ABCFT - YOUnionews - April 23, 2021
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
The negotiating team met this week with the district to discuss the calendar for the 2021-2022 school year. Thank you to all of those who submitted their calendar survey, your input will be very helpful at the table as we continue to bargain. We met with the district this week to review the current LCAP, are meeting next week to talk about the next LCAP cycle, and have a meeting scheduled to review the current district budget as well. The May revise is also coming up and that should give us more precise numbers from the state that will better inform our negotiating for salary and benefits next year.
The school board meeting this last Tuesday night featured Ray’s eloquent employee representative report and saw the board address a long-standing issue regarding substitute pay. Ray spoke not only about how ABCFT members have been working all year long to successfully provide instruction but stood in solidarity with the other labor groups, CSEA and AFSCME, in acknowledgment of all of the crucial work they do to support teachers and students. The board also voted to increase the pay for substitute teachers, with one rate being put in place until the end of this school year and another, not as sizable but long overdue, increase becoming effective after July 1, 2021. This is significant for two reasons; the obvious one is that the number, as well as the quality of the substitute teachers ABCUSD can attract, is linked to the pay rate they are offered. We all know stories of good substitutes who will accept jobs in our classrooms only to turn them down if they are offered a position with a higher-paying district. A large enough pool of quality substitute teachers positively impacts our working conditions so it was a welcome move by the district to bring our rates into line with those of neighboring districts. We do not bargain for substitute teachers but it is this underlying logic that is noteworthy for us. The importance of remaining competitive in terms of compensation was an explicit point made during the board meeting and this negotiator couldn’t help but agree!
Speaking of remaining competitive, the CFT issues a salary comparability study for the 2019-2020 school year for all of the districts in Los Angeles County and ABCFT is proud to announce that our goal of being in the top quartile of total average compensation has been achieved. Congratulations to the negotiating team and the executive board for their hard work on behalf of our members. The CFT research report contains a number of different metrics to target and overall progress still needs to be made but meeting this measurable standard is a consistent goal and we will continue to fight to expand upon these gains as we negotiate in the future.
In Unity,
Retirement Incentive for ABCFT Unit Members
ABCFT unit members have until May 14, 2021 to take advantage of ABCUSD’s retirement incentive.
The Retirement Incentive is as follows:
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 and it shall be subject to all appropriate withholdings for all ABCFT unit members who file an irrevocable letter of resignation by May 14, 2021.
Irrevocable retirement forms submitted after May 14, 2021, will not be eligible for the retirement incentive.
Those who submit an irrevocable retirement form by May 14, 2021, must indicate a retirement date on or before June 30, 2021.
ABCFT TEACHER LEADERS PROGRAM By Tanya Golden
The best verb to describe this year’s Teacher Leaders is resilience. The Teacher Leader participants, Monique Erece, Laura Kleven, Megan Mitchell, Edith Padilla, Jenise Page and Oralia Rojas were still able to keep their heads up and smile for a picture but I can guarantee you they have experienced many hours of collaboration, researching, creating surveys, analyzing data, building relationships, writing their research summary and preparing their presentation. All of this work while enduring what has been described by many as the absolute most difficult year of teaching ever. As a co-facilitator, Erika Cook’s contagious enthusiasm and expertise guided and coached the TL’s during their twice monthly virtual meetings as they each created their own education related action research. Congratulations to these incredible Teacher Leaders!
Celebrate these courageous union activists as they present their final Action Research projects.
4th Annual Teacher Leaders Showcase
Wednesday, May 12th, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Virtually on Zoom
Applications for the 2021-22 Teacher Leaders Program will be available in early May. We are looking forward to you joining us in this exciting, rewarding program.
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 breathing using a technique to listen to your body by slowing your breathing and calming yourself.
The session closes with a quotes,
“Breathing exercises creates brainwaves. If you can learn how to use your mind anything is possible.”
TOSA TIDBITS
Need another set of eyes with your technical concerns … we can help!
TEACHER DEDICATED TECH SUPPORT
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays 8-8:30 am & 2:30-3 pm
APRIL 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.
I don’t know about you but the last two weeks have been some of the slowest moving two weeks this entire school year (link goes to Worried Blues by Mississippi Fred McDowell). We are all counting the days and trying to move forward without losing it. I’m thankful for Ruben’s report at the top of the YOUnionews this week because he hit some of the major pieces I was going to address (thanks Ruben). In no particular order here are some other things that are on my mind.
In the YOUnion Chat this week a member expressed the concern that ABC teachers were perhaps at the bottom of the pay scale compared to other surrounding school districts. This statement was absolutely true back in 1998 when I was first hired in ABC as teachers were in the bottom quartile (¼) for pay for all 80 school districts in LA County. It was at that time in 1998, five years after an eight day strike, that ABCFT and ABCUSD started to work on being more collaborative. One of the most important principles of the partnership was the commitment to raise the pay of teachers because there was a common ground agreement that the pay of teachers had a direct impact on the academic performance of our students. At that time, ABC had some of the lowest test scores at some schools and at that time we have very few recognized schools and zero California Golden Bell Awards. The painful time after the strike had been filled with a succession of superintendents, the suicide of a school board president and plumutting academic achievement as teacher abandoned ABC for greener more teacher friendly pastures.
Back to my point. This commitment to teacher salaries has been a mainstay of our partnership between ABCFT and ABCUSD. As fate would have it, I received our annual CFT report that compared salary schedules of all eighty LA County School Districts. It was concerning for me to hear that a member would have the perception that we are so undervalued and next week I will use a few minutes of the YOUnion Chat time to share this report that illustrates the strength of our bargaining team efforts and how they have maintained and increased our status in this annual report. I have been on the bargaining team for the last twenty years and I have seen firsthand the fierce determination of ABCFT negotiating team in their efforts to support the livelihood of ABCFT members. I am happy to report that we are in the top ten for starting teacher pay, in the top quartile for salary compensation, 11th of 80 for total compensation, and 4th of 80 for the largest percentage pay increase for the year. I’ll share these charts at the YOUnion Chat and put them in next week’s YOUnionews when I have access to a scanner so that you can see firsthand what I’m describing. Am I satisfied with this report? NO. ABCFT will continue to find innovative ways at the bargaining table to increase our members pay and benefits because these bread and butter issues are the foremost responsibility of a union next to working conditions.
Speaking of working conditions, if you were listened to the YOUnion Chat or you watched the school board meeting earlier this week you will have heard that we are not altogether happy with the district and its handling of the reopening and the continued changes. Based on the last few weeks reopening starts and stops some of you may think that maybe the partnership with the district was over. In a partnership you can still have disagreements and ground truth conversations and they still will not break the commitment to work together for the good of employees and the students we serve. A prime example was how ABCFT and our ABC classified siblings (CSEA and AFSCME) stood together at a board meeting for the first time since the strike of 1993 to demand that all employees were compensated for their efforts. As a coalition, we needed to illustrate to the public and the ABC school board trustees that we all need to be respected for our work because in the end anything we do impacts our students. This school year has been crazy enough and it behoves a district, flush with money, to not pay their employees. I’ve been working for the last fifteen years to heal the wounds of the 1993 strike with our union sisters and brothers and this weeks ABCFT show of unity was our way of trying to heal that old wound so that we can move forward as a district united in our purposes to make ABC a special place to work.
Thank you for all you do. I feel your exhaustion and I look forward to the summer like never before. Have a good weekend, you deserve it.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin a step toward a more just future
Today a jury in Minnesota found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of all charges for the murder of George Floyd in May of last year. While the verdict will not bring George Floyd back, it represents a fundamental step toward police accountability and a more just future.
Last June, following the killing of George Floyd, as millions took to the street in protest, CFT put out a statement calling for racial justice, demanding accountability for the murder of George Floyd and highlighting the urgent need for all of us to work for racial justice every day. We stated, “We must continue to show up and speak up in solidarity for Black lives and refuse to be distracted from the urgent need for us all to work for racial justice every day. This work of anti-racism is for all of us – as individuals, as a union, in our schools, and across society – and we must remain fully committed to it until our vision of a just society is realized.”
In the wake of the Derek Chavin verdict, we recommit ourselves to this important work.
We will continue to work with our national affiliate, our locals, and our members to be partners in demanding equity, demanding justice, and demanding an end to systemic and institutionalized racism.
Today, we witnessed the courts, our legal system, holding a guilty police officer accountable for murdering George Floyd, but the fight for true justice continues. This decision will mean little if we do not continue the critical work of dismantling systemic and oppressive racism infused in our institutions.
Our thoughts are first and foremost with the family of George Floyd and his community. While today was an important step forward, the verdict does not erase the immense pain of losing a beloved father, son, brother, and friend. May they find peace in the days ahead.
In Unity,
Jeff Freitas CFT President
Luukia Smith CFT Secretary-Treasurer
Lacy Barnes CFT Senior VP
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
Dear colleague:
We are writing to share two American Rescue Plan announcements from the Biden administration.
First, today, the Department of Education released an application (and regulation) for states to apply for the final one-third of their K-12 education money (known as ESSER—Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief—funds). As you’ll recall, earlier the department released the first two-thirds of the funds, with a promise that it would require states to submit plans for full expenditure of this $122 billion.
Here are some important highlights of the application. States will need to:
Describe their status and needs related to pandemic recovery in schools.
Explain how they will safely reopen schools and resume operations tied to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mitigation strategies, and how they will support districts in doing so.
Explain their planning for the use and coordination of funds, including seeking input from stakeholders such as “teachers ... other educators, school staff, and their unions.”
Describe how they will support districts’ use of funds, including ensuring that districts engage stakeholders such as “teachers ... other educators, school staff, and their unions,” and requiring that district plans be posted publicly.
Explain how plans will support the educator workforce, including saving jobs.
Describe coordination across different funding streams (including previous pandemic relief bills).
Plans will be due to the Education Department by June 7.
We join the administration in framing today’s release as a tool to create a narrative about the appropriate use of American Rescue Plan funds and a way for all of us to engage with school system leaders on the use of funds. The coordination with “educators and their unions” is a valuable hook, and we will provide a template letter that you can adapt to send to your state or district to request a seat at the table in planning for the use of these funds.
Second, on Monday, April 19, the Education Department released guidance on maintenance of effort requirements in all three of the COVID-19 relief laws (the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security [CARES] Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations [CRRSA] Act; and the American Rescue Plan), including the questions that states would need to sufficiently answer in order to receive a waiver from the MOE provisions. These questions include:
Has the state increased support for education overall?
Are there exceptional circumstances that led to the state's inability to maintain support for education?
How is the state using its other pandemic relief funds to potentially cover education?
States seeking a waiver need to address K-12 and higher education separately, and every state will have to use the Education Department template and process. We know affiliates have many questions related to state funding of education and the interaction with federal fiscal requirements. In addition to discussing the attached guidance, the AFT is happy to help facilitate a conversation with administration officials regarding your state’s particular situation.
Thank you,
Randi
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
California's public schools see 'sharp decline' in enrollment
California's public schools have experienced a sharp decline in enrollment this year as the pandemic forced millions into online school, according to new data from the state Department of Education. The number of students at K-12 schools dropped by more than 160,000 this academic year, most of them at the K-6 level, to a total of 6m. The exodus was led by white students who account for just 22% of California’s public school population but represent about half of the departing students for the 2020-21 school year, which could increase disparities in California’s public education system. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond called the numbers concerning but said officials are optimistic that enrollment will rebound as more schools reopen to in-person learning. He said officials are working with schools and families to understand why so many families left and how to bring them back.
Ventura County Star Los Angeles Times
----- IMPACT NEWS -----
LAUSD Superintendent to step down in June
Los Angeles USD Superintendent Austin Beutner is step down as the leader of the nation’s second-largest school district when his contract is up on June 30th. “I believe that it is fitting that a new superintendent should have the privilege of welcoming students back to school in the fall. I respectfully request that my contract end as planned on June 30,” he said in a letter to the district board. “In the meantime, I will remain focused on the task of ensuring that schools reopen in the safest way possible while helping in a seamless leadership transition.” In recent weeks, with the end of his contract looming, there’s been internal discussion about a brief or long-term extension. The superintendent’s evaluation was among the topics listed for a closed session of the school board that began about 9 a.m. Wednesday and continued into the afternoon. There is no immediate indication that Mr. Beutner was asked to leave, and the board, in its official statement, praised his “unwavering leadership” and said it was “disappointed” that he would not serve past June 30th. “We acknowledge his commitment to supporting student learning during the pandemic and recognizing the contributions of frontline workers who continued to serve our school communities in this crisis,” said Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias. “Throughout his tenure, we have appreciated his understanding of the role that custodians, food service workers, bus drivers and other classified school employees play in student learning.”
Bakersfield.com Los Angeles Daily News Los Angeles Times
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Biden to seek tax increase on rich to fund education and child care
President Joe Biden will seek new taxes on the rich, including a near doubling of the capital gains tax for people earning more than $1m a year, to pay for the next phase in his $4tn plan to reshape the American economy. The American Family Plan will also propose raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%; in all it will include about $1.5tn in new spending and tax credits meant to fight poverty, reduce child care costs for families, make pre-K and community college free to all, and establish a national paid leave program. The proposed legislation would be separate from the $2.3tn infrastructure package known as the American Jobs Plan, which would be funded by an increase in the corporate tax rate to 28%.
SCOTUS lowers bar for life-without-parole sentences for young offenders
In a 6-3 majority the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that, in cases of defendants who commit murder when they are under 18, a state does not need to make a finding that the offender was “permanently incorrigible” before imposing a sentence of life without parole. The case involves Brett Jones, who was 15 in 2004 when he stabbed his paternal grandfather, Bertis Jones, to death with a kitchen knife in a dispute over the younger Jones having his girlfriend over. Jones was convicted of murder and given a then-mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said that a judge or other sentencing authority must still take the youth of a juvenile offender into account and that such a “discretionary sentencing system is both constitutionally necessary and constitutionally sufficient.” However, in two key precedents in this area, Kavanaugh said, “the court has unequivocally stated that a separate factual finding of permanent incorrigibility is not required before a sentencer imposes a life-without-parole sentence on a murderer under 18.” In a sharp dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority “guts” and “distorts” the two key precedents “beyond recognition.” The decision in Jones v. Mississippi (Case No. 18-1259) marks a departure from a string of pro-juvenile decisions by the high court since 2005, many of which were written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who retired from the court in 2018
U.S. Ed Dept publishes state plan template for school relief funds
The U.S. Department of Education has released the State plan application that will support states in describing how they will use resources under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) fund to continue to safely reopen schools, sustain their safe operations, and support students. Last month, states received access to two-thirds of their ARP ESSER allocation, a total of $81 billion. The remaining $41 billion will become available after states' plans are approved by the Department. In the State plans, which must be submitted by June 7th, states will describe how they will ensure states and school districts are demonstrating transparency in their planning, identify and meet the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic, choose effective evidence-based interventions, and prioritize educational equity, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and strong fiscal safeguards. These plans will provide critical information to the public and the Department about the use of these unprecedented resources. States must also commit to several actions as part of their receipt of ARP ESSER funds, including civil rights protections, as well as transparency and compliance with requirements such as uses of funds, maintenance of effort, and maintenance of equity. The Department will begin approving applications and disbursing the remaining ARP ESSER funds expeditiously once plans are received and reviewed.
Eight states debate bills limiting how teachers discuss racism and sexism
Lawmakers in eight states have introduced legislation that could make it harder for teachers to talk about racism, sexism, and bias in the classroom. Legislatures in Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and West Virginia are all to consider bills that would ban the teaching of what they deem “divisive” or “racist and sexist” concepts. Off-limits topics to discuss include that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; that the U.S. or specific states are fundamentally racist or sexist; and that individuals, because of their race or sex, are inherently oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. “Right now, we’re in a moment where terms like systemic racism aren’t only used at universities, or among people who talk about race. These are commonly used terms now. So we see a little shifting of the tide of what people understand racism to be,” said Kristen E. Duncan, an assistant professor of secondary social studies education at Clemson University. “Making schools a place where students would not learn about it that at all is kind of an attempt to put the genie back in the bottle.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
Five hundred SF educators receive medical exemptions
Nearly 500 San Francisco USD teachers and classroom aides scheduled to return to in-person instruction will continue to teach remotely, after receiving medical exemptions. The number of teachers and aides on a medical exemption far surpasses neighboring districts and is expected to cost San Francisco more than $40,000 per day for substitutes to supervise students in those classrooms, or about $1.5m before summer break. “The teacher of record is responsible for the instruction that’s going on,” said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe. “So they need to do the lesson planning, they need to support the instruction, but the way in which they are doing that varies from classroom to classroom.” In other SFUSD news, the school board has agreed to new contract terms with Superintendent Vincent Matthews that require members to focus on reopening schools and act “in a dignified and professional manner."It follows board controversies including a much-criticized plan to rename 44 schools it said honored figures linked to racism, sexism and other injustices, numerous lawsuits and public outcry about getting children back into classrooms after months of online learning during the coronavirus pandemic. The superintendent’s deal obligates board members to treat people with civility and respect, be prepared for public meetings and refrain from creating new programs or mandates unrelated to reopening schools, the budget or safety issues until in-person instruction has fully resumed.
Bakersfield.com San Francisco Chronicle
Sacramento City USD, SEIU union reach deal to avoid strike
Sacramento City USD and the local SEIU 1021 union have reached an agreement on how to provide in-person services for students, averting a strike planned for Thursday and Friday. The Sacramento City Teachers Association pledged their support to join with a sympathy strike. The new agreement between the SEIU and the district includes many health and safety protocols, like physical distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene and screenings, which SCUSD says "goes above and beyond state and local health requirements for the highest levels of protection for SCUSD students and staff."
----- STATE NEWS -----
California Reports Sharp Decline In K-12 Enrollment Amid Pandemic
The AP (4/21, Gecker) reports California Department of Education data made public Thursday show “that the number of students at K-12 schools dropped by more than 160,000 this academic year, most of them at the K-6 level, to a total of 6 million.” The drop is “by far the biggest decline in years” and represents a 2.6% decline from the previous school year. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond “called the numbers concerning but said officials are optimistic that enrollment will rebound as more schools reopen to in-person learning.” The Hill (4/22, Jenkins) reports the decrease in enrollment “came as California delayed reopening schools, which made it one of the slowest states in the nation to allow students to resume in-person learning, the outlet noted.” The state’s white student population “was reportedly the first to depart from the state’s public schools, with nearly half opting not to enroll for the current school year.”
The San Francisco Chronicle (4/22, Tucker) adds that the decline was “mostly among kindergarten through third grade, which lost 107,000 students this school year.” It is unclear how many missing students “moved out of state, transferred to private schools, opted to homeschool this year or just stopped attending.” The state data show “that about 30,000 students enrolled in new private schools registered this year with the state. The vast majority, more than 27,000, were in private schools serving five students or less, typically home-school environments.”
EdSource (4/22) reports the declining numbers were “were spread across the state, with the four largest school districts accounting for about a sixth of the decline in enrollment.” Newsweek (4/22, Giella) adds that the Los Angeles Unified School District “experienced an enrollment decline of almost 22,000, or 4 percent, to 575,000, the CDE said.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
New test scores indicate students 'rebounding'
Many students are beginning to rebound from academic setbacks as a result of the pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by Renaissance Learning, an online testing program used in U.S. schools. On average, students are performing below pre-pandemic expectations, however the learning gaps that existed for many at the start of the 2020-21 school year are narrowing, particularly in math. Students across second through eighth grades are now closer to reaching expectations in math than they were in the fall. “That is a very encouraging finding about what has been a very, very challenging school year,” comments Katie McClarty, vice president of research and design at Renaissance Learning. A November 2020 report from the same organization found students started the school year with significant setbacks in math and reading.
More and more schools adding financial literacy classes
In a recent article for the New York Times Ann Carrns addressed the growing interest in teaching students personal financial skills in U.S. schools. As of early 2020, high school students in 21 states were required to take a personal finance course to graduate, according to the Council for Economic Education, which promotes economic and personal finance education for students in kindergarten through high school. That was a net gain of four states since the council’s previous count two years earlier. Many financial literacy advocates consider a full-semester course the gold standard for personal finance instruction. Rebecca Maxcy, director of the Financial Education Initiative at the University of Chicago, said many courses focused mainly on skills, like writing a check or filing taxes. While those lessons can be helpful, she said, it’s important for courses to include discussions of how personal values and attitudes about money influence behavior, as well as an examination of the financial systems and potential barriers that students will encounter in the world of money.
How teachers are addressing the Derek Chauvin trial in class
In the aftermath of yesterday’s guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white, former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, thousands of teachers across the country are discussing with their students systemic racism, white supremacy, and Black people being killed by law enforcement. Hundreds of teachers said in a recent EdWeek survey that although they try to find ways to discuss national politics in the classroom, especially as it relates to race and immigration, it can be challenging. On top of the sensitivity inherent in such topics, a recent bill introduced in eight states, however, aims to ban the teaching of “racist and sexist” concepts deemed “divisive” by the Republican senators who drafted it. Abdul Wright, a Black 8th grade English teacher at Harvest Academy, a Minneapolis charter school, said that, nevertheless, it is important to have conversations with his students about the killings of Black people in Minnesota over the last year to teach them about systemic racism, to give Black and brown students a space to process their reactions to violence against their communities, and to educate white students about their role in abolishing racist systems. He isn’t playing Chauvin’s trial in his classroom because he does not want to subject himself and his students to rewatching police violence against Black people repeatedly. “What I’d rather show is the protests that are happening,” he said. “You’ve seen us get beaten down. What I want this generation to see is how we fight back, unapologetically.”
Union files unfair labor practice claim against Oxnard
The union for Oxnard Union High School District's teachers has filed an unfair labor practice claim Tuesday against the district and Superintendent Tom McCoy over the decision to require Teachers to return to campuses. The federation represents 1,300 employees including bus drivers, custodians and classroom teachers, according to Tim Allison, executive director of the union. He said the decision to require teachers to come back came as a shock to people, considering the generally good working relationship between the district and the union.
Santa Monica-Malibu rejects another Malibu proposal
The Santa Monica-Malibu USD Board voted 5-2 Thursday to reject Malibu's most recent offer to let the Los Angeles County Office of Education's Committee on School District Organization's Committee on School District Organization, and its consultant School Services of California, decide the terms of its departure from the district.
----- SECURITY -----
'High-surveillance' schools lead to more suspensions, lower achievement
New research suggests schools that tighten security and surveillance in response to shootings or other acts of violence may worsen long-term discipline disparities and academic progress, particularly for Black students. Jason Jabbari, a data analyst for the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, and Odis Johnson, an education professor and the executive director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, used federal longitudinal data to look at surveillance and its effects on more than 16,000 students in 750 high schools nationwide. A 10th grader who attended one of the third of schools with the highest levels of surveillance was significantly more likely to be suspended at least once by the end of high school and had significantly lower math achievement test scores by 12th grade than a peer in one of the least-controlling third of schools. Moreover, students who graduated from these schools where security sweeps and metal detectors were common, proved significantly less likely to enroll and persist in college than were students in schools with lower levels of surveillance. As of 2019, at least 30 states have enacted laws requiring schools to implement alternatives to exclusionary discipline, including restorative justice. However, Mr Jabbari warned that heavy surveillance systems can make it harder to create a culture for more holistic discipline practices.
----- FINANCE -----
How schools can maximize funding from FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it has contributed more than $21bn in disaster relief through its public assistance program during the pandemic, with just under $26m going to K-12 schools. The size of the sum can be attributed in part to the agency’s decision last September under the Trump administration to stop reimbursing schools for the cost of masks and PPE, a policy that has since been reversed by President Joe Biden, although it is not fully retroactive to the start of the pandemic. A Q&A in Education Week addresses what districts can do to ensure they receive funds from the agency, from submitting requests to what they are eligible for. The FEMA funding is part of nearly $200bn in federal relief funding for school systems’ pandemic recoveries. A webinar earlier this week hosted by the Southern Regional Education Board and FutureEd saw panellists urge administrators to thoughtfully plan how to spend the relief money in ways that will achieve intended goals, use evidence-based practices and address the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic. State education systems also hold responsibility for supporting K-12 systems navigating this unusual budget moment through the timely release of stimulus funding, as well through allocation accountability measures, said Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Specifically, Rosenblum said OESE plans to release guidance on maintenance of effort and maintenance of equity provisions from the American Rescue Plan in the coming weeks.
----- WORKFORCE ----
Research shows female principals are paid less than men
Female principals make about $1,000 less than their male colleagues annually, according to new research on principal compensation, a gap that persists even when those women are leading similar schools, have similar evaluations, and work about the same number of hours as their male peers. “Unequal pay for equal work? Unpacking the gender gap in principal compensation,” was published earlier this month in the Economics of Education Review; it examined Missouri principal data from 1991 to 2016 to find out if a gender pay gap existed in the principalship; how it’s changed over time; and whether factors such as education, the type of school a principal runs, or other characteristics that may explain the salary difference. Overall, the researchers found the state’s female principals earned about $1,450 less annually than male principals during the period studied. The study was unable to pin down what drives this disparity. While factors that undergird salary differences in the private sector, such as discrimination and personal choices, for example, may explain some of the differences, they don’t explain all of them, said lead author Jason Grissom, a professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University.
Re-evaluating the assistant principal role
Education Week asks whether assistant principals are the most overlooked and undervalued people working in schools. While their numbers have exploded over the last 25 years, schools have little to no idea of whether this sizable group of second-in-command administrators influence student learning, due in part to the amorphous nature of the job. “It’s time to take stock: what do we know and what do we need to know in this really important role?” said Ellen Goldring, a dean at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and the lead author of The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership. Since teachers often decide to go into administration on their own or at the encouragement of district leaders and principals, it’s possible that district leaders and principals are not steering women and people of color toward the principalship, Goldring said. Assistant principals are in a pivotal position to shape school culture and student outcomes if the role is carefully considered. Prep programs, for example, can work with districts to sequence courses to match the work that APs are doing. A residency model, similar to those in the medical profession, may hold promise, Goldring said. “This isn’t an assistant to the principal; these are assistant principals - key school leadership positions,” Goldring explained, adding that she hopes the report will help provide new opportunities and experiences for current APs and educators who want to become principals.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
USDA extends universal free meals through next school year
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that it will continue reimbursing schools and childcare centers for free meals to all students regardless of their income through the 2021-22 school year. With the extension, public schools across the country will be able to provide meals through the USDA’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which is usually only available to students during the summer. It will also ensure that students are provided meals that include nutritional items such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and maintain "sensible" calorie amounts. “It’s critical that our efforts to reopen schools quickly and safely include programs that provide access to free, healthy meals for our most vulnerable students, particularly those whose communities have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. “This program will ensure more students, regardless of their educational setting, can access free, healthy meals as more schools reopen their doors for in-person learning.”
Research suggests importance of environment to student learning
Nationwide, researchers have found that students in schools without air conditioning learn less in years with more hot school days. In Chicago, when coal-fired power plants closed, students in nearby schools were absent less often, while in Rhode Island, children exposed to lead were more likely to be suspended and had lower test scores. These, and other studies on similar lines, suggest that upgrades to school facilities might not just result in cosmetic improvements, but could benefit student learning, at a moment when schools may be considering changes that were previously out of reach thanks to federal stimulus funds. “This will be one of the biggest opportunities we’ve had in my two decades of public health work,” said Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, the executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network. “There’s a great amount of research out there [on] outdoor air pollutants and indoor air pollutants,” she added. “At the end of the day, they’re both not good.”
Mental health is key to dealing with learning loss
The best way schools can help students catch up academically after a year of distance learning is to ensure they feel relaxed, safe and connected to their friends and teachers as they return to the classroom. “There is a direct link between mental health and academic performance,” said Jeannine Topalian, president of the California Association of School Psychologists and a psychologist in Los Angeles USD “When a child is worried about a parent being unemployed, or whether the family will become homeless, how can they learn to add? Or read? Students will not be able to move forward until their mental health needs are met.” More than half of California students who responded to a survey by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said they experienced serious stress, anxiety or depression at least some time during the past year. “I am unapologetic about this. Students need to feel seen, recognized and supported right now. In essence, they need to feel love,” said Michael Funk, director of expanded learning for the California Department of Education.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
How schools can respond to cyberattack threats
Federal agencies have warned schools to be on high alert for cyberattacks, especially since the pandemic forced more school operations than ever before into the digital realm. The Baltimore County school district in Maryland experienced an attack in November, one that offers a case study of how to respond to a cyberattack and what to expect if one occurs – from assessing the damage and restoring confidence among those whose devices have been compromised, to coordinating district priorities and tacking any ripple effects.
----- SOCIAL & COMMUNITY -----
School districts on the lookout for homeless students
Districts will soon have a fresh surge of federal aid to help support students experiencing homelessness; however, school officials say that the same pandemic-related circumstances that have created urgent new needs for homeless students have also made them more difficult to identify. “Prior to the pandemic, school was the safest most stable place in the lives of children and youth who are homeless,” said Barbara Duffield, the executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, an organization that advocates for students experiencing homelessness. “It was the place for noticing what was going on in their lives and for educators to do something about it. It’s not like things are better. It’s that we can’t find them.” During the pandemic, schools around the country have reported lower numbers of qualifying students. SchoolHouse Connection estimates about one in four students experiencing homelessness have fallen off of their district’s radar during the upheaval. Recognizing those challenges, Congress required a significant portion of K-12 aid provided through the American Rescue Plan, $800 million, to support the identification, enrollment, and school participation of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Melinda Dyer, who coordinates homeless student services for Washington state, said districts will have more success both identifying and supporting homeless students if they use new aid to hire social workers and staff.
Supreme Court Justices Call for More Civics Education
Two U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday renewed their calls for improving civics education, saying the future of the republic depends on it. “Democracies crumble from within,” said Justice Neil M. Gorsuch during an online discussion sponsored by several groups. “They crumble. And there becomes a hunger for a certain faction to take over because they’re intolerant of others. They think they know the right answer and others do not.” Similarly, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said: “Our democracy is at risk not only from foreign but from domestic enemies.” The session was sponsored by the Center for Strategic & International Studies and the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin School Law School. Sotomayor noted that STEM education receives about $50 per pupil in federal funding each year, while civics education gets just 5 cents per student. “The disparity given how little our children know about civics should be a point of concern for everyone,” she said. “Right now we fall very short of what we need to do.”
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
California's public universities plan to require COVID vaccinations
All faculty, staff and students throughout California’s public universities who will be on campus in the fall will be required to have received the COVID-19 vaccine, the California State University and the University of California jointly announced Thursday. “Together, the CSU and UC enroll and employ more than one million students and employees across 33 major university campuses, so this is the most comprehensive and consequential university plan for COVID-19 vaccines in the country, said CSU Chancellor Dr. Joseph Castro in a statement. “Consistent with previous CSU announcements related to the university’s response to the pandemic, we are sharing this information now to give students, their families and our employees ample time to make plans to be vaccinated prior to the start of the fall term.” All students and employees will have the option to receive an exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons.
San Joaquin Valley Sun Los Angeles Times Politico
UC Berkeley must face claim over lack of harassment training
A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that a former University of California, Berkeley student can proceed with claims that the school's failure to properly educate students on sexual misconduct led to her being assaulted by a classmate. U.S. District Judge William Orrick on Wednesday rejected UC Berkeley's argument that Nicoletta Commins had not plausibly alleged that the lack of education on recognizing and preventing sexual misconduct amounted to deliberate indifference by the school, or that it caused the 2012 assault.
----- INTERNATIONAL -----
Global demand for K-12 devices outstrips supply
Demand for Chromebooks, iPads, and Windows-based laptops continues soar globally, outstripping manufacturing capacity and slowing the ability of school systems all around the world to secure the devices they need. A report from Futuresource Consulting has found that in many cases, orders placed in June of last year weren’t shipped until December, and the K-12 marketplace began 2021 with a “front-end loaded” logjam of orders from the third and fourth quarters of 2020. The crush of device orders coming from K-12 institutions last year exceeded analyst projections, with the global market increasing shipments by nearly 70% and setting a new record. K-12 device shipments in the U.S. increased by about 90% year-over-year in 2020, representing the largest increase of any global region. Before the COVID outbreak, at the end of 2019, the U.S. was just under 60% in terms of K-12 device penetration and was “edging ever closer” to complete 1-to-1 as more schools were adopting digital curriculum tools.
----- OTHER -----
North Dakota Governor Vetoes Transgender Athletes Bill
KRDK-TV Fargo, ND (4/22) reports North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have “banned anyone under the age of 18 from playing on a gendered sports team that doesn’t match their original birth certificate.” Burgum, a Republican, said, “To date, there has not been a single recorded incident of a transgender girl attempting to play on a North Dakota girls’ team.” The veto could be challenged by lawmakers – the bill passed the state House by a veto-proof majority, but only passed the Senate by a simple majority. Supporters of the bill “argued the bill is in alignment with Title IX by protecting scholarships and athletic opportunities for biological females. But the bill was met with heavy criticism from human rights groups who said the bill is blatantly discriminatory towards transgender student-athletes.”
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
