ABCFT - YOUnionews - March 12, 2021
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
Thank you to those who participated in our ratification vote. The Spring 2021 MOU for reopening passed with 81.4%. I will admit to being so engaged with the hour by hour process itself that it has been difficult to stand outside and evaluate what we have accomplished together but let’s take a brief moment to reflect. ABCFT negotiated and our members approved an agreement that will have us return to in-person instruction after Spring Break in April. We are now at a point where vaccines are available to those who want them. The chosen model is one that allows students to remain with their class and teacher. And additional compensation is available as part of the deal.
Negotiating this MOU has been a process that has understandably generated some frustration. We listened carefully to our members as well as remained cognizant of the political reality for our school board and ABCUSD community. The negotiating process was perhaps more open than ever because the issues being discussed ranged beyond the standard bargaining of salary and benefits. Everyone’s individual priorities could not be met in such a document but our protections and our gains are significant. Given that the county guidelines indicated that we are able to return and being aware of what neighboring districts either have been doing or recently agreed to themselves, I believe we have an agreement that will help support us as we finish this 2020-2021 school year.
As with any plan with so many moving parts questions still remain but my message is similar to the one I noted when we began teaching virtually last summer; let’s keep expectations realistic and work together to solve problems as they arise. We agreed to and passed our Memorandum of Understanding. This MOU provides a framework regarding instructional minutes, a delivery model, safety conditions, and compensation but it does not detail the particular logistics necessary for each individual classroom or program. It is now up to our district partners to implement this plan to fidelity. We will of course help them not to fail but we can only control so much. We will be available to deliver quality instruction but getting everything to work smoothly is not our sole responsibility. I urge you to be persistent with your administrators and supervisors about exactly what you need to fulfill the promise of our agreement. ABCFT will then follow up to make sure that your concerns are addressed. We are in ongoing conversations with the district regarding clarifications but it is crucial that you be vocal advocates for precisely what your site or program requires to teach safely and effectively in this simultaneous hybrid model. We are conscientious professionals but we should not be asked to do it all by ourselves.
Here’s some very recent good news, we have a retirement incentive to announce! All ABCFT unit members are eligible for a retirement incentive in the form of an off-schedule payment of 15% of the employee’s salary for the 2020-2021 school year. Members must file an irrevocable letter of resignation by May 14, 2021 with Human Resources to receive the incentive. More details to follow but, once again, this retirement incentive of 15% is open to ALL ABCFT members.
My update next week will focus on our evolving timelines but as of now we should all be prepared for our district PL next Wednesday, March 17 to consist of a webinar regarding reopening. Thursday, March 25 is set aside district wide for teachers to have a half day of staff meetings, review COVID safety plans for both staff and students, and related topics to in-person instruction with the other half of the day available for teacher classroom preparation. Friday, March 26 is a full day available for teacher classroom preparation. Students will receive asynchronous instruction during these two days. More information will follow but please utilize these opportunities to point out exactly what you need at your site or in your program to deliver instruction. This would be the ideal forum to ask the specific questions and get the logistical details in place to make your classroom a safe and effective place to teach. The current plan is that TK-8 and TK-12 SDC classes will begin simultaneous hybrid on April 12.
I want to personally thank the many members who have written supportive messages to the team and the executive board via email and in our chats. Your positivity is truly appreciated and a sign of what we can accomplish as we reopen our district together. I can actually look forward now to seeing some of my colleagues in person next month. Maybe I’ll have to finally get a shave and a haircut, right?!?
In Unity,
KEEPING YOU INFORMED- Reopening Safety Protocols
ABCFT Nurses have been working tirelessly to support their students and staff since the closure of school sites due to the pandemic as well as preparing for the safe reopening of in-person school. Safety of students and staff on campus and all the logistics associated has been the priority for nurses since it will not be business as usual. A child with a cough or vomiting will be treated differently when we many students return to schools April 12th. Thank you to the ABCFT nurses for creating the Managing a Sick Student Process document to assist ABC educators and staff when there is a student who may be ill. The graphic organizer details the process of student assessment and who will be responsible for helping the student and potential tracing for COVID-19 purposes.
As sites and programs make plans to reopen schools safely many of the past practices will be modified to address the needs we now have. ABCFT will continue to share relevant information that may be useful for all teachers, nurses and SLPs.
MEMBER ONLY RESOURCES - MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
LGBTQ+ IDENTITY IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY: CONFRONTING BARRIERS TO ACCEPTANCE
Join educators Leander Houston-Enjady, Vanessa Valenzuela ABCFT Site Rep, ABCFT Teacher Leader, and Tracy Infant Center teacher and Omar Salem of the AFT Identity Affirming Classroom Team (I-ACT) along with Share My Lesson for this session on methods to address diversity in our schools and communities.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
7:00PM EDT
Free
We are becoming increasingly aware of the true diversity our school community holds. In discovering this true diversity many institutional barriers and internalized biases are showing in explicit and hidden ways. The school climate and policies can prevent the wider acceptance and celebration of individuals at all levels of the school community. By reflecting on personal prejudice and recognizing and addressing inappropriate interactions and policies, we can transform the school culture to truly embrace and affirm LGBTQ+ identities and address the intersectionalities that lie with it! REGISTER HERE
2021 Share My Lesson Virtual Conference
MEMBER BENEFITS - WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS
Maintaining our mental health and well-being is important for all of us. ABCFT will be offering Wellness Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:30 pm members will have an opportunity to virtually participate in Guided Meditation and Chair Yoga. These weekly sessions will give members a chance to practice self-care.
In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, you can also access mindfulness resources for all ABCFT members. For Kaiser members, you have free access to the app Calm and myStrength which offers personalized self-care programs based on the cognitive behavioral therapy model. Please be kind to yourself and find time in your busy schedule to take care of yourself.
This week, Donna focuses on quantum physics insomuch nothing that is observed is not affected by the observer. Participants practice meditation by focusing their breath and attention. Participants practice yoga movements focusing hip stretches.
The session closes with a quote from author, Jon Kabat-Zinn,
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention.”
MEMBER ONLY RESOURCES - WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Women's Suffrage and the Transformation of Society
Born from the powerful, unwavering momentum of hundreds of women who first convened a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution the was ratified on August 18, 1920. Prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment, women in the United States did not have the right to vote, and enfranchisement was key to the American dream for many who yearned to participate in civil society. Discover the key figures in the Women’s Suffrage Movement, such as Ida B. Wells, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who became key historical figures, although, sadly, many women who participated in the crusade for voting rights never lived to see ratification of the amendment.
Discover free lessons that will help your students learn more about this important time in history, highlighting important developments in not only Women’s Rights, but U.S. Civil Rights and other amendments to the Constitution. See some of the highlights of Share My Lesson's Women's Suffrafe and Equal Rights Collection below:
MARCH ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
This month’s academic service update is vital for all teachers. We hope that you will take a moment to look at this monthly report which discusses changes in academic services. This document provides the union with a means of giving the District feedback on the many programs or changes they are proposing at any one time. Without your feedback or questions on these changes, it is harder for ABCFT to slow down and modify the district’s neverending roll out of new projects. Please submit your comments and questions to the appropriate ABCFT liaison.
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.
For Nurse issues please contact Theresa at Theresa.Petersen@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
Click Here For This Month’s Full Report
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. This weekly report aims to keep the membership informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental well-being. Together we make the YOUnion.
Sorry for the lateness for the YOUnionews this week. Tanya Golden, Ruben Mancillas and myself have been busy answering emails and meeting with our district counterparts as we follow up on emails from members with specific questions or situations. Thank you to those teachers who wrote to abcft@abcusd.us about your child care challenges once in-person instruction begins. Thanks for all the notes saying thank you for the support but most of all thank you for the unbelievable responses this week. There were 828/1004 votes cast in less than twenty-seven hours with 81.4% in favor of the agreement. Thank you for being such an incredible YOUnion, it has been a team effort for all of us to get to this moment. Ruben really went all out in his report this week so I’m not going to repeat what he’s already covered.
I’ll have much more to write next week after the dust has settled and we start to plot our course for what happens next to get us back to school, finishing the year, summer school, and what next school year will most likely look like. Here’s what I hope you are able to do this weekend….
Don’t worry too much about what instruction will look like in your classroom next month. There will be trainings, upgraded technology, and lots of time for questions and answers. If and when things come up we will all work together to make sure nobody fails. I like the motto that was adopted two decades ago by ABCFT that we don’t let each other fail. Let’s all give each other a grace period as we transition to in-person instruction. That means we need to take it slow for our students, our parents, our overwhelmed administrators, our overworked classified friends, our teaching colleagues and most importantly ourselves. WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH HELL the last twelve months and it’s going to take time, training, and patience to put the pieces together again.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in person again and like old friends we will pick up right where we left off but with lots of stories to tell. Have a good weekend.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Governor Newsom signs legislation on return to in-person instruction and makes change to tier structure
Earlier today Governor Newsom signed legislation (AB 86) to provide funding to early education and K-12 schools to return to in-person instruction and expand educational programs for students who have been struggling with learning during the pandemic.
The $6.6 billion package includes $2 billion dollars to be distributed to any district that returns to in-person instruction by May 1. These funds may be used for anything related to in-person instruction, including staffing, salaries, PPE, and materials. The other $4.6 billion will be available to provide supplemental instructional support to increase learning time in the school day or year, summer programming, one-on-one tutoring, and other methods for assisting students in need, including professional development. The bill also codifies the promise Governor Newsom made last week to set aside a minimum of 10% of California’s vaccine supply for education workers.
Unfortunately, just days before the bill was set to be signed into law, Governor Newsom announced plans to change how county tiers are determined, making it easier for counties to move more quickly from the more restrictive purple tier to the red tier.
The foundation of AB 86 and for the safe reopening plans it outlines rests on a clear understanding of the county tier system, and last-minute changes have the potential to throw those carefully-considered plans into chaos. As CFT President Jeff Freitas said in a statement on Thursday, “We are deeply concerned to see the goalposts already moving on this reopening plan just days after its unveiling. By redefining the tiers used to safely reopen schools after broad agreement on AB 86 was reached, the Administration pushes more districts into returning to in-person instruction at levels that have been considered dangerous for a year.”
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
03/11/2021
03/09/2021
03/06/2021
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
President signs $1.9tn COVID relief law
President Joe Biden signed a sweeping $1.9tn COVID-19 economic relief package into law on Thursday afternoon, a day earlier than expected. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) includes up to $1,400-per-person stimulus payments that will send money to about 90% of households, a $300 federal boost to weekly jobless benefits, an expansion of the child tax credit of up to $3,600 per child and $350bn in state and local aid. For K-12 schools, it provides over $125bn to safely reopen schools for in-person learning, address learning loss, and support students as they work to recover from the long-term impacts of the pandemic. The bill includes $122.747bn in funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief Fund (ESSER). States are required to subgrant at least 90% of ESSER funds to school districts to support the implementation of public health protocols to safely reopen schools for inperson learning, address students’ learning loss, and meet students’ long-term academic, social, and emotional needs. School districts and states are required to use at least 20% and 5%, respectively, of ESSER funds to implement evidence-based interventions to address learning loss. ARP also includes $800m in dedicated funding for the identification and provision of wraparound services for students experiencing homelessness, over $3bn in funding for programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and $2.75bn for states to provide services to non-public schools that serve a significant percentage of students from low-income families.
CNN Politics NBC News Title-By-Title Summary of the American Rescue Plan
----- TEACHER GOSSIP -----
MacKenzie Scott marries school teacher
MacKenzie Scott, one of the world’s wealthiest women, has married Dan Jewett, a science teacher at a Seattle private school. The philanthropist formerly married to Jeff Bezos married again following her 2019 divorce from the Amazon founder. Ms. Scott, who is worth around $53bn, ranks the 22nd richest person in the world.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
HHS to implement testing programs to accelerate reopenings
The Biden administration will implement testing programs in schools as part of the president's plan to get children back in classrooms. The Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) will be giving away $650m in grants to schools to help with testing efforts of their students and faculty. Districts will be given tests, testing supplies and assistance to help implement the initiative. The administration said this is an “initial investment in expanding K-8 school testing and testing in underserved congregate settings through new regional coordinating centers that will identify existing testing capacity, match it up to an area of need and support testing.” President Joe Biden wants to vaccinate all teachers and give schools resources and guidance for safe reopenings. The Department of Education will also be hosting a conference, launching a school reopening program and releasing Volume Two of a K-12 COVID-19 handbook so schools have the guidance and resources needed to know how to keep everyone safe while getting kids back in the classroom. In other news, Fox reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could soon ease its physical distancing guidelines for in-person learning from six-feet to three. A researcher among those who recently penned an opinion piece claiming the CDC misinterpreted findings, including data on safe distancing in the classroom, told the outlet that an unnamed CDC employee expects a shift in the agency’s guidance "soon."
Democrats demand suspension of standardized tests
A group of Democratic congress members has written to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging him to suspend standardized testing requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter, whose signatories include Reps. Erin Murphy and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Jamaal Bowman of New York, claimed that poverty is the "most reliable" bellwether for academic success and that the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on schooling "has exacerbated the preexisting divide" in America "between those with and without accumulated wealth." It cited learning loss due to connectivity issues in lower-income households, and claimed that "Black and Brown students have suffered from the lowest engagement rate.” The lawmakers also argued that continuing standardized tests would "compound the existing youth mental health crisis caused" by the COVID-19 pandemic.
USDA extends free meals to children through summer 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday that it will extend a handful of waivers to continue providing free meals to all children under 18 through September 30th, from an original planned expiry date of June 30th. Parents and guardians will continue to be able pick up meals for several days at time. The action will also allow meals to be served through the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option at a variety of meal sites at no cost to families. Summer meals providers will also have much more latitude on when meals are served and in what settings. The USDA has allowed schools to serve meals that do not meet the typical school lunch and school breakfast nutrition requirements in order to make the programs easier to administer during a crisis. That flexibility has been allowed "because of widespread supply chain disruptions across the country," a USDA spokesperson explaine d. "As the nation progressively rebounds from the national emergency, operators now have more resources and experiences operating nontraditional feeding models," the spokesperson added. The department noted that there are currently 12 million children living in households where “they may not always have enough to eat.”
Rules on responding to sexual assault in schools to be reviewed
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday that ordered the U.S. Department of Education to review the rule determining how schools must respond to students’ claims of sexual assault and harassment. The rule outlines obligations for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos introduced the rule in May 2020 after meetings with assault survivors, students who said they’d been falsely accused, advocacy groups and educators. Her rule helped schools to shift the threshold that officials use to decide if an assault claim requires a response to a higher bar to prove claims of misconduct.
School finance officials divided over federal COVID-19 aid
Just under half of local school district finance officials say they’ve received “sufficient” federal funding and support to help them address the coronavirus pandemic so far. The survey of hundreds of K-12 officials by ASBO International, conducted February 8th-19th, also found that the two most popular uses of dollars from the CARES Act from March 2020 were purchasing personal protective equipment and similar supplies and improving education technology and broadband services. Just over half the respondents estimated that their districts are getting between $500,000 and $5 million from the second, larger COVID-19 relief package for schools. By contrast, most of the respondents said their districts got less than $500,000 from the first relief deal. In a statement about the survey, David Lewis, ASBO’s executive director, said that “more federal aid is still needed to help schools reopen and recover from the pandemic.” Congress is considering a third round of relief for K-12 schools that will likely top $120 billion, although details will need to be worked out between the House and Senate before it’s sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. Fifty-five per cent of the officials participating in the survey say the relief enacted so far is not sufficient. Specific future costs causing district leaders concern include expenses associated with interventions and remediation for students to address learning loss and providing mental health and social emotional care services for students and staff; fixing student connectivity/broadband or “homework gap” issues; accruing ongoing costs related to implementing CDC-recommended strategies to mitigate viral spread for a prolonged and undetermined period of time; and addressing rising HR/payroll, labor, and health costs to hire, recruit, and retain quality staff during s evere labor market shortages and while providing supplemental emergency benefits and compensation during the pandemic.
Education Week ASBO International COVID-19 Financial Impact Survey Report
Biden Vows To Make All Adults Eligible For Vaccines By May 1
The AP (3/11, Miller, Lemire) reports, “One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus,” President Biden “pledged in his first prime-time address Thursday night to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and raised the possibility of beginning to ‘mark our independence from this virus’ by the Fourth of July. He offered Americans fresh hope and appealed anew for their help.” The President, speaking from the White House East Room, “honored the ‘collective suffering’ of Americans over the past year in his 24-minute address and then offered them a vision for a return to a modicum of normalcy this summer.”
Bloomberg (3/11, Leonard) reports Biden “said his administration would reach his goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office by his 60th day as president.” He said, “We’re not only going to meet that goal, we’re going to beat that goal. I need you to get vaccinated when it’s your turn and you can find an opportunity.” The New York Times (3/11, Weiland) reports the President “dramatically expanded the ways Americans can get vaccinated and the pool of people can administer shots, moves enabled in part by new funding in the American Rescue Plan. The changes...would mean ‘no more searching day and night for an appointment for you and your loved ones,’” he said.
Reason (3/11) reports Biden during the speech “pivoted back to a commitment he made before entering office, one that he seemed to equivocate on after inauguration.” Biden said, “We can accelerate a massive nationwide effort to reopen our schools safely, and meet my goal…of opening the majority of K-8 schools during my first 100 days in office,” emphasizing that it would be “the number one priority” of Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Newsom pledges to invest record amounts in education this year
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday night he wouldn’t be satisfied “until everybody is back in school” and pledged to invest record amounts in education this year. In his State of the State speech, he said that 7,000 of California’s more than 10,000 schools are either opening or planning to open in April. “There’s nothing more foundational to an equitable society than getting our kids safely back into classrooms,” he said, adding that massive progress has been made in opening schools for in-person instruction in recent months and weeks. In his only reference to higher education in his address, Newsom pointed out that California has more scientists, engineers, researchers and Nobel laureates than any other state. “To keep this conveyor belt of talent moving, we will keep on investing in UC, CSU and community colleges,” he said.
California Governor Signs Bill Increasing School Funding Into Law In Bid To Reopen Classrooms
The AP (3/5, Beam, Gecker) reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed legislation that allocates $6.6 billion to the state’s public schools in a bid to “pressure districts to reopen classrooms by the end of March,” but “educators, parents and lawmakers question whether it will work.” According to the AP, the new law “does not require school districts to resume in-person instruction. Instead, the state is dangling $2 billion before cash-strapped school boards, offering them a share only if they start offering in-person instruction by month’s end. The rest of the money would go toward helping students catch up.”
The AP (3/5) added that “for every day after April 1 a district does not offer in-person learning, the amount of money it can get goes down. Districts that wait until after May 15 to offer in-person learning won’t get any of this money.” The other $4.6 billion included in the legislation will go to all districts to “help students catch up on the material they have missed in the past year.” School systems can “use it to extend the school year or pay for summer school programs,” but they are required to “use 85% of the money for expenses related to in-person instruction. The remaining 15% can be used for distance learning.”
The San Francisco Chronicle (3/5, Koseff) reported Newsom said at a virtual signing ceremony, “I have great confidence, great expectation, that we’ll see that happening and taking shape all across the state.” Reopening negotiations will now shift to the “local level, and many districts, including San Francisco Unified, remain locked in contentious deliberations with their employee unions over timelines and safety requirements for a return.” Politico (3/5, White) reports Assembly Member Kevin McCarty (D) conceded the measure was “not the panacea” and could result in just 12 days of in-person learning in Sacramento between now and the summer for some students. Meanwhile, Assembly Member Phil Ting (D) said, “We’re gonna go home to all our districts and beg all our districts to open up, use this money and do everything possible – I know I’ve got a big hurdle with my district in San Francisco.”
Newsweek (3/5) reported the bill has bipartisan support in the state legislature, but the “California Teachers Association (CTA) aired concerns about its passing on Thursday after Newsom announced new updates to the state’s COVID-19 health guidance.” CTA President Toby Boyd said, “We’re disappointed the Administration, once again, moved the community case rate goalpost by relaxing the red tier standard from seven daily cases to 10 per 100,000 residents.” Boyd added, “Educators are painfully aware of the impact these eleventh-hour changes have on our school communities – whether it’s the waivers, inconsistent safety standards or shifting guidance earlier in the pandemic.”
California Teacher Shortage Could Make It Tough To Reopen Schools. EdSource (3/5) reported a study released Friday by the Learning Policy Institute warned “the ongoing teacher shortage, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, means more under-prepared teachers will be in California classrooms when school campuses fully reopen.” The report suggested the “decrease in the number of teacher candidates earning credentials, as well as the possibility of increased retirements and resignations, will make it difficult for schools to hire all the teachers they need.” The lack of teachers “could make it difficult to reopen campuses, which are required to have smaller class sizes to accommodate physical distancing.” In particular, it will be “difficult to find teachers for special education, math, science and bilingual education, subjects that historically have had teacher shortages.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
LA school board ratifies school reopening agreement
Los Angeles USD’s Board of Education voted unanimously yesterday to ratify an agreement with the teachers union to reopen schools. The tentative agreement still needs to be ratified by United Teachers Los Angeles, whose members are expected to cast their votes next week. The district has released a “Return to Campus” guide with more information about the school reopening plans, and more school meetings and community town halls will be held in the coming days to address questions from parents.
Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Daily News
San Diego approves $22m summer school plan
After almost one year of being closed to regular in-person instruction, the San Diego USD Board approved $22m for an expanded in-person and online summer school program to help students improve their grades, which have been impacted by the pandemic and disruptions to learning. The need for the so-called “accelerated” learning plan is significant, district officials say, with one in five San Diego Unified high school students are not on track to graduate this June, the district reported at a board meeting yesterday. Summer school will be optional and priority will be given to academically struggling students, but Superintendent Cindy Marten said the district wants to make summer school available to all students who want it.
LAUSD moves closer to reopening
Los Angeles USD is moving ahead with plans to reopen schools, with the goal of welcoming back elementary and special education students in mid-April and for middle and high school students by the end of next month, Superintendent Austin Beutner said yesterday. The hybrid schedules which the district and teachers union have been negotiating are “substantially complete,” he said. “While we expect an agreement with UTLA this week, we’ll continue to move forward on plans to reopen schools as there is a great deal to do to get ready,” the superintendent said during his weekly community update. The district has estimated that 25,000 employees would need to be vaccinated to reopen elementary schools. The district is on track for that goal, Mr Beutner said. So far, “35,000 of them have received their first dose of the vaccine, are making appointments to do so or have decided they don’t wish t o receive the vaccination at this time,” he explained. “The further good news is, so far, only about 10% of employees have told us they don’t want to be vaccinated at this time.”
Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Daily News NBC Los Angeles
San Francisco releases new details on in-person learning
San Francisco USD officials have published additional details about their plans to get some of the city’s more than 52,000 schoolchildren back into classrooms this spring after a year of distance learning. From April 12th, some students in lower grades would return for four full days and one partial day each week while others would return two full days a week and spend three days in distance learning, depending on the level of demand for in-person learning at each school. The plan brings back preschool through fifth-graders, and special education students and other vulnerable groups through high school, by the end of April. Families can also choose to remain in distance learning. The plan is subject to a vote by the school board, likely on Thursday.
San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco schools to reopen starting next month
San Francisco USD plans to reopen classrooms for some of the youngest students beginning April 12, under a tentative deal reached with the teachers union late Friday. Though the school board still needs to vote on the deal, officials said in a statement that they reached the arrangement with the teachers union to “return as many students as possible in focal groups to nearly a full school day, five days a week." Those groups are primarily preschool through fifth grade, although the district said 24 of 64 elementary schools will definitely reopen in April. “This is an important step on our path to reopening schools. We continue to be committed to ensuring every student and family in the San Francisco United School District is receiving the support they need,” board President Gabriela López said in a statement. The board still needs to vote on the deal, and it wasn’t immediately clear how soon that would happen. The board’s next meeting is Tuesday.
US News and World Report San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Examiner CBS SF Bay Area
----- CLASSROOM -----
Majority of school teachers predict classroom return this fall
The current rate of in-school instruction is continuing to rise as most educators predict their schools will be fully in-person next fall, a new EdWeek Research Center survey shows. The nationally representative, online questionnaire was administered February 24-26 to 1,196 educators, including 629 teachers, 265 principals, and 302 district leaders. Around two-thirds say they’ll only offer in-person instruction when schools reopen for the 2021-22 school year, while 1% expect their districts or schools to be fully remote. The remainder predict they’ll provide a mixture of in-person and remote learning.
----- LEGAL -----
Supreme Court backs suits challenging school policies
In a significant decision for litigation involving schools, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a request for nominal damages of as little as $1 can keep a lawsuit challenging a government policy alive even when the agency drops the challenged policy. In a case brought by two community college students in Georgia who had sought to express their religious faith on their campus, after they ran afoul of a policy of Georgia Gwinnett College's that limited First Amendment activity to a small “free speech zone,” the 8-1 decision came after two lower courts had ruled for the college, which had quickly changed its policy after the students launched legal action. "I think the most important thing about today's ruling is what it did not hold. For decades, civil litigants, and especially civil rights plaintiffs, have relied on the notion that alleging minimal damages is a sufficient way t o get into court for claims of legal violations that may not have caused quantifiable economic injuries," comments Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law.
----- WORKFORCE ----
Teacher shortages could hinder school reopenings
Teacher shortages were a problem prior to the pandemic, but the issue has grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic and threatens to jeopardize districts’ ability to reopen safely in California, and across the nation. A report from the Learning Policy Institute found that shortages in smaller rural districts are more severe, especially in math and science, and the shift back to in-person learning with smaller class sizes will further stretch the workforce. Workload and burnout are cited as concerns, as are increasing numbers of retirements and resignations. The authors of the study suggest building high-retention pathways into education through teacher residency, which makes the profession more affordable and attainable, citing California’s Golden State Teacher Grant Program as an example of financial supports that help recruit and retain new teachers in high-need areas and subjects.
Teacher vaccinations going untracked
No states are publicly reporting the percentage of teachers and school staff that have been vaccinated, according to analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The number of school staff members receiving vaccinations—and refusal rates—are unclear in several large districts where teachers were prioritized, including Las Vegas, Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky. While some states say vaccine administration sites are not tracking recipients’ occupations and they are not in position to survey employees themselves, some state agencies and districts underline privacy concerns which prevent them from tracking or publishing teacher vaccination data. Megan Collins, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions, asserts that "increased transparency could influence back-to-school decision making and would likely make teachers and studen ts more willing to return to classrooms."
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Data: Black Teachers Are Being Vaccinated At Lower Rates Than White Colleagues
Education Week (3/3) reports that “over the last few months, a growing number of states have begun prioritizing teachers for coronavirus vaccines in the hopes of bringing more kids back to school in person.” Then just this week, President Joe Biden “directed all states to make school staff eligible for vaccines, setting a goal of getting all educators their first doses by the end of March.” However, survey data “from the two national teachers’ unions reveal stark inequities within the vaccine rollout so far.” Black educators, the data show, “are less likely to be vaccinated than their white peers.” The National Education Association “found that its white and Hispanic members were nearly twice as likely as Black members to have been vaccinated – 20% and 17%, respectively, compared to 9%.” The American Federation of Teachers “found that 77% of its white members were either already vaccinated or will be soon, compared to 64% of Hispanic members and 46% of Black members.” The President’s announcement is “likely to change the calculus on who gets shots and how quickly, but the early discrepancies in vaccine access, among other things, could be felt for some time.”
Analysis: By Reducing Child Poverty, Biden’s American Rescue Plan Will Improve School Performance. An analysis by Washington Post (3/11, Strauss) education reporter Valerie Strauss considers President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to be “a major federal school reform unlike those we’ve seen in the past few decades.” The new law “includes measures that together have the potential to slash poverty among the 12 million students who live in low-income households.” One estimate suggests two key tax credit provisions could “together lift more children above the poverty line, 5.5 million, than any other economic support program.” Another analysis says the plan could cut the poverty rate by more than 52% this year, “largely from changes in tax law and the $1,400 stimulus checks that are part of the relief package.” Strauss says “conditions inside many schools do need to be overhauled,” and some teachers do “need better training,” but researchers have said “what happens to children outside of school has a far larger effect on their performance than what happens in class.”
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Cyberattacks against schools are soaring
The number of publicly disclosed cybersecurity incidents affecting K-12 school systems rose by 18% in 2020 over the previous year, according to a report published Wednesday by the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center and the K12 Security Information Exchange, or K12 Six. There were 408 publicly disclosed cyberattacks last calendar year, compared with 348 in 2019, the report found, equating to more than two attacks per school day. The most widespread cyber incidents were ransomware attacks, in which a hacker infiltrates a network and hold it for ransom, along with data breaches of student and staff personal data that included everything from bullying reports to Social Security numbers. Class invasions were also a significant trend, with these incidents involving a malicious actor gaining access to an online video conferencing system and disrupting it. The pandemic “offered a profound stress test of the resiliency and security of the K-12 educational technology ecosystem,” the report concluded. “The evidence suggests that in rapidly shifting to remote learning school districts not only exposed themselves to greater cybersecurity risks but were also less able to mitigate the impact of the cyber incidents they experienced.”
The Hill Education Week EdScoop
Strategies to protect K-12 school districts from threats
Sunny Suneja, a cloud security specialist who previously worked for McAfee as a senior cloud security architect for the U.S. public sector, argues that, amid the ongoing pandemic where lots of devices have been sent out without normal checks, establishing partnerships is one of the best ways for school districts to modernize security controls. This can, he suggests, begin with improving collaboration with districts’ respective state CIOs and education department advisors in order to see where they streamline cybersecurity efforts in accordance with state and regional programs. He encourages stakeholders to check in with their state and local boards to see if there are funds they can access for security resources and suggests that K-12 districts try to align themselves with the same security guidance that may be issued to state and local agencies.
----- SOCIAL & COMMUNITY -----
Asian American families disproportionately keeping kids home
Asian American families around the country are disproportionately opting to keep their children home to participate in virtual learning as schools begin to reopen. In New York City, for example, Asian American students make up 18% of the classroom, but only 12% went back to in-person learning. Similarly, in Chicago, two-thirds of white children have opted for in-person learning compared to one-third of Asian American children, and in Nashville, Tennessee, less than half of Asian families opted to learn in the classroom, compared to two-thirds of their white peers. The news comes as the rate of violence against Asian Americans has increased across the country in the past year, with more than 3,000 hate incidents reported since the start of the pandemic. Columbia University adjunct professor and civil rights attorney, Liz OuYang, said that attacks on Asian communities in the U.S. have made people apprehensi ve to set foot outside their homes. Others fear for their child's safety to send them alone to commute to school.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
California educators call for bigger Pell Grant awards
Administrators and student governments at California’s public colleges and universities are pushing to increase the maximum amount of Pell Grant awards, the main source of federal financial aid available to low- and middle-income students, from about $6,500 to $13,000. The grants are awarded each year to millions of college students across the country who have financial need. CSU is “absolutely” in support of expanding the Pell Grant, said Luoluo Hong, CSU’s associate vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management. Hong noted that CSU serves many first-generation and low-income students and pointed out that the current maximum Pell Grant does not cover 100% of tuition and fees at any CSU campus. The university has explored creating a path to a debt-free UC degree, but accomplishing that “is dependent on additional resources,” said Shawn B rick, UC’s executive director of student financial support.
----- OTHER -----
Civil engineers urge school infrastructure investment
The American Society of Civil Engineers, which assigned a C- grade to the nation's total infrastructure in its latest quadrennial assessment, gave school infrastructure a D grade. The organization pointed to a 2020 report from the Government Accountability Office, which found 53% of the nation's schools need to upgrade or replace multiple building systems, including HVAC. The report pointed to a lack of planning, saying four in 10 public schools do not have a long-term facility plan for operations and maintenance. It also said despite progress in areas like technology, "many school districts have not been able to keep pace" with new needs during the pandemic, such as creating temporary classrooms. It attributed this in part to a $38bn spending gap between the $49bn spent annually on new school construction and projects, and the $87bn it says is required to provide healthy and safe learning environ ments.
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
leann.blaisdell@ntarep.com
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