KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
The ABCFT negotiating team met the district on Wednesday, December 14, and is meeting with them again today. Wednesday’s session featured some of our members speaking directly to the district team about the challenges and issues facing their particular department or program. Our members were articulate and passionate in their advocacy. Thank you to Patty Alcantar, Karen Miramontes, Brittney Parker-Goodin, Joe Veach, and Jeannie Woo for their powerful presentations.
In terms of the overall process; we presented our most recent counter proposal on Wednesday and are awaiting a response today. An ABCFT negotiating team member gave me a valuable insight yesterday when I asked if I should write about the impact of unduplicated students on district budgets and he replied, “I know what you are talking about and even my eyes start to glaze over as soon as you mention unduplicated students” so I won’t get too technical here except to point out that while the COLA is a statewide metric each district makes their respective calculations as to their budget based on their particular demographics.
In our drive to maintain competitive salary schedules, we do use what neighboring districts are settling for as a guide. If our goal is to attract and retain the very best for ABCUSD, then we need to be able to compete with what other districts are offering. In our most recent YOUnion chat, members shared some of the percentages that districts had agreed to as well as what UTLA had proposed to LAUSD. It is important to distinguish the details in any such agreements, it takes a great deal of research to discover if a concession was made in health benefits or class size, for example, in exchange for more compensation. But in general, the relevant number is how much of the raise is on schedule vs. how much is off schedule. Our current tracker of on schedule percentages for some neighboring districts include a range of Norwalk at 10.6% to Fullerton at 5%.
As we move towards our winter break, please remember to stay healthy in every sense. We can best serve our students if we ourselves remain whole and energized. Enjoy well-deserved time with your family and friends. My own college-aged children are home now and amused that Dad has to go to work for another week. This is also a reminder that for the 2022-2023 school year, our first semester will end at the beginning of winter break. Have fun at your holiday parties. Our site’s white elephant exchange is this morning, and the excitement level is high. Happy Holidays!
In Unity,
MEMBER-ONLY RESOURCES
Winter Holidays Lesson Plans and Resources
The season we know as winter has a diverse meaning throughout world cultures and traditions. What does it mean to your students and their respective communities? Winter traditions—whether it’s celebrating family, the new year or just a simple meal together—bring us together and remind us what we have in common instead of what divides us. Celebrate inclusivity and community this season, and share these curated preK-12 winter holidays lessons and activities.
Empower Teacher-Student Connections
When students are able to connect and form relationships, they're more motivated at school. Along is a free, teacher-student connection builder that was co-created with youth, educators and researchers and is based on the idea that small connections make a big difference. It's easy to use right away to jump-start meaningful reflections between teachers and students.
Educators can choose from a library of reflection questions, or write one of their own, and record a short video or audio of themselves introducing the question. Students have the opportunity to choose how they respond by recording a short video or audio message or replying via text using a computer or their phone. Teachers can sign up today at www.along.org and use this guide to get started in their classrooms. This overview for school leaders tells how you can participate in a pilot opportunity. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to alongteam@gradientlearning.org.
ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
This month’s academic service update is vital for all teachers. We hope 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 time. Without your feedback or questions on these changes, it is harder for ABCFT to slow down and modify the district’s neverending rollout 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 Catherine at Catherine.Pascual@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
Click Here For This Month’s Full Report
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Consistent and regular communication is a union’s most important tool for advocating for its members at the bargaining table. Every conversation with members is focused on the end result of negotiating for the future prosperity and well-being of ALL ABCFT members. The goal of this weekly report is to keep members informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental well-being. Our work as a Union is a larger conversation, and together we make the YOUnion.
“What do I write?” - Me sitting with Tanya Golden after a challenging day at the negotiating table. Trying to make sense of the back and forth proposals and the intensions behind every number or new piece of contract language.
I’ve been at the negotiating table for twenty-one years now and every year’s compensation negotiation and every master contract negotiation is a unique challenge. Being in negotiations with the district as the President is different than being a teacher or nurse in the classroom. The pressure can be daunting if you let yourself think about it too much. With every proposal and every conversation at the table you are dealing with issues and financial situations of every person in ABC. I want you to know that your ABCFT negotiating team has the weight of the world on their shoulders but they are fierce in their representation for the membership. There are no stones left unturned and their desire to make things better for all stakeholders is a testament to the selflessness that has compelled many of us to become educators in the first place. I just wanted to acknowledge the negotiating team for their work this week along with the member stakeholders who gave their testimony and data to support the ABCFT proposals. Their voices were critical to our campaign to steady the rough seas that we find ourselves in post pandemic. Thank you.
In other news, the ABC School Board did it’s annual reorganization and elected Brad Beach as the ABC School Board President for the 2023 year. Mr Beach was elected to the school board in November 2020 at the height of COVID and is a proud parent of ABC students. It is refreshing to know that he is committed to visit every school in ABC and that he has a global perspective of the school district with its many diverse stakeholders from at least seven different cities. Mr. Beach is committed to ensuring that their is transparency between the school district and the ABC community it serves. Coming from the perspective of a parent stakeholder who has become actively involved in his neighborhood school can only be a strength in helping him guide the school board and the community to address the needs of students, parents and ABC employees.
Unfortunately, it’s already late in the day and all the information I promised about the survey and the PAL Retreat will have to wait till next week.
For now, have a good weekend. We only have four more days to go.
Thanks for all you do!
In YOUnity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
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
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
AFT chief declines invite to testify at final COVID hearing
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, has declined an invitation from Republicans to testify today before a House subcommittee’s last hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the last-minute timing of the overture. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), the ranking member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, called on her to testify in a letter that was tweeted out. Scalise said Ms. Weingarten and the union played a role in drafting government guidance on COVID-19 that led to “an unprecedented child academic and mental health crisis.” “The catastrophic effects of prolonged school closures and abandoning America’s children may be the ultimate lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. “It’s rare to receive an invitation to testify before Congress via Twitter, but I look forward to a real discussion — with congressional leadership and appropriate notice — on the challenges educators, students and families faced during COVID and their efforts to help kids recover and thrive,” Ms. Weingarten said.
----- TEACHER UNION MEMBERSHIP IN DECLINE -----
Teacher union membership falling dramatically
The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) combined lost more than 59,000 working members during the 2021-22 school year, according to U.S. Department of Labor disclosure reports. That decline comes after an 82,000-member loss the previous year. NEA ended the school year with 2,496,627 working members, down 40,107 on the year prior. AFT had 1,189,904 working members in 2021-22, a loss of 19,078. Notably, only 43.5% of AFT's total members work full-time. Five state unions are affiliated with both NEA and AFT, and four all lost working members. New York State United Teachers recorded 411,811 members (down 4,384), Montana Federation of Public Employees 18,692 (down 1,274), Education Minnesota 73,008 (down 732) and the Florida Education Association 129,445 (down 4,682). The Ohio Education Association was the lone NEA state affiliate that reported a gain - of just six members.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
National poll underlines concerns over schools' mental health provisions
Ninety percent of school administrators and 60% of parents believe there is such a crisis over school mental health provisions, according to a new national poll by Effective School Solutions (ESS). Sixty percent of administrators say the youth mental health crisis is the same or worse than last year. Among parents surveyed, 80% think that schools should have a role in supporting students’ mental health. About 75% of administrators said they were implementing "best practices," but only about 45% of parents agreed. Nearly half of parents and educators said they were concerned staffing shortages could have a negative impact on schools’ ability to deal with the crisis. The poll also asked about funding for mental health services, in response to which 56% of administrators said they did not have enough information or weren’t aware of funding resources.
Oklahoma opens door to taxpayer-funded religious schools
A state law that blocks religious institutions and private sectarian schools from public charter school programs in Oklahoma is likely unconstitutional and should not be enforced, Attorney General John O'Connor and Solicitor General Zach West have agreed in a non-binding legal opinion. Their 15-page memo leans on a trio of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that favored religious schools and as a result won support from school choice advocates and faith groups alike. “The policy implications are huge because this is the first state that is going to allow religious charter schools,” said Nicole Stelle Garnett, a University of Notre Dame law professor and, notably, supporter of such measures. Legal authorities in other states could now pen similar opinions.
Latest National Teacher and Principal Survey published
Seventeen percent of teachers in the United States were working second jobs outside the school system in the 2020-21 academic year, according to the latest federal National Teacher and Principal Survey, which went out to tens of thousands of public and private school teachers, as well as principals. Other key takeaways reveal that teachers are working an average of 52 hours a week, but that less than half of that time was spent on actual teaching. Teacher vacancies spanned all subjects, but the top three were foreign languages (42.5%), special education (40.2%) and physical sciences (37.3%.) The survey also indicated that the teaching profession remains overwhelmingly white. During the 2020-21 school year, 79.9% of public school teachers were white, 9.4% were Hispanic, 6.1% were Black, 2.4% were Asian, and 1.6% were of two or more races. “The nation’s teachers and principals have had a front-row view into what is happening in classrooms day to day, and their perspectives and experiences are going to be essential to driving a recovery that’s empathetic, equitable, and exceeds the pre-pandemic status quo,” says Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
Federal special ed funding ‘fundamentally broken’
Tammy Kolbe, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Vermont, has published extensive new research about the federal funding of special education in the United States is woefully insufficient. Kolbe warns that while the number of students who qualify for special education services has increased, and the costs of those services have soared, federal funding for those services has remained largely flat over the past 20 years. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), established in 1975, requires schools to provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities and authorizes the federal government to contribute money that equals 40% of the nation’s average K-12 spending per student. Kolbe claims however that the federal government has never come even close to meeting that target. According to her research, the federal special education grants to states during fiscal year 2017 comprised about 15% of the estimated additional cost of providing services for a student with an individualized education plan.
Federal pandemic aid guidance on facilities improvements frustrates school finance leaders
While school finance officials are already spending, or planning to spend, almost a quarter of funds from the American Rescue Plan on facilities and operations, federal officials recently released a weighty guidance document that “strongly encourages” districts not to spend pandemic aid on construction projects. The Department of Education was especially pointed about using federal dollars to build and upgrade schools' sports facilities. Elleka Yost, director of advocacy for the Association of School Business Officials International, says the “tone” of the document bothers her. “The quality of school facilities impacts student health, well-being, attendance, engagement and learning,” she asserts. “Investing funds in facility improvements should be seen as part of a district’s strategy to recover from the pandemic and improve student learning rather than as something contradictory or unessential to achieving those goals.”
----- STATE NEWS -----
State analyst office recommends tweaks to California's adult education funding
The California Legislature's Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released a report on Tuesday calling for a revamp of the state's adult education model. It recommends that California sets a uniform per-student rate of $6,788 per student for adult education providers rather than using different rates for adult schools and community college noncredit courses. "A uniform base rate also would send clearer signals about the basic quality of programs that the state expects providers to offer," the report says. "This, in turn, could help in establishing a consistent corresponding fee policy (discussed later in this section), treating providers and students more similarly across the state." The LAO also recommends that these schools eliminate fees associated with adult education. It notes that the state has a zero-fee policy for noncredit community college classes.
California's graduation rate hits all-time high
The high school graduation rate recently hit an all-time high in California, new data shows. The California School Dashboard, restarted for the first time since 2019, went live on Thursday, showing that the state’s four- and five-year high school graduation rates hit all-time highs in 2021–22, while the state’s chronic absenteeism rate followed the same trends as other states. The data showed that the state’s four-year high school graduation rate climbed to 87% in the 2021-2022 school year, up from 83.6% in 2020–2021. At the same time, however, the state’s chronic absenteeism rate skyrocketed. California defines chronic absenteeism as students missing 10% of the days they were enrolled for any reason; the rate increased from 14.3% in 2020–2021 to 30% in 2021–2022.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Array of viruses keeps Bay Area students out of school
Absences have skyrocketed in Bay Area public schools this fall, with students out sick and missing significant learning time, even as educators are desperate to get them caught up after academic losses during the pandemic. In San Francisco, roughly 38% of the 49,000 students missed at least one day of school in the first two weeks of December — up from 29% last year and 27% before the pandemic. Parents and public school staff have been grappling with the impact and onslaught of illness, with students and adults not only getting COVID, but also flu, the common respiratory virus known as RSV, rhinovirus, gastroenteritis, Group A strep throat and others. “People are not washing their hands and other interventions like wearing a mask,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, UCSF professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist.. “We’re not consistently doing that anymore.”
Critical race theory banned by Temecula Valley school board
The teaching of critical race theory has been banned in Temecula Valley USD schools. Led by a new conservative Christian board majority seated at the beginning of the meeting, the school board’s 3-2 vote to prohibit such lessons came early Wednesday. “A lot has been said tonight,” said newly elected trustee Joseph Komrosky, who proposed the resolution. “I’m here to keep a campaign promise. I have knocked on thousands of doors, talked to thousands of parents and educators … I’m here to honor the majority of the voters in my trustee area, the constituents that put me here.” Mr. Komrosky added that similar moves against critical race theory have occurred in other school systems, including Paso Robles, without complaint. He said the resolution — and an anti-racism one also approved Tuesday night on the same split vote — were modeled after those in Paso Robles Joint USD.
S.F. teachers aides offered bonuses to stay with district
San Francisco USD's 1,600 classroom teacher aides are to share a $3m one-time bonus from the city's coffers, to encourage the hourly wage workers to stay in the district. Each aide, or paraprofessional, is expected to get just under $2,000 as a retention bonus. Officials said the work of paraprofessionals is “critical,” and with a statewide shortage of teachers and aides, the bonus comes “at a time when it is most critically needed.”
West Contra Costa vote to authorize strike
An overwhelming majority of West Contra Costa USD teachers and other school workers voted last week to authorize a strike after monthslong contract talks between the district and the teachers union, United Teachers of Richmond, came to a halt. United Teachers of Richmond has about 1,700 members and represents counselors, school psychologists, nurses, librarians, speech-language pathologists and program specialists in addition to teachers. More than 90% of the union’s members participated in the vote, with 97.3% voting in favor of authorizing the strike.
----- WORKFORCE ----
Public school teachers paid more than private peers
Public school teachers earned more than their private schools counterparts in the 2020-21 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics' latest available data. Full-time teachers in public schools earned about 30% more than private school teachers, pulling in an average annual base salary of $61,600, compared with $46,400. The pay gap similarly favored public school principals, with an average salary of $105,900 compared with $78,600 for their private school peers. Interestingly, public school principals worked an average of 58 hours a week on all school-related tasks, slightly more than private school principals, at nearly 55 hours. In public schools, 80% of public school teachers were White, 9% were Hispanic, 6% were Black and 2% were Asian, reflecting the private school workforce. Notably, 75% were women across both sectors, with an average age of 43.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Leadership turnover challenges adversely impacting gender equity
Half (49%) of the nation’s largest school districts changed superintendents during the pandemic, according to a new report by the ILO Group, which paints a bleak picture of leadership turnover during the pandemic. Between September 1 2018 and August 31 2020, 28% of the largest 500 school districts in the United States changed superintendents, but that churn accelerated over the next two years - with 38% changing leaders between September 1 2020 and September 1 2022. Notably, in districts where women left the job they were more likely to be replaced by men. The report also shows that women were more likely to get the superintendent’s job if they were internal candidates or if they had served as the interim superintendent. The percentage of female leaders was highest in the Northeast. The largest number of female superintendents, however, could be found in the West. “It’s shocking,” says Julia Rafal-Baer, managing partner at the ILO Group, a nonprofit working on increasing the number of women in superintendency roles.
Sandy Hook anniversary shadows school security imbalances
Some experts fear that the changes in school security infrastructure since the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut in 2012, which happened ten years ago today, are creating a system of "haves and have nots." Many school districts, particularly those in low-income neighborhoods of color, some school security industry insiders feel, are left exposed as they’re unable to afford significant buildings upgrades. Others worry that children are paying the price for the hardening of schools, with campuses converted from inviting spaces open to the community into "fortresses." Architects and designers who specialize in K-12 schools say that a balance is needed between designing schools for safety - and learning. Schools must also focus on mental health provisions to prevent isolated and disenfranchised students from targeting schools, they feel. “There is only so much that the physical design of schools can accomplish, especially as budgets for school buildings have dropped over the past 50 years,” laments Julia McFadden, an architect and designer who worked on the $50m rebuild of Sandy Hook. Notably, whilst a wealth of guidance has been developed on constructing schools to prevent shootings, no national database yet tracks remodeled or new buildings that incorporate school safety features, and such whether efforts proved worthwhile.
Community schools’ could improve students' well-being
Academics Jennifer Vey and Juanita Morales from the Brookings Institute argue that now is the time for local officials to not only invest more in families and communities - but to invest "differently." Given the intricate relationship between neighborhood well-being and school performance, they assert, championing and investing in community schools, a model focused on leveraging and coordinating the resources and voices of the entire community to support a thriving educational environment, could be one of the best ways for mayors and other state officials to confront both types of challenges. A forthcoming resource from the Community Schools Forward task force identifies six key practices that make for highly effective community schools; e mpowering student and family engagement in school decisions, collaborative leadership, shared power, and voice among stakeholders, expanded and enriched learning opportunities through after-school, weekend, and summer programs, integrated systems of supports such as health care, nutrition support, and housing assistance for families, community-connected classroom instruction that emphasizes real-world learning and reflects lived experiences, and also a culture of belonging, safety, and care that inspires trust and a sense of community.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
University-based alternative teacher prep programs 'outperforming'
University-based alternative teacher preparation programs are producing more graduates than non-higher education institutions over time, according to an analysis by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. In 2019-20, the percentage of university-based enrollees completing their programs was 34%, compared to 14% of enrollees in programs not affiliated with colleges. While enrollment shot up 141% in alternative programs unaffiliated with higher education institutions between 2010-11 and 2019-20, completion rates of these programs have fallen 12% over that same timeframe. In comparison, university-based alternative programs saw a 10% increase in completion rates despite enrollment declining 8% in the same nine-year period.
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---- OTHER -----
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
