ABCFT YOUnionews for November 5, 2021
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
Your ABCFT negotiating team met with the district earlier this week and received their counterproposal to our initial salary proposal. We had the opportunity to ask questions and get clarification regarding specific elements of this proposal that will help us craft our next proposal. We are scheduled to meet again with the district team next week.
Thanks to the many members who responded to our recent survey regarding Short Term Independent Study. The additional demands that are being placed on members was a consistent theme. Another survey should be sent out soon regarding upcoming academic calendars. The data we receive from these surveys helps to support our arguments at the bargaining table. Your voice is crucial and participation is much appreciated.
Like so much of what we have had to do in education over the past two years, we have had to adapt to changes in such programs as Independent Study. We now have an Online Independent Study Program as well as a Short Term Independent Study program that is designed to address the issues brought about by state and county guidelines about how we deal with health and safety issues related to COVID. While we definitely need to make accommodations for students who are impacted by quarantine requirements and restrictions, I have heard the frustration from members who have been asked to use short-term independent study for students who have been out on vacation or missed time due to disciplinary reasons. While some types of travel do necessitate quarantine, short-term independent study should be limited to situations that are identifiably COVID related so please ask the appropriate questions and set reasonable limits to make sure that this program is being implemented as intended.
In closing, I want to reinforce Tanya’s words from last week. All of our stated emphasis on self-care is at risk of being empty if members cannot use their sick days or personal necessity days when they deem it necessary. The substitute problem is real, but cannot limit our ability to make decisions as professionals. The current system is not working. Teachers are being asked to cover for each other not as a rare outlier but as an everyday fix. TOSA’s that were designed to fulfill a number of targeted site needs are now being asked to serve as roving substitutes instead. Scheduled professional learning may be canceled at the last moment as members are being asked to check-in at their sites to make sure that a substitute did in fact arrive that day rather than take a higher paying position in a neighboring district. Substitutes are being asked to fill in for classrooms other than the jobs they accepted. Administrators are stretched thin as well. The answer cannot be to keep doing more of the same but to address the systemic issues that have allowed our district to not be competitive for much needed substitute teachers. Your sick days and personal necessity days are just that. Yours. They exist to take care of yourself and your family’s health. Use them as you see fit, whenever you determine they are needed.
In Unity,
MEMBER VOICES - Calendar Survey
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Thank you to the over 400 ABCFT members who have already completed the brief calendar survey for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 calendars as well as the possibility of adding contractual duty days.
We are aware that many members are feeling overwhelmed and the prospect of adding any contractual days doesn’t seem reasonable at this time. We are also cognizant that working additional days for additional base salary does not constitute a raise. We are currently in the process of negotiating a traditional raise (percentage increase based on COLA) but are interested in getting your input as to other potential options that could help us increase our base compensation.
One other factor to consider (as if there weren’t enough moving parts already!) is the prospect of utilizing any potential professional learning days throughout the year based on identified needs. That is, if we were to have additional professional learning days they wouldn’t necessarily have to be placed at the beginning of the year in August.
The survey was sent again yesterday evening to your work email and will remain open until Monday, November 8th at 3:00 p.m. Thank you in advance for taking the ten minutes or so to complete the survey and letting your voice be heard.
MEMBER-ONLY RESOURCES
November is Native American Heritage Month
These free resources may help you and your students learn more about Indigenous peoples’ ways of life, culture, sovereignty, and rights.
Share the Rich History and Legacy of Indigenous Peoples
Share My Lesson is your go-to resource for indigenous peoples and Native American lesson plans with this free PreK-12 collection of resources. November is National Native American Heritage Month, and teaching the ways of life of indigenous peoples from around the world is important to understanding our shared sense of humanity. Use these lessons, activities and videos to delve into first nations' culture and heritage.
You can also find more resources from the National Museum of the American Indian. Additionally, use this link from Native Land Digital to learn where different Indigenous peoples territories were prior to colonization.
MEMBER BENEFITS - Wellness Wednesday Archive
Maintaining our mental health and well-being is important for all of us. Last year, ABCFT offered Wellness Wednesdays members had an opportunity to virtually participate in Guided Meditation and Chair Yoga. These weekly sessions gave members a chance to practice self-care. Even if you were not able to attend these wonderful restorative practices you can still access the archive by using the link below.
Click here to view the recording of the Guided Meditation and Chair Yoga for the weekly archives
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.
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 I’m counting the days and minutes till we get Veterans Day off and then Thanksgiving. With confidence I can say that this year has been harder on everyone than last years online teaching situation. It’s pretty unbelievable. Hang in there....the holidays are around the corner.
On Tuesday, I attended the ABC School Board meeting and much of the night was about presentations to the school board trustees about how the district is planning a tsunami of professional development sessions for teachers. With the current substitute situation I find the thought of teachers having to even think about professional development ridiculous. Without the proper number of substitutes we are not able as a district to fully address the needs of our students and for teachers it is a set up for failure. The community has such high expectations but they don’t know the reality of our situation. Therefore, during the second public comments section of the school board meeting I warned the school board of the impending disaster we will see if we do not have proper substitute coverage (you can see that clip here). ABCFT will be sending out a survey in the next couple of weeks asking members to talk about how they have been personally affected by the substitute teacher shortage. I will be sharing the results of this survey with ABC School Board members so that they can hear from teachers directly about what is going on in our classrooms. I would like to thank the elementary teachers who spoke to the school board about the impact of Short Term Independent Study and the current teaching conditions we are facing in our classrooms. Your voice is appreciated.
On Wednesday, I attended ABCUSD’s monthly COVID Compliance Committee meeting for the latest district updates. Here are a few highlights:
Please wait for the district to take the plexiglass down, the school board has decided to take down plexiglass on desks across the district except the desks of the 23 students in the district who have medical exemptions for not wearing a mask. As teachers, you will have the option to keep or get rid of any portable plexiglass shields or the plexiglass surrounding your teachers desks. Plexiglass will be maintained in offices due to the high concentration of people who use those areas. Special education teachers and SLPs will continue to have plexiglass barriers for IEP testing. This change will happen after the fall break and at the latest in December.
Cal/OSHA has made changes to social distancing this week and ABC’s Human Resource Department is examining how these changes will impact employees and students. You should see something soon from HR on the impact of these changes.
Nutrition services stated that they are not always able to get supplies and food to exactly fit with what is printed on the food calendars. Supplies of paper trays are severely limited and secondary schools are no longer using trays to conserve district supplies.
Over the next month, site custodians will be cleaning the air filters of your air purifiers. ABCFT is researching how often these devices need to be cleaned or a replacement of the filter. District guidance is to have the air purifiers away from doors and as deep into the classroom as possible to be most effective.
Thank you Ruben for your bargaining update this week, we all appreciate your thoughts about the negotiating process and the importance of voice and leadership in our negotiations. Thank you for those who attended the monthly YOUnion Chat too. Your insights, examples and feedback are extremely valuable in guiding the ABCFT leadership.
Lastly, on Friday I was able to join a leadership meeting with the newest principals in the district to discuss the value of labor management as a leadership strength. This meeting opportunity was provided by the Director of Secondary Education, Dr. Crechena Wise and the Director of School Services, Melinda Ortiz. We discussed the guiding principles and behaviors of the labor management partnership in ABC and how they can use these tools to engage their staffs in a meaningful way that acknowledges the worth and dignity of all stakeholders. We emphasized the importance of working closely with school site union representatives and the value of shared ownership and its importance to our combined efforts to educate the students in our classrooms. If you would like to look at our labor management presentation which has the guiding principles and behaviors, you can find it here.
I hope you find a moment this weekend to gather your thoughts and wits so that you can find your path over the next couple of weeks.
In YOUnity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
California on track for another historic budget next year
This week Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California is on track to have another historic budget surplus next year. In making the announcement, the governor proposed using a portion of the surplus to pay down pension obligations for public sector workers, but otherwise released few details.
With many school districts and community colleges losing enrollment, there is widespread concern of budget deficits in the coming years. In the midst of a budget surplus, and at a time when we have an education staffing crisis, program cuts and layoffs in districts and colleges are unacceptable. According to CFT President Jeff Freitas, CFT will continue to advocate for full funding for our schools and colleges and will continue to work to protect the jobs of educators and classified workers.
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
AFT’s Randi Weingarten Condemns Senate Republicans’ War Against Voting Rights
WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement in response to Senate Republicans’ vote to block debate on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying that he is “prepared to offer an open and honest and full-fledged process on the Senate floor,” giving Senate Republicans “the chance to raise their objections, to offer amendments and make changes to the bill”:
“Following in the footsteps of the civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act restores essential tools to make our elections fair and accessible for everyone eligible to vote. It ensures that voters and those eligible to vote pick the folks who represent us, rather than politicians picking their voters. While we thank Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for standing with the Democratic patriots of democracy and freedom, we wonder: What part of fair elections for everyone is so frightening to the rest of the Senate Republicans who blocked debate? Protecting our democracy is patriotic, not partisan. But today, the majority of Senate Republicans chose to stand against our democracy.
“The right to vote is as sacred as it is essential, and it’s the backbone of a functioning democracy. Indeed, the American experiment is founded upon the ability for all people to participate in our government no matter our race, ethnicity or income. John Lewis understood this—he lived his life for this. The procedures of the Senate should help preserve, not undermine, our democracy, including this sacred voice of voters. We ask the president, Senators and others to do what it takes to have consideration and a vote on this bill. The freedom to vote is too important for politics and loopholes to stand in the way. History is watching.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Hotly contested elections shake up local school boards
After a year of contentious debates over mask mandates, social distancing rules and curriculums regarding race, new candidates challenged incumbent school board members Tuesday in elections across the country. While there's no database tracking school board races across the country, new money funneling into races and a number of efforts to recall incumbents indicate that some boards will see a shakeup after Tuesday's elections. There have been dozens of efforts to recall school board members across the 22 states that allow for them. On Tuesday, a recall election for the Mequon-Thiensville School District in Wisconsin failed, as did one in Nemaha, Kansas, while in San Francisco, those leading an effort to recall three of the school board members gathered enough signatures - more than 50,000 - to move the recall to a vote scheduled for February. However, the extent to which these challenges will continue in the future is unclear, according to Jeffrey Henig, a professor of political science and education at Columbia University, who said "it's a real open question" about whether school reopening policies and concern over race curriculums will be the issues that concern people.
----- VACCINES FOR 5-11 YEAR OLDS -----
CDC recommends pediatric COVID-19 vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation that children aged five to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. The move, announced by CDC director Rochelle P. Walensky, expands vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible. During a six week period in late June to mid-August, the CDC said, COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold. Getting kids vaccinated can help protect them against COVID-19, the agency added, as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities.
Parents Rushing To Vaccinate Younger Children Against COVID-19
The New York Times (11/3, Hubler, LaFraniere) reports, “With the blessing of federal authorities – and just in time for yet another stressful holiday season – health care providers mobilized nationally this week for a fresh wave of inoculations, this time featuring smaller shots in smaller arms.” On Wednesday, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston “braced...for nearly 30,000 pediatric Covid-19 vaccine appointments, a rush that officials said had been booked in just five days. Nationally, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies opened appointment lines for millions of miniature doses.” Polls indicate that nearly a third of US parents plan to leave their children unvaccinated. But the “latest vaccine announcement came as a relief not only to millions of families exhausted by the pandemic, but to public health officials who said it might help prevent a repeat of the terrifying surge of disease that swept the country last winter.”
The AP (11/3, Tanner) reports, “Hugs with friends. Birthday parties indoors. Pillow fights. School children who got their first COVID-19 shots Wednesday said these are the pleasures they look forward to as the U.S. enters a major new phase in fighting the pandemic.” The federal government has promised “enough vaccine to protect the nation’s 28 million kids in this age group.” As a result, the “atmosphere surrounding the launch of shots for elementary-age students was festive in many locations. California vaccine sites welcomed children with inflatable animals and handed out coloring books and prizes.” In Atlanta, “vehicles lined up before dawn” outside a clinic.
The Washington Post (11/3, A1, Nirappil, Beyer) reports nearly “a year after their parents and grandparents became eligible, young U.S. children are now lining up for vaccines to protect them from the virus that upended their childhoods, in many cases keeping them away from schools, playdates and vacations.” The CDC “signed off late Tuesday night on smaller doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.” Since then, doctors and nurses “began administering the first shots, and parents started scrambling to book appointments, many hoping their children could be partially vaccinated before Thanksgiving.” The White House has “cautioned pediatric vaccinations won’t start in earnest until next week after initial shipments of 15 million doses arrive” and medical professionals set up clinics.
Reuters (11/3, O'Donnell, Harte) reports that just “a limited number of the 15 million shots being distributed now will be available on Wednesday. They are expected to be more widely accessible at pediatrician’s offices, children’s hospitals and pharmacies next week.”
LAUSD to offer voluntary COVID vax to 5-11 year-olds
Los Angeles USD announced yesterday it will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 next week, though it’s not currently requiring students in this age group to get the shots. Students 12 and older in the district are still required to be fully vaccinated by January 10th, one of six schools systems in California with various versions of a student mandate, as they are in Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland. Beginning Monday, LAUSD will roll out mobile vaccination teams for the younger students; from November 16th, 13 school-based clinics will offer the vaccine. Some clinics will also provide the vaccine on Saturdays. “COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect our students, staff and families, and public schools are natural sites for our students and families to receive this life-saving vaccine,” the district stated.
Los Angeles Daily News Los Angeles Times Politico
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Ed Dept reminds states of early intervention obligations
Amid concerns about a decline in referrals, federal officials are pressing states to ensure that young kids with disabilities receive the early intervention services they’re entitled to under what’s known as Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Part C program covers early intervention for children from birth to age three; the U.S. Department of Education says that referrals under the section dropped as the coronavirus first emerged last year and have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. “As the nation enters this new stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, (states) should consider enhancing and refocusing their child find efforts to make sure that they are sufficiently robust to ensure the appropriate referral, evaluation and identification of all infants and toddlers who may have a disability under IDEA Part C,” the guidance states. In addition, the guidance indicates that states must work to follow through on any early intervention referrals that got held up by circumstances related to the pandemic. And, for children whose early intervention services were disrupted by the pandemic, compensatory services may be warranted.
What Biden's reconciliation plan could mean for schools
Legislation pushed last Thursday by President Joe Biden includes proposals that would reshape many aspects of children’s lives, from whether they attend preschool to whether their families can afford basic needs like food and housing. The proposals would make it easier for states to offer universal pre-K, expand free school meals, and cement a cash benefit for the country’s poorest families with children. “We can finally take us from 12 years to 14 years of universal education in America,” Biden said at the White House Thursday morning, referring to the proposed pre-K expansion. The goal is to eventually reach some 6m children through a combination of school districts, Head Start, and private providers, the White House says. “It’s a tremendous opportunity,” said Steven Barnett, founder of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. “How successful it is will not just depend on the federal government. It will depend on state and local governments.” State governments would have to opt into the program, and eventually foot some of the bill. Barnett said a number of states have hoped to expand their programs and would be poised to use new federal money to do so.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Over half of California's Muslim students feel unsafe in school
A survey of Muslim students in California by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) found that 56% of respondents felt unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable at school because of their religious identity. The survey of 708 students aged 11 to 18 also found that 26% reported being bullied over the past year, though an even higher percentage - 47% - reported incidents prior to the beginning of the pandemic and remote education. It wasn’t just other students. Nearly one in four respondents reported that a teacher, administrator, or other adult at their school made offensive comments about Islam or Muslims. Tazheen Nizam, associate executive director for the San Diego chapter of CAIR, urged county school administrators and teachers to connect with her organization for help in combating Islamophobia in schools. “Our teams can provide training, reading materials, and lesson plans that accurately portray Islam. Let us work towards a more inclusive way of learning and growth for our future leaders,” she said.
----- DISTRICTS -----
SFUSD releases budget deficit plan
Faced with a $125m budget shortfall for the next school year, San Francisco USD officials have unveiled a plan to address the deficit and avoid a possible state takeover. The cuts released yesterday include $50m in funding for individual schools; 360 jobs at schools and 55 jobs at its central office; $20m in administration and operations services; and $10m from student programs like JROTC, special education services, community services coordinators and more. The district has until mid-December to have a plan approved by the state. “I don’t know of one school site that at this moment can say, yeah… we don’t need so and so, or we don’t need this position,” said United Educators of San Francisco president Cassondra Curiel. “Cuts to schools or schools having to make the decision around which positions to cut only exacerbates the trauma we’ve been through."
SFUSD wrestles with $125m shortfall
Faced with the choice of cutting $125m or a state takeover, San Francisco USD officials have come up with a plan to balance the budget, one that would hit classrooms hard and eliminate funding for long-standing student programs. The state has appointed a fiscal expert, Elliott Duchon, to oversee the process, given the district has failed to address the ongoing shortfall. Officials noted that solving the $125m deficit next year would not be enough; it would rise to a projected $146.1m in 2023 if no action is taken based on current spending. That means the district faces at least $21m more to cut and possibly a lot more after this painful round of tightening. “Our collective job is to stop the bleeding, get you on the healing path, get you turned around and back where you need to be,” Michael Fine, CEO of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, told the school board after the state stepped in a month ago. The plan provides each school with funding to cover a standardized level of staffing, while reducing funding for some support positions, including counseling, literacy coaches and nurses, among others. It also includes a $40m cut to central services as well as an unexplained $35m revenue boost in new state grants or savings from this year to reach the $125m magic number.
Hundreds of Oakland students stage class walkout
Hundreds of Oakland USD students staged a walkout on Wednesday to protest what they described as a failure by district administrators to address sexual assault, harassment and abuse complaints against fellow students and some teachers. One trans student condemned the “history of trans students being assaulted in a men’s bathroom,” at Oakland Tech. “This is not OK,” the student said, sharing their own story of being told by a security guard they had to go into the men’s bathroom after trying to use a different restroom. Another student said a culture of harassment has been prevalent at the college for years, even before she arrived as a freshman and was warned by upperclassmen to avoid a particular teacher accused by multiple students of sexual harassment. More than 3,500 students signed an online petition to remove and “charge” that teacher last year. District spokesman John Sasaki would not comment specifically about the investigation into that teacher but said no teachers “like that” are currently with the district. A list of demands the students sent to the district included the creation of a “safer, better” policy to address sexual misconduct allegations, including confidentiality options for survivors of assault who often fear retaliation or other consequence for reporting a fellow student. They also demanded a “survivor support system” that involves talking to a perpetrator’s parents and doing an immediate, transparent investigation of allegations.
----- CLASSROOM -----
U.S. schools reassessing value of gifted student programs
New York City officials announced plans this month for its school system, the country’s largest, to phase out its program for gifted and talented students. The screening test the city has given to 4-year-olds used to identify gifted and talented students had drawn controversy for years, but several other districts have been reassessing gifted programs, in which Black and Latino students are often underrepresented. New York City is the first major school system to entirely phase out its program for gifted and talented students. Seattle, meanwhile, ended a program for gifted middle school students. And a proposed math curriculum overhaul in California sought to end the practice of placing students in either regular or advanced placement math tracks starting in sixth grade.
Using restorative justice practices to improve outcomes
A new report from the Learning Policy Institute aims to illustrate how restorative approaches focused on relationship-building can be used in schools as an alternative to exclusionary disciplinary policies. It shows how staff can create an environment for students to express themselves in a positive, healthy way through shared vocabulary and by focusing on the feelings of the speaker, rather than putting the issue on the listener. Restorative circles are one of the main components of these approaches, and guided by a trained facilitator, they can be used to build community, help students connect to academic studies and welcome students back to school with a fresh start. California's "Reimagine and Rebuild: Restarting School with Equity and the Center" framework, released in April, urged schools to make a "restorative restart," suggesting they dedicate time to focus on student and staff well-being and equitable practices, including those pertaining to discipline.
Fewer students at grade level in reading and math, claims report
A new report from curriculum and assessment provider Curriculum Associates suggests that fewer students are on grade level in early reading and in upper elementary and middle school math than in years past. The numbers are lowest in schools that serve majority Black and Latino students, and in schools in lower-income ZIP codes. Researchers examined the grade-level placement results for students in grades 1 through 8 who took the company’s diagnostic tests in reading and math in person in the fall of the current school year, and met other inclusion criteria such as attending a school with available demographic data. In total, the sample includes about 3m students’ reading results and 3.4m students’ math results. In reading, 2nd and 3rd grades saw the biggest drops in the percentage of students on grade level this fall, compared to the historical average: 30% of 2nd graders were on grade level in the historical data, compared to 24% in fall 2021. Second graders also saw the biggest jump in students who were below grade level in reading, from 24% historically to 33%this fall.
----- SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS -----
Mask mandates and CRT the hot-button issues in school board elections
Hundreds of school-board elections across the US have become hard-fought political battles, transformed into proxies for a wider culture war over masking mandates and the teaching of tenets of critical race theory.
Across the 23 states that allow recalls for school-board members, 84 campaigns are targeting 215 board members, about four times greater than the 15-year average, according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization based in Wisconsin. In Colorado, 530 candidates are running for seats across 178 school districts, said Pam Benigno, Education Policy Center director for the Independence Institute in Denver, a libertarian-leaning think tank. In 2017, there were just over 200 candidates. “I have never seen anything like this before,” Ms. Benigno said.
As Youngkin Triumphs In Virginia, Conservative Candidates In School Board Races See Mixed Results Nationwide
The AP (11/2, Hollingsworth, Thompson) reports on Tuesday, voters across the country weighed in on dozens of school board races “that were dominated by debates over masks, vaccines, race and history. Their choices will help decide not just local policies but also whether the education battle has staying power and becomes a rallying issue for Republicans in the 2022 midterms.” According to the AP, conservatives “have eagerly taken up the cause as they look to move past the coronavirus pandemic and to reframe the discussion on racial injustice in America as a rewriting of history.” While Glenn Youngkin, “the Republican candidate for Virginia governor won after making education a key part of his campaign,” the AP says “several high-profile school board candidates who fought COVID-19 restrictions and anti-racism classes lost.”
The AP (11/3) reports that Youngkin’s “defeat of Democrat Terry McAuliffe marked a sharp turnabout in a state that had shifted to the left over the past decade and which President Joe Biden captured by 10 points in 2020.” Polls showed the race narrowed after McAuliffe “said during a late September debate that he didn’t think ‘parents should be telling schools what they should teach.’ That prompted Youngkin to run hundreds of TV ads on the statement and to focus on his own pledges to make school curricula less ‘un-American’ and to overhaul policies on transgender students and school bathrooms.”
Meanwhile, NBC News (11/2) reports “candidates supported by a conservative political action committee won majority control” of the Carroll Independent School District school board Tuesday night, “clearing the way for the board to officially” kill its “polarizing diversity plan.” NBC News says “voters in the affluent suburb northwest of Dallas delivered a landslide victory Tuesday to Andrew Yeager, who campaigned against the district’s plan for new diversity training programs and changes to the curriculum.” Yeager’s victory “caps a yearlong campaign by Southlake Families PAC, a group formed by local Republican Party leaders in response to the district’s diversity efforts.”
The Denver Gazette (11/2) reports that a “conservative slate of candidates for the Douglas County Board of Education has swept the 2021 election, defeating all challengers including incumbents Kevin Leung and Krista Holzmann.” The board will now “shift from a 7-0 board largely supported by teachers’ advocates to a 4-3 board backed by conservative education groups that spent heavily to support candidates who were part of a Vote4KidsFirst slate.” The conservative candidates opposed the current board’s “decision to sue the new Douglas County Health Department over its opt-in order on masks, which the existing board defied when it mandated masks in all DCSD schools.”
The Kansas City Star (11/2) reports “conservative newcomers won most of the school board races in Blue Valley and swept the Olathe races – but were defeated in Shawnee Mission – with all precincts reporting Tuesday.” Many of the conservative candidates “were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC, a national political action committee that has been targeting local school board races with the goal of ‘abolishing critical race theory,’ which is not taught in Kansas K-12 schools.”
The Des Moines (IA) Register (11/2) reports, “The Ankeny School Board will see significant turnover after a trio of conservative candidates won across the ballot in Tuesday’s election, according to preliminary results from the Polk County Auditor’s Office.” Ankeny, one of the fastest growing suburbs in the country, “proved itself to be the epicenter of the school mask debate, with parents on both sides organizing and attending school board meetings in large numbers.”
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (11/3) reports conservative candidates “seeking to gain influence on suburban Cleveland school boards gained a few seats Tuesday, though voters in the majority of competitive elections rejected at least some of those candidates.” Unofficial results show candidates backed by conservative groups “had won races in Brooklyn, North Royalton, Mayfield, Parma, Strongsville and Rocky River. But few full slates won.”
However, Chalkbeat Colorado (11/2) reports “the union-backed majority on the Denver school board appears poised to consolidate power, as all four candidates endorsed by the teachers union were leading in the ballot count late Tuesday night. If the four win their elections, the board would be unanimously union-backed for the first time in recent history.” Supporters of education reform “say the union-backed board hasn’t focused enough on academics, especially during the pandemic.”
Chalkbeat Colorado (11/2) adds that a “three-candidate slate backed by the Jeffco teachers union coasted to victory Tuesday, easily beating a slate of conservative candidates opposed to the current school board majority.” Chalkbeat Colorado (11/2) says that “union-backed candidates appear likely to hold the majority on the Aurora school board, but a charter educator with support from education reform interests was the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s returns.”
The Des Moines (IA) Register (11/2) reports voters in Waukee, Iowa “rejected a slate of conservative candidates that ran on an anti-mask mandate platform and backed by a well-funded political action committee. Instead, preliminary results Tuesday show Waukee’s school has three new members on its board and one returning.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/2) reports that a “recall effort against four Mequon-Thiensville School Board members failed to unseat any incumbents Tuesday, a major loss for recall organizers who had raised nearly $50,000 and gained national attention in their months long pursuit.”
Also reporting on school board elections are the Denver Gazette (11/3), the Minneapolis Star Tribune (10/29, Lonetree), the Darien (CT) Times (11/2, Justin), the Chambersburg (PA) Public Opinion (11/2, South), the Des Moines (IA) Register (11/2), and KUSA-TV Denver (11/2).
----- LEGAL -----
Judge limits new California law protecting vaccination sites
A federal judge has thrown out California's new 30-foot buffer zone designed to restrict protests at coronavirus vaccination sites, which include clinics, pharmacies and schools. U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd ruled Saturday that the 30-foot limit, which is contained in what he called the law's “uncommon definition of ‘harassing,’” is too restrictive. So he issued a temporary restraining order barring the state from enforcing the “harassing” portion of the law, while leaving in place the ban on obstructing, injuring, intimidating or interfering. Those other portions of the law “appear to more precisely target the harms that the Legislature sought to prevent and further the state’s interest in ensuring that Californians can freely access vaccination sites,” he ruled.
Arizona Supreme Court Rules School Mask Mandate Ban, Other Laws Were Passed Illegally
The AP (11/2, Christie) reports, “The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously upheld a lower court judgment that found the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the state constitution by including new laws banning school mask mandates and a series of other measures in unrelated budget bills.” The ruling from the high court “court came less than two hours after the seven justices heard arguments in the state’s appeal of a trial court judge’s ruling.” The Arizona constitution “says each bill must cover but one subject with each item properly connected to others.” The AP says the decision “will have far-reaching ramifications for the Legislature. Republicans who control the Senate and House have worked around that requirement for years, slipping policy items into budget bills.”
Your Valley (AZ) (11/2) reports the decision “voided are a host of other measures, ranging from a prohibition against colleges requiring vaccinations and how to teach about race in public schools to the kind of paper that counties must use for ballots and stripping Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of her powers to defend state election laws.” The Arizona Legislature could theoretically hold a special legislative session where “each of the provisions that the Supreme Court nullified could be reintroduced and brought up for a vote on an individual basis, avoiding the illegal practice of bunching them together. But it remains unclear whether each could pass on its own.”
KPNX-TV Phoenix (11/2) reports a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said Tuesday, “We are extremely disappointed in the ruling... We respect the role of the judiciary, but the court should give the same respect to the separate authority of the Legislature.”
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E-rate recipients call for expanded off-campus coverage
A strong majority of schools and libraries - 86% - agree or strongly agree that insufficient home internet is a significant problem in their community, according to the 11th annual E-rate survey from Funds For Learning. The consulting firm, which aims to support schools and libraries in navigating the federal funding process, further found the E-rate program is vital for schools and libraries, as 97% of respondents said they have more students and patrons connected to the internet because of the program. Although continued federal investment is likely to ensure connectivity for students both at home and school, that may not necessarily be through the E-rate program, said Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of advocacy and governance for AASA, The School Superintendents Association. “I think there’s an inroad to look at how we can have E-rate leveraged, whether it is an expansion of E-rate or continued federal funding,” Ellerson Ng said.
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New research examines impact of randomization on college admissions
New research examining the potential impact of a lottery system in college admissions suggests that it could create significant new challenges for schools looking to promote racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. The study, published in the journal of the American Educational Research Association, found that low-income, Hispanic, and African American students would be less likely to gain acceptance to colleges in a multitude of lottery scenarios. In terms of racial groups, virtually every lottery formation yielded higher percentages of white and Asian American students than under current admissions procedures. In some lotteries, the proportions of low-income students and students of color shrinks below 2% of the admitted class. “Many years’ worth of admitted classes of lotteries — 50 years, 100 years — would look kind of similar to the larger population,” said Dominique Baker, a co-author of the study and a professor of education policy at Southern Methodist University. “But an individual lottery has no guarantee of being demographically similar to the larger population.”
Cal State races to boost graduation rate and cut early Ds and Fs
With the pandemic threatening to undercut graduation rates, Cal State is pushing to re-enroll lost students and reduce early Ds and Fs that can drive students to drop out. Starting this February, the school launched an outreach campaign to bring back 302 students in good academic standing who enrolled in 2019 but dropped during the pandemic. So far 60 have come back — a 20% return rate — beating the campus’s modest goal of re-enrolling goal of 10%. The campus is now applying the lessons it’s learned for an even bigger campaign: re-enrolling 15% of the 1,500 students who were attending class last spring.
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Bid to prevent emergency school closures in England
A bid to prevent future school and college shutdowns is being considered in the U.K. parliament. The Ten Minute Rule Bill, presented by Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons Education Committee, asserts that schools should be redefined as "essential infrastructure," thus on a par with hospitals and power stations, which would ensure they stay open during disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the bill, school closures would be subject to a "triple lock" process, which would require the Government to consult the Children's Commissioner on the matter, before a debate and vote in Parliament would determine whether any proposed closures are warranted. Then, if a closure is approved through this process, the Education Secretary would have to return to Parliament every three weeks for another vote on any proposed extension. Mr Halfon said: “Whilst national lockdowns were important to protect the health of the public, school closures have been nothing short of a disaster for our children."
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
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 online. 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 online.
Please contact Leann Blaisdell at any time either by phone or email.
562-822-5004
Leann.Blaisdell@horacemann.com
Click here to schedule an appointment
