffering trauma and stress, have been assaulted and abused, and are even being evicted from their homes. In a survey of health unions conducted by Public Services International (PSI) 56.5% of respondents indicated that workers have not been given adequate PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. While we don’t know the true figure of how many healthcare workers have been infected, we do know that hundreds have already died.
The COVID-19 crisis has been made worse by years of under-funding of public health systems and the ideological virus of neoliberalism. While the healthcare industry is one of the largest growing industries globally, public funding for vital public health services is failing to meet needs. In too many countries, public funding for health is being eaten up by costs inflated by the medical industry. Too many nurses and other healthcare workers are hired on short-term or insecure contracts. Now is the time to recognise that poor wages and conditions puts public health at risk.
Health systems would not have been so unprepared for the pandemic if they had been adequately funded, if governments had legislated for adequate nurse to patient ratios and if countries ensured they had the productive capacity for lifesaving PPE, medical equipment, medical research and the production of vaccines and treatments.
In its recently published report, State of the World’s Nursing, the World Health Organization found that, even prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the world needed 6 million additional nurses to meet minimum health needs. Governments must expand funds for nursing education and training and not rely on importing nurses from countries that are also struggling to meet their own public health needs. The best way to attract and retain nurses is to nurses is to recognise the social value of their work, pay them properly and ensure adequate staffing levels.
Global public health, and the individual right to health, can only be achieved if all elements of public health services are owned, managed, staffed and delivered through a public system, from the monitoring of public health, health research, health diagnostics and data, to tertiary care and provision of medicines.
Funds for public health must not be taken from other public services. Nor should developing countries be forced into additional debt. Instead we call for reform of national and global tax and financing rules that currently allow USD30 trillion to be hidden in tax havens. When multinational corporations and billionaires use tax avoidance measures, they are deliberately undermining our public health system and refusing to contribute to the salaries of nurses, health workers and others delivering the public services required for a functioning and healthy society.
As we rebuild from the crisis, we must transform the way societies are organised. We must organise our societies around the capacity to care. When care and wellbeing of all people is the central organising principle of a society, rather than the capacity to extract and grow profits and consumption, all society will prosper. We must all recognise the union adage Touch One Touch All – if our healthcare systems cannot care for all, we are all at risk.
When governments pay respect to nurses today, we ask them to recognize the following fundamental principles:
- The most important purpose of government is to organise society so that everyone can be cared for.
- We can no longer tolerate the perverse practice of extracting profits from ill-health.
- Healthcare must never be dependent on the capacity to pay.
- Trade must enhance the capacity of nations to provide quality public healthcare, not restrict it.
And we call on:
- Governments to work with nurses and their unions to develop public health reconstruction plans
- Governments to remove all obstacles, including intellectual property rules, in existing trade agreements and rules that hinder timely and affordable access to medical supplies, such as lifesaving medicines, devices, diagnostics and vaccines, and the ability of governments to take whatever steps are necessary to address this crisis
- All governments to support the proposal by the Government of Costa Rica to develop a global COVID-19 commons for all research, data, technology, treatments and vaccines relating to COVID-19 as a non-proprietary shared global resource
- The World Bank to stop providing funds for public health to the private health industry and for the International Finance Corporation to stop promoting health privatisation which includes the flawed model of Public Private Partnerships
- The IMF to cease directing governments to cut public spending and public sector wages
- All unions and civil society organisations to mobilise in the demand for universal public health once and for all.
ABCFT will advocate with the California Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers to push for these supports health care workers and the populations they serve.
MAY ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
(Elementary report will be posted by Tuesday, May 12th- Work in Progress)
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.
Districts school board presentation on the grading policy. https://youtu.be/ObrcYGkEx7c
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.
MEMBER RESOURCES - Keeping Safety in Mind
For many, our new way of interacting with one another virtually has caused online meeting fatigue and left us socially unfulfilled. 5 Ways to Enhance our Social in Social Distancing article shared by ABCFT member and nurse Theresa Petersen may help you find ways to cope with keeping social during the stay-at-home orders.
During our weekly YOUnion Chat, members asked for resources for fillable PDFs. Thank you to ABCFT member and Cerritos Elementary teacher, Megan Mitchell who created a DocHub/Fillable tutorial for the elementary students and parents. Here is a link that can easily be sent out to parents and posted on Google Classrooms. DocHub & Google Classroom Uploading Tutorial
ABCFT-RETIREE MESSAGE by Silvia T. Rodriguez
Greetings Sisters and Brothers:
I hope you are all well and happily hunkered down. There’s so much appreciation that I want to convey to you in my message. I usually write about the activities of our great retiree chapter; however, I have decided to dedicate this short article to you. We see our brave front liners in the medical field being mentioned in the news, in commercials, and by the politicians. They truly deserve the accolades and gratitude bestowed upon them. On the other hand, we have seen the memes, the skits, and comments about teachers in social media. I was watching Jimmy Fallon last night where he sang a song to all teachers called You Deserve a Billion Dollars. Indeed you do!! Parents are realizing the challenges of teaching, of managing time, of reteaching a concept, of having the gift of patience. I truly hope that after the pandemic is over, a new revived appreciation for our profession will be born.
Years ago in one of my travels to the AFT Human Rights and Women’s Rights Committee’s Conference, I proposed to start a campaign called “Shadow a Teacher.” My idea was received well; however, at the time the focus was on promoting other programs. Well I did wait 10 years for my dream campaign to become a reality. Today the general public is doing exactly that…..they are shadowing YOU.
I was once was reminded by my very spiritual friend that teachers do God’s work. Whatever your beliefs are, rest assure that you all are miracle workers.
I know how hard you are all working trying to juggle your family, your home, answering parents’ emails, and creating amazing ways to reach your students. I asked a good friend how it was going and she said to me, “I have never worked so hard in my life.” My cousin who teaches in an inner city area school for LAUSD said the same. She also said that parents are limited in technology; therefore, she finds herself coaching parents with the on line programs. I said to her that this was the ray of sunshine in the midst of a storm. I added, “You are teaching a whole community and when it is time to go back to a “normal time”, you will have prepared parents as well.”
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YOU ARE ALL MY HEROES.
Brothers and Sisters wishing you all the very best and please know that all the retirees are thinking of you. Sending love and light.
In Unity,
Silvia
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 of 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.
Have you ever tried to give yourself a haircut...I have and this week I grew so crazed about my hair I took the clippers to it and it wasn’t pretty. I yelled for help across the house and my understanding family came to my rescue only to laugh hysterically at the botched excuse for a hair trimming I had done to myself. I needed help and I’m thankful that after they got up off the floor they were able to help me out. Some things are just not meant to be done alone. This is also true for school districts.
While our national government side steps the responsibility for guiding the pandemic response for the nation, it is our State governments that have stepped up to provide the citizens and more importantly for us, school districts the guidance on how to move forward. The effort to develop how to proceed to move forward for the next school year is group effort and not a solo project, all stakeholders must be at the table. By recommendation of the ABCFT Site Representatives, ABCFT will develop a “Reopening Our Schools Taskforce” so that we can gather direct input from expert to help develop a plan that fits the needs of teachers and students. Furthermore, over the next month, ABCFT will strongly encourage ABCUSD Administrators and School Board Trustees to develop a district wide task force with a similar goal of opening ABC schools with a plan that will fit the needs of the stakeholders but also be responsive to the current pandemic situation.
Over the course of the rest of the school year, ABCFT will be gathering as much information as possible about your use of technology, your remote learning experience, your students tendencies, tools or methods that worked, etc. It is my hope that these surveys and open Zoom calls will be the work of members of the ABCFT Reopening Our Schools Taskforce and that they will provide the ABCFT Negotiating team with the firepower they will need to bargain for our guiding MOU (memorandum of understanding) for next year. An MOU is a contractual agreement that happens outside the typical bargaining calendar to adjust for emergency or “unique” situations.
At this point, I know all of you are dealing with new grading policies that provide more questions than answers. We are working feverishly behind the scenes to advocate for clarity from the District about questions that arise or technological glitches we didn’t know about prior to the changes on report card maker. I am especially concerned about how this trimester or semester will impact our special education and ELL populations. It is a situation we are closely monitoring by talking with members about concerns they have for these students.
May is flying by. Make sure you are asking for help when getting a haircut. Gather your team to push forward when you can. Together we can do more, make it safer for everyone, and we can get more done. Don’t do it all by yourself. Join the Thursday YOUnion Chats and stay current with your coworkers. Reach out to others and connect so that you have the energy you need to sprint the final full month of school. Stay sane.
(I was going to write unprecedented in today’s message but I didn’t since I’ve trained myself to steer away from that overused word. Remember, the ABCFT drinking game is that if someone uses the words “unprecedented” you must drink your beverage of choice.)
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
CFT’s Special Education Services committee created a toolkit to support educators across the state. The
Equitable special education through distance learning toolkit is for general education and special education teachers. This resource as well as other COVID-19 related resources can be found on the CFT website.
As California faces potential $54 billion budget deficit it is time to stand up for schools
Earlier today the Department of Finance announced that the state of California is facing a $54 billion budget deficit because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a potential $18 billion cut to K-12 schools and community colleges.
In response to the announcement, CFT President Jeff Freitas called these numbers a wake up call to leaders at every level of government, urging lawmakers to make funding schools and community colleges an immediate priority. He also joined AFT and other national and state unions to immediately call upon the federal government to pass a $1 trillion stimulus bill.
“We call on the Congress and the President to immediately pass a $1 trillion stimulus bill that directly invests in states, cities, counties, schools and colleges that desperately need the resources to fight this pandemic,” said Jeff Freitas. “Without these critical funds, the education of a generation of California children, and the health of our state, will be at risk.”
“Our schools are essential to the health and safety of our communities, and will be critical to the economic recovery of our state,” continued Freitas. “In order to reopen schools, and to get our economy moving again, schools will need resources to ensure the safety of our students, school workers, and our communities.”
In addition to the need for further federal funds, the massive budget deficit also underscores the need to pass the Schools and Communities First initiative this November. The initiative will bring in $12 billion in essential funding to our schools and local services that support hard-hit families and students by closing corporate tax loopholes.
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website. View current issues here
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Friend,
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.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t do what’s right—you can tell from his callous and cynical comment that states should go bankrupt. If he gets his way, public hospitals, public schools and public services like firefighting, law enforcement and transportation will be decimated. Republican leaders love to thank America’s heroes, but then, by their actions, they threaten those heroes’ jobs and their retirement.
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.
I’m going to be honest with you: 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.
For the foreseeable future, our communities will be coping with the loss of family and friends, record levels of unemployment and an economic crisis on par with the Great Depression. They’re going to need help getting back on their feet, and the loss of several months’ revenue has been devastating. They are counting on federal support to make sure our cities and towns can literally keep the lights on.
Even with everything AFT members have done during this crisis—and our members have been awesome—our children will have greater needs when our schools reopen. Public services have been stretched to the max after years of underfunding. If we are going to survive as a nation, we will need a massive reinvestment in public services. That’s why Congress must pass these funds.
Congress must act now to protect our essential frontline heroes—the nurses, respiratory therapists, food service workers, teachers, social workers, postal workers, child and home care workers, transit staff, telecom employees and other public service workers—who are risking their lives in this pandemic to serve their communities and their country.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Budget forecast prompts education cuts fears
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a grim budget forecast , projecting a $54bn budget shortfall as a result of the economic collapse brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Claudia Briggs, with the California Teachers Association, fears that the education system will lose out on billions - despite Newsom wanting schools to open sooner. "If things don't change, or if other funding sources aren't — don't materialize, then you know that translates to approximately an $18bn shortfall for education. Which means cuts," she said. The Sacramento City Unified School District, which was already facing financial crisis before the pandemic, is noted to have already spent more than $6m related to coronavirus.
LAUSD to start the new school year in mid-August
Los Angeles USD schools will start fall classes on August 18, but no decision has been made on whether campuses will reopen by that date amid ongoing concerns over the coronavirus crisis, Superintendent Austin Beutner said yesterday. Beutner has called for a "robust'' system of testing and contact tracing before schools could even begin reopening. Though details of what reopened schools would look like have not been provided, the return would be "a gradual process with a schedule and school day that may be different.'' Staggered schedules, increased spacing between desks and other scenarios are all possible once students return to classrooms, Beutner said. Union leaders expressed concern about putting their members in harm’s way. “We are eager for students to get back to campus, but we need to ensure that it is safe to do so and that all the precautions and plans to protect students and staff are in place,” said Max Arias, executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents about 30,000 nonteaching employees in L.A. Unified. “California has led the way on flattening the curve of this deadly pandemic by prioritizing people’s health and safety,” said Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. “We urge our leaders to stay the course.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Advocacy group urges broad-reaching education plan
A coalition of 90 education and other groups have urged Capitol Hill to provide $200bn for schools and to include the Rebuild America's Schools Act in the next coronavirus relief package. In a letter to congressional leaders, in addition to addressing typical infrastructure pressures schools face, the group asserts that more money can help redesign schools so that they can host on-site health clinics and summer programs, extend broadband to schools so they can serve as "reliable command centers during national emergencies" and also provide job opportunities through career and technical education. "This large-scale federal investment in public PK-12 infrastructure is worthwhile in the short-term and over the long-run. Local school districts already carry nearly one half a trillion in local long-term debt, signifying their strong local commitment to doing their share," the letter states.
Education Department Finalizes New Title IX Rule
The AP (5/6, Binkley) reports that the Education Department has “finalized campus sexual assault rules that bolster the rights of the accused, reduce legal liabilities for schools and colleges, and narrow the scope of cases schools will be required to investigate.” The AP adds the change announced by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “reshapes the way the nation’s schools respond to complaints of sexual misconduct,” and “is meant to replace policies from the Obama administration that DeVos previously revoked, saying they pressured schools to deny the rights of accused students.” DeVos is quoted as saying, “Today we release a final rule that recognizes we can continue to combat sexual misconduct without abandoning our core values of fairness, presumption of innocence and due process.”
The New York Times (5/6, Green) says the rules bolster “due-process protections for accused students while relieving schools of some legal liabilities.” The new rules adopt the Supreme Court’s narrow definition of sexual harassment and “they require colleges to hold live hearings during which accusers and accused can be cross-examined to challenge their credibility.” Furthermore, the Times says the rules “also limit the complaints that schools are obligated to investigate to only those filed through a formal process and brought to the attention of officials with the authority to take corrective action, not other authority figures like residential advisers.” DeVos said the rules, which she called a “historic” break from the “kangaroo courts” of the past, take effect Aug. 14.
The Washington Post (5/6, Meckler) points out “the rule explicitly adds dating violence and stalking to the definition of sexual harassment. But it otherwise offers a narrow definition of harassment, requiring that it be severe and pervasive, as well as objectively offensive.” The Post adds “the effort has come under intense fire from women’s rights groups and Democrats, who said it would allow assailants and schools to escape responsibility, discourage victims from coming forward and make college campuses less safe for women.”
Education Week (5/6, Blad) reports the discussion around the Title IX policy has “largely centered on colleges and universities,” but the changes “will also affect K-12 schools, putting them on notice about how the Education Department intends to enforce the gender nondiscrimination law.”
Politico (5/6, Quilantan) reports former Vice President Joe Biden said the new Title IX rule aims to “shame and silence survivors,” and vowed to put a “quick end” to it if he comes the next president. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said the rule “gives colleges a green light to ignore sexual violence and strip survivors of their rights.” In a statement, Biden said, “Today, Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump published a rule that flies in the face of that belief and guarantees that college campuses will be less safe for our nation’s young people.”
Also reporting are the Wall Street Journal (5/6, Korn, Subscription Publication), Politico (5/6, Quilantan, Perez), U.S. News & World Report (5/6), The Hill (5/6, Moreno), Detroit (MI) Free Press (5/6), Washington (DC) Times (5/6, Richardson), CNN (5/6, Grayer, Stracqualursi), Fox News (5/6, O'Reilly), Axios (5/6, Knutson), Los Angeles Times (5/6, Watanabe), ABC News (5/6, News), NBC News (5/6), NBC News (5/7), Chronicle of Higher Education (5/6), Inside Higher Ed (5/7), Diverse Issues in Higher Education (5/6), The Hill (5/6, Easley), Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution (5/6), Vox (5/6), NPR (5/6, Smith), and Education Dive (5/6), among other news outlets, also report on the story.
In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (5/6, Subscription Publication) praises the new rules, casting them as restoring due process to the handling of campus sexual assault allegations.
Schools should prepare for phased reopening, AAP says
As the nation prepares to move out of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has suggested that schools should be ready to phase in their re-openings, perhaps starting with reduced hours, before returning to full activity. In fresh guidance, the AAP also recommended that schools plan for intermittent closures in the future if the virus rebounds. "Until the broad availability of a vaccine and/or treatment for COVID-19 exists, there is a risk for future waves of disease impacting communities across the country; it is important that schools plan for the possibility of additional periods of school closures and prepare strategically for distance learning or other educational options," the group asserted. AAP spokesperson Dr. Tanya Altmann adds: "It's important for parents to know that child health is a priority, and that is why the AAP continues to emphasize the importance of school physicals including any needed vaccines for your child prior to the first day of school this fall. "
Parents of special ed students find ways to cope with school closures
For thousands of students enrolled in special education programs, the school closures in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been especially burdensome. Accustomed to routines and close relationships with their teachers and therapists, students and their families are now trying to cope with a confusing, frustrating new reality, with no end in sight. In California, many schools are providing one-on-one video meetings with students enrolled in special education as well as their families, and taking other steps to try to compensate for the individualized services students received in school. But no matter what schools offer virtually, it will never replace the personal relationships students have with their teachers, therapists and aides, parents said. “Parents being with their children 24-7 is stressful for anyone, but if your child needs care 24-7, it can be overwhelming,” said Ju no Duenas, executive director of Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, a nonprofit that serves families in Northern California. “Parents and caregivers not only have to assume the role of teacher, they’re having to act as (aides), case managers, therapists and early interventionists.” Duenas’ organization, as well as other groups aimed at parents of special education students, are offering hotlines, advice, online support groups, conference calls and individual check-ins to ensure families have what they need.
School-Year Closures Affect 50.8 Million Students
Education Week’s (5/7, Maxwell) “District Dossier” blog reports, “As many as 50 million public school students likely won’t return to their classrooms this academic year—another sobering milestone in the massive disruption of schooling brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.” With Maryland becoming the 48th state “to either order or recommend that school buildings remain closed” for the rest of the year, school-year closures now affect 50.8 million students. Montana and Wyoming, two states “with relatively small numbers of students,” have “refrained from ordering or recommending that their districts keep school buildings shuttered for the rest of 2019-20.”
----- STATE NEWS -----
One-third of teachers at high risk for coronavirus
New data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 29% of traditional public school teachers, 21% of public charter school teachers and 37% of private school teachers are aged 50 or older, indicating that huge numbers of teachers will be at increased risk of developing COVID-19 when schools reopen. Some 92% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were of people aged 55 and older, as of April 27, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at Child Trends comment: "Education administrators who choose to proceed with reopening should coordinate closely with health agencies to enact policies to keep teachers, as well as students, safe."
----- DISTRICTS -----
Berkeley board discusses year ahead
The Berkeley USD board has begun planning for potential budget cuts and the 2020-21 school year, as well as reviewing distance learning data and feedback. The board unanimously passed five COVID-19 action items, as well a recommendation for Berkeley Schools Excellence Program and Berkeley Educator Recruitment and Retention funds for 2020-21. It also discussed budget updates, modifications to summer learning and student feedback. Based on a report released by the California Department of Education’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, on Wednesday, Stephens said the district may have to anticipate an additional $4-6m in budget cuts - up from $2m prior to the report. Superintendent Brent Stephens said at the meeting. “It is simply not the case right now, on the basis of what we know, that schools will resume to something called ‘normal’ for next year.”
Protest over letter grades policy
Parents and students protested against the Vista Unified School District's grading policy. Families object to the district’s policy of issuing only credit for the spring semester, and want students to have the choice whether to take credit, or receive letter grades instead. Vista parents said students who show only credit on their transcripts will be at a disadvantage when submitting college applications, because universities may prefer students with full transcripts. “Every single college we talked to said we prefer data to no data,” said Seema Burke, mother of a junior at Vista High School.
San Francisco schools outline cuts to handle projected $82.3m deficit
San Francisco USD officials outlined a plan Wednesday to balance a budget deficit that could reach $82.3m for the upcoming school year, with more likely to happen later. “As we’re seeing the impacts of COVID-19 on our national and local economy there’s concern that this outlook may continue to get worse,” said Meghan Wallace, SFUSD chief financial officer. “These numbers rely on those worst-case scenarios.” The district is targeting $16m cuts to the central office to spare school sites, though educators and parents previously voiced concern about an indirect impact on services. Another $3m will be made in non-personnel costs through things like catered meetings, supplies, contracts, and conferences, while $3m will be reduced from the general fund across the board. “We acknowledge that this is just going to be devastating times,” said Commissioner Jenny Lam. “I think we’ re going to have some really challenging discussions and decisions we’re going to have to embark on.”
Napa school district to cut up to 24 more jobs due to dropping enrollment
Another round of layoffs is coming to Napa Valley USD amid declining student numbers and forecasts of more to come. The district board has approved eliminating 24 non-teaching positions within the district, affecting full-time and part-time workers including custodians, clerks, and instructional support assistants, among others. Under the decision made by trustees at their April 23 meeting, 29 other NVUSD employees face a reduction of their hours, from janitors and school clerks to library assistants and campus supervisors. District-wide enrollment that exceeded 17,000 students as recently as 2016 has dipped below 16,700, and NVUSD leaders have forecasted a further slippage to 15,000 or fewer by mid-decade as high housing costs squeeze out families with younger children.
Miller Creek School District cuts budget over virus crisis
Miller Creek School District officials will eliminate transitional kindergarten and tighten the budget on other programs to offset projected deficit spending in the 2020-21 school year. “Given the unprecedented shutdown of economic activity during the state’s COVID-19 crisis, we are anticipating a significant impact to the state’s ability to fund the governor’s proposed budget for schools for 2020-21,” Becky Rosales, the interim district superintendent, said in a letter to the school community. Rosales said the cuts for 2020-21 will save $700,000 over three programs. The elimination of transitional kindergarten will save $420,000. The district has TK classes at Lucas Valley, Mary Silveira and Vallecito elementary schools. Rosales said this week that the TK teachers would likely be reassigned to different positions that have been vacated because of retirements or resignations.
Pajaro Valley to lay off two dozen employees
The Pajaro Valley USD Board of Trustees has approved a proposal to cut as many 24 classified roles, due to declining enrollment. Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez told the board that the district has lost about 350 students this year, about half of them to the new charter school Watsonville Prep, resulting in a loss of $4m. Human Resources Director Chona Killeen said the cuts were to “positions, not employees,” and that most will be shifted to vacant positions. The 34 positions cut include 17 instructional aides, a pool maintenance technician and two behavior technicians. The actual number of layoffs will range from 22 to 24, Rodriguez said. About 15 will transfer to other positions.
NYC To Once Again Allow Zoom For Remote Learning
Chalkbeat New York (5/6, Zimmerman, Veiga) reports New York City is allowing schools from using the teleconferencing platform Zoom for remote instruction after the company “agreed to create a customized version of the platform specifically for the city’s education department and made a series of other tweaks to satisfy broader concerns about privacy and security.” NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement, “The security of our students and staff is paramount, and we’ve worked with Zoom to create a tailored platform that provides the safety and functionality schools need to engage in remote learning.” According to Chalkbeat, the news will “likely come as a relief to many educators who had expressed frustration when the education department abruptly banned Zoom on April 3 — just as they were getting more comfortable with teaching online.”
----- FINANCE -----
Economists expect future earnings loss for students missing school due to COVID-19
Four months of school and university closures amid COVID-19 could translate to a $2.5tn total loss in professional earnings for U.S. workers, according to research from four education-focused economists. Each of the country’s approximately 76m current students enrolled in kindergarten through undergrad will earn an estimated $33,500 less, in today’s dollars, over the span of their careers, because of lost schooling during the coronavirus crisis. The study assumes a 45-year working life, mean annual earnings of about $54,500, and that every additional year of schooling equates to 10% in additional future earnings. Harry Patrinos, the manager for the Europe and Central Asia regions of the World Bank’s education practice and one of the authors of the report, said the study was a preliminary exercise to get orders of magnitude, adding that the authors will elaborate on the data further in an upcoming paper. Future research will touch on issues including the differing severity of projected earnings losses between young people in rich and poor countries, the groups of young people most likely to suffer the economic impacts of lost learning, and how the sacrifices associated with lost education contrast between young people and other parts of the population.
----- LEGAL -----
Navient reaches settlement in teachers’ loan forgiveness lawsuit
To end a lawsuit brought by a group of educators backed by the American Federation of Teachers, Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, has agreed to alter its practices for identifying and guiding public service workers seeking to use a long-troubled loan forgiveness program. The teachers’ complaint accused Navient of negligently blocking their access to the program by failing to accurately explain its rules and requirements. Several said they had spent years making payments, only to discover too late that the payments hadn’t counted toward having the loans forgiven. Navient has agreed to train its representatives to listen for key words to identify borrowers who might qualify for the program, to develop standardized templates to send to borrowers who request information, and to monitor its customer service calls to detect and fix problems in how it guides public service workers. It also agreed to pay $1.75m to fund a new, independent organization that will educate and counsel borrowers in public service jobs. Each of the 10 plaintiffs will receive $15,000.
SCOTUS To Hear Arguments Monday On Cases Testing Employment Rights Of Parochial School Teachers
Education Week (5/7, Walsh) reports the US Supreme Court “will hear arguments Monday in a pair of cases that will likely determine whether tens of thousands of teachers at religious schools are protected by the nation’s employment-discrimination laws.” Advocates and supporters for “two Roman Catholic schools in the Los Angeles area say it is a matter of religious freedom that such laws not interfere with the right of churches and religious schools to choose their ministers.” But attorneys for two teachers who allege “they were fired from the Catholic schools for discriminatory reasons say lay teachers with minimal religious duties are not ‘ministers’ for the purposes of the ‘ministerial exception’ to the civil rights laws that the Supreme Court recognized for religious employers in a 2012 case.” Two separate panels of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit “held that the employees’ religious duties alone were insufficient to invoke the ministerial exception, and that the exception was ordinarily applied to those with ‘religious leadership’ roles.”
----- WORKFORCE ----
One-third of teachers at high risk for coronavirus
New data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 29% of traditional public school teachers, 21% of public charter school teachers and 37% of private school teachers are aged 50 or older, indicating that huge numbers of teachers will be at increased risk of developing COVID-19 when schools reopen. Some 92% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were of people aged 55 and older, as of April 27, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at Child Trends comment: "Education administrators who choose to proceed with reopening should coordinate closely with health agencies to enact policies to keep teachers, as well as students, safe."
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Schools face challenge of meeting students' mounting mental health needs
Schools across the country are working to help students emotionally and mentally during the current uncertain times when their ability to respond is greatly diminished. For educators, school psychologists, and school counselors, who have traditionally relied heavily on in-person interactions to gauge and boost their students’ well-being, this period poses unique challenges. “I think for school-based practitioners, our work has always been face to face with students,” said Dede Bailer, the coordinator of psychological services at Virginia’s Fairfax County public schools, one of the nation’s largest districts. “So, for us, the absence of the opportunity to see students face to face has been our biggest obstacle.” Anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have been steadily growing among school-age children. At the same time, there is a national shortage of school psychologists, according to the National Association of School Psychologists, to meet the rising need. “This is such a different animal,” Franci Crepeau-Hobson, a professor at Colorado University’s School of Education and Human Development said of the current situation, “In that it’s not what we would call an acute traumatic stressor - those have a discrete beginning and end. This has a potential for chronic traumatic stress where people are walking around in this state of elevated arousal.” Not being able to meet with students in person has been a big challenge for school psychologists and counselors, as is providing adequate confidentiality when meeting with students virtually. Instead of discussing deeply personal issues with students, Andria Amador, the director of Behavioral Health Services at Boston Public Schools explained, school psychologists and counselors in her district are using that time to help students strengthen their coping skills - whether it be breathing exercises to manage anxiety, developing time-management strategies, or brainstorming ideas for how to get along with family members.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
Bill advances to regulate home school charter vendors
Charter school advocates are fighting a bill designed to stop home-school charter parents from spending school tax dollars on certain enrichment activities such as Disneyland passes, horseback riding lessons and private education for their children. AB 2990, authored by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), has passed the state Assembly Education Committee on a 5-2 vote; among its other provisions are a requirement that all enrichment activities and programs be non-sectarian, and a prohibition on schools from providing financial incentives to teachers for enrolling more students. The California Charter Schools Association, which had worked with Garcia on the legislation, says it is now against it, due to concerns about “overly prescriptive oversight and review standards” and vague definitions of such terms as “enrichment.”
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
USC students sue for tuition and dining refunds
USC students are suing the school for not refunding tuition and fees after the university canceled in-person instruction because of the coronavirus public health threat. The class-action lawsuit, Watson vs. the University of Southern California, alleges that USC is unlawfully refusing to refund all or part of students’ spring 2020 tuition, fees and meal plans, “despite the dramatically lower quality and less valuable education and services now being provided.” Benjamin Galdston, the plaintiffs’ attorney, said USC's "refusal to refund students' tuition and fees during this crisis is unconscionable." "USC is one of the nation's most expensive private universities with a $6bn endowment and flush with nearly $20m in taxpayer-funded relief," he added. "Having failed to provide what it promised students, USC cannot keep their money."
UC could reopen just one-third of its dorm rooms this fall
The University of California could reopen just one-third to one-half of dorm rooms this fall in order to maintain safe distances among students amid the coronavirus outbreak. Campuses are still making decisions on their fall scenarios, which may come in June or July. Last week, UC President Janet Napolitano said campuses will first be required to satisfy systemwide guidelines to ensure public health and safety and any reopening “will probably be greatly reduced.”
----- INTERNATIONAL -----
How other countries are opening up schools again
Closing schools across the globe to help stem the coronavirus pandemic has impacted 1.4bn students worldwide. Some countries are now taking a number of precautionary measures to reopen them safely. Classes are underway again in Norway, Japan, Denmark, China, Taiwan and Israel, however institutions worldwide are adjusting to a new reality where staff members take students' temperatures at the door and desks in classrooms are spaced a safe six feet apart. Where possible, teachers are also often holding lessons in small groups outside. In Denmark, parents are not allowed inside the school and students have to wash their hands at least once an hour, schools in Taiwan have required students to wear masks at all times, while in eastern China schoolchildren are given hats to wear that measure three feet across to remind them to keep a safe distance from others. In Norway, staff members at schools are expected to disinfect classrooms and toys twice a day to stem the spread of the virus, while students in Beijing are required to fill out a survey on an app that calculates a person's risk of infection and students may only enter schools if the app indicates that they are in good health. In Israel, staff members who are older than 65, or who have underlying conditions, have been told not return to work as they are more susceptible to complications related to the coronavirus.
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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