KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
The ABCFT team is negotiating with the district today. I am almost always cautiously optimistic about the potential for reaching an agreement during any given session but also need to remain mindful that it is a process.
I occasionally get requests, some subtle, some less so, to give more overt hints as to what we are asking for and what the district has offered. I am surprised when colleagues share statements like “I heard that we would be very upset by the districts’ latest offer” as this would mean there is a breach in the confidentiality of the bargaining table. I don’t know how particular rumors get started but let me explain again that we do not make the back-and-forth process of negotiations public. These updates do spell out what the COLA is and what other districts are receiving for compensation; that should give a context for the general outline of bargaining, but the details are fluid and confidential.
I have written previously about the concept of the moving target of achieving a certain number or what being competitive truly means. Not to get too philosophical when the numbers and the needs are so very real, but the psychology of expectations is something that we all feel as well. Each member has a percentage for a raise in mind that feels right to them. Or sometimes, it is not a percentage but a target for what their actual salary will be for a particular year on the schedule. I am also aware that there are some members for whom any number is not enough. If the raise is 10%, it should have been 20%, if it is 20% then it really should have been 30%, and so on. It is a difficult task to align all of these different moving targets; what we want/need/deserve with the numbers in a budget. What we do is so much more than the sum of these numbers but in the end we are professionals who have earned an amount appropriate to our services and the number of percentage increase or a salary cell is crucial for our ability to provide for our families.
This is one of the issues I have with teaching being labeled as a calling as opposed to a rigorous career path. We may indeed have an affinity to help children and families, but we chose teaching with the expectation that we would be compensated as professionals. Pediatricians elected to specialize their medical degree, but people would not expect those doctors to take a discount because they “love kids.” I fear that emphasizing the caring nature of educators, unfortunately, serves a narrative that undermines our professionalism. Many architects and lawyers are kind and compassionate individuals, but, once again, few in our community would assume that they would work for less as a result.
So the issue of compensation is both fixed (we in ABCUSD make choices within our given budget and demographics) and relative (we see what neighboring districts are settling for and operate in a system where we are competing with these districts). Negotiations are about math and the bottom line, but it is also aspirational and points toward our shared goals. Our budgets reflect our priorities. Our members want to see themselves represented in the contract, and they want to see a number on a schedule that identifies themselves as valued for the work they do.
In Unity,
ABCFT-R NEWSLETTER
Earlier this month, the ABCFT Retiree chapter held its annual December holiday celebration meeting. There were about 25 members who braved the cold to eat tacos and to hear about the local’s latest news. Every quarter ABCFT President Ray Gaer attends their meeting to update the retirees about the state of the district, what issues are impacting teachers, the health of the local, school board updates, and overall how the district is fairing. These retirees spent a good portion of their careers, if not all their careers working in ABC, and they want to continue having a connection to their beloved district and their fellow teachers/nurses. People staying in contact with each other is a primary function of the retiree local, and ABCFT encourages anyone who is retired to think about joining this fine organization.
COVID - OSHA WORKPLACE REGULATIONS CONTINUED BUT COVID SICK DAYS TO EXPIRE
Last week, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to continue many of the COVID-19 provisions but it should be noted that the 10 Covid days that were negotiated by unions and OSHA at the State level in Sacramento will be sunsetting on December 31, 2022. I’m sure there are serious discussions at the state level regarding these days and the implications of employees not having access to these special sickness days when an individual situation causes the employee to use up all of their sick days, therefore, leaving them vulnerable to having to take sick days without any pay. This impacts people of color and our most vulnerable populations who are struggling to make ends meet. ABCFT will keep you posted on any changes in the status of any additional Covid days. Below is the OSHA notice that was sent out last week. ~Ray
OSHA Covid
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted 6-1 today to approve a Covid-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulation, which will take effect in January 2023 and remain in place for 2 years (through approximately January 2025).
The current Covid-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), originally set to expire on December 31, 2022, will remain in effect until the newly approved Non-Emergency Regulation is reviewed and certified by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) - which can take up to 30 days.
Many of the protections from the current ETS remain in place under the new regulations. Those protections include in part:
- Notice to workers of workplace covid exposures
- Free testing of exposed workers on work time
- Additional weekly testing requirements during worksite outbreaks
- Increased ventilation and filtration requirements to maximize outside air where feasible and using high-quality air filters.
However, most notably, the newly approved regulations no longer include exclusion pay for workers (often referred to as 'OSHA Covid Leave'). Exclusion pay required employers to continue to pay workers that were exposed to Covid-19 at the worksite and subsequently sent home.
Both 'Exclusion Pay' and "Covid-19 Supplemental Sick Leave' are set to sunset on December 31, 2022. However, we are working to get some form of 'exclusion pay' back in future infectious disease regulations from Cal/OSHA.
Please be advised that the new regulations approved today only impact CalOSHAs rules and do not modify guidance or rules from CDE, CDPH, or other local or state public health officials unless otherwise stated. Additionally, if you have contract language or side letters that directly refer to the ETS, please review that language to see if any updates are needed.
Cal/OSHA's extensive resources on Covid-19 workplace protections can be found here. As additional resources and materials become available, we will be sure to share with you.
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.
“....But if you try sometimes, you get what you need.” - Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger must of been channeling a teachers inner monologue days before a long Winter Break. Teachers and nurses across the district can be seen throughout the district daydreaming about not having an alarm to set (unless you have pets who are your alarms).
This week, ABCFT has been monitoring the Covid/Flu situation throughout the district and for the most part our numbers are flat and not increasing over the last month, this is good news. I hope that this continues to be the trend over the next couple of months. I hope that you and your family members stay healthy or if they do get sick that they have mild cases. Remember to grab some sunlight to keep your vitamin D levels up.
Earlier this month the ABCFT site representatives, alternates, ABCFT leaders and ABC Administrators attended the PAL Retreat together and the opening presentation was from our survey partners from Educators Thriving. This is the orgainization that provided a small stipend for those 225 ABCFT members who completed the survey in the month of October. This survey was focused on teacher/nurse wellness and specifically the level of depletion among educators. ABCFT was selected as one of four local unions from the American Federation of Teachers to participate in this survey effort. To put that in perspective, this means that the 950 members of ABCFT were chosen out of 1.7 million AFT members to participate in this AFT effort. These survey results will help to provide AFT with member voices as the leadership develops a national campaign to address educator depletion. Here are some of the highlights from the data and a link to the presentation of the data from the PAL Retreat.
Takeaways included:
Depletion (not burnout) is a concern for admin and staff, nationwide and in ABC.
We know what influences well-being, and it can be measured!
Some areas look better than expected, and others open conversations to problem-solve together.
You're still wondering about...
Site specific data to inform what to prioritize.
How to use this data to help, to turn it into meaningful action.
How to combine admin leadership and teacher leadership to address priorities.
One thing people wanted to do coming out of the day was...
Reflect on how each of us can improve staff culture.
Take time to find what helps me feel less depleted.
Work more closely with my union rep / my admin to address some of our issues and carry out a plan.
Top 3 items people would prioritize moving forward:
Acceptance - I know when not to take something personally at work.
Depletion - At the end of the day I'm too exhausted to do anything.
Leadership - I get the relevant information I need in time to plan.
Thank you to the Tetzlaff Middle School staff and administration for visiting with Tanya and I throughout Monday. We appreciate your insights and contributions to the larger discussions of how we address the needs or our middle school staffs and the students they serve. Middle school teachers are amazing and like others this is the population they love to serve. Thank you for all you do.
On behalf of Ruben, Tanya, the ABCFT Executive Board, ABCFT Site Representatives and myself, we wish you the happiest of Winter Breaks and Holiday Seasons with family and friends. See you NEXT YEAR!
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
Randi’s December NYT column is attached here. It’s about AFT’s incredible Reading Opens the World program and our efforts to create joyful and confident readers.
Have a wonderful, peaceful holiday season!
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
School shootings reached unprecedented highs this year
There were more school shootings this year than in any of the last four decades, according to several unofficial counts. As of December 20, there were 300 shooting incidents on school grounds so far in 2022, according to the publicly accessible K-12 School Shooting Database, compared to 250 in 2021 and 114 in 2020. A decade earlier, 2010 saw 15 school shootings. According to the Gun Violence Archive nonprofit, the number of teenagers aged 12-17 killed or injured by a firearm reached a new high of just over 5,000 in 2022. These trends are also in line with 2020 numbers recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation showing that firearms have become the primary cause of death for children in the United States. “Unfortunately, this year — this fall in particular — there’s been a shooting pretty much every single school day,” laments David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, which he updates daily. “I haven’t seen anything in the last five years like this fall.”
Students protest Temecula Valley's 'censoring' of education
Hundreds of Great Oak High School students walked off campus Friday morning to protest against Temecula Valley USD's ban on teaching critical race theory. Carrying homemade signs that read, "Teach The Truth, Protect Our Education, Do Not Censor," the diverse student body marched to nearby Patricia H. Birdsall Park during a break in classes. The board's majority votes came from newly elected and first-time TVUSD governing board members Dr. Joseph Wayne Komrosky (Trustee Area 4), Jennifer Wiersma (Trustee Area 3), and Danny Gonzalez (Trustee Area 2) — all backed by the political action committee Inland Empire Family, which works "to stop the indoctrination of our children by placing candidates on school boards who will fight for Christian and conservative values," according to its website.
What the new federal spending bill means for students
Julian Shen-Berro outlines several ways in which the new bipartisan federal spending bill could affect students and families across the United States. The bill, unveiled this week, increases Title I by 5%, or $850m, and would see an allocation of nearly $18.4bn to the program, which sends extra funds to high-poverty schools. The bill removes language that blocks federal money from going toward transportation costs for school desegregation and makes permanent a pandemic-era Summer EBT program that provides families with grocery benefits in the months when schools are out of session. Under the program, families eligible for free or reduced-price school meals can receive $40 per child each month. The bill also increases the Pell grant maximum award by $500, or just over 7%, to $7,395. It’s the largest increase to the federal grant program — which covers some college costs for students from low-income families — in more than a decade and higher than the $400 increase provided last year.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
New federal bill would raise minimum teacher salaries
Teachers should be paid a minimum salary of at least $60,000, according to a new bill, the American Teacher Act, introduced in Congress by Rep. Federica Wilson, D-Fla., on December 14. If passed, the bill would authorize funding for the federal government to award four-year grants to states and districts to enact and enforce legislation that would establish a teacher-salary requirement of $60,000 minimum. Fifteen percent of those grants would go to states, and 85% would go directly to districts. Local education agencies with a majority of low or moderate-income students would be prioritized. The bill would also require states to include a cost-of-living adjustment to ensure minimum salaries keep pace with inflation. The bill also would dedicate funds to a national campaign that would expand awareness of the value of teaching and encourage secondary and college students to consider the career. In 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey, the average base salary for public school teachers was $61,600, though that number varies widely between states.
Increasing opposition to school inoculations
Opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates that became increasing political during the pandemic have spilled over to inoculations, with many more adults now against them for school children in the United States. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey, almost three in 10 adults (28%) said parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their children for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), up from 16% in a 2019 Pew Research Center poll conducted before the pandemic. Among parents of children under age 18, 35% oppose requiring those childhood vaccines, up from 23% in 2019, KFF found. Most of those surveyed however (71%) still believe children should be vaccinated to attend public schools.
Pandemic skills help schools weather ‘tripledemic’ illness season
School administrators from across the nation say many response skills learned during the pandemic have been invaluable for managing what has been a chaotic illness season of late. While many school districts have been pushed to make adjustments in response to soaring illness this fall, school leaders have learned to stay in touch with local health departments and educators in neighboring districts about sharing public health concerns and best practices. School officials have reintroduced COVID-19-era safety and cleaning protocols, increased school-to-home communications about when and when not to send students to school, made staffing modifications, and prepared staff and students for virtual learning when buildings — and even school districts — need to shut down temporarily to contain illness outbreaks.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California begins service program for college students
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the California College Corps program that began this year is the one he's "probably more proud" of than anything else. The initiative selects low-income college students to complete community service in exchange for $10,000 to spend on tuition and living expenses. The aim is to help students reduce their debt, while empowering civic action and addressing problems in the state, including education gaps, food insecurity and climate change. The four-year program is funded by approximately $300m in state money, and about 13,000 students are expected to enroll through 2026. To select the first class of students this fall, the state partnered with 46 California college campuses, including UC Berkeley, Fresno City College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, for help in choosing students who could most benefit. The inaugural class of 3,200 was sworn in at a ceremony in Sacramento in October. Over the course of the academic year, the students will serve 450 hours, which is about 15 hours a week. Half of the fellows are spending that time tutoring and mentoring in low-income schools in an effort to address the state’s COVID-driven learning loss. Others are building community gardens, planting trees, working at food banks or participating in other local community-service projects identified by their colleges.
Struggling California students to get an extra month of class time
California schools are about to begin work on a project to try to close the achievement gap and redress pandemic learning losses, by expanding the school day by three hours and the school year by 30 days for vulnerable students who are struggling to keep up with their peers. Schools can spend the additional time on any activities outside regular school hours that contribute to students’ learning and wellbeing. State officials expect districts will have fully implemented the program by 2025, at which point it is expected to cost the state $5bn annually. In its first year, it cost $1.8bn, with state contributions set to grow over five years in step with districts ramping up towards full implementation. “The impact of COVID is not limited to the two and a half years when it was recognized as a major crisis. It’s going to echo for generations,” said Troy Flint, a spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. “What was already a crisis has become even more of a triage operation.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
Advocates speak out against Sanger USD’s new LGBTQ flag policy
Students and others criticized the Sanger USD school board last week over a new policy that would allow teachers and principals to bar LGBTQ pride flags. The policy, updated in September, allows teachers and principals to use their “professional judgment” in deciding what banners, posters, flags and other items to post in classrooms. Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Martinez said the policy is intended to create a “content-oriented environment” in classrooms. “When you’re providing instruction, there has to be that restraint as educators, to not allow my personal beliefs, my personal religion, to be infused into that instruction,” he said. More than a dozen people spoke out against the policy at a board meeting last week, saying that it does not create a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ students. A Fresno City Council member, Luis Chavez, has also opposed the new policy.
New evangelical school board majority exposes deep polarization in Temecula
Pastor Tim Thompson of the evangelical 412 Church in Temecula, California, believes that the public schools in that part of southwestern Riverside County are “the devil’s playground.”
As someone who attended parochial school and then studied to be a priest for nine years, I have a passing familiarity with the images of Satan since my earliest years in school. So, when the pastor and his Inland Empire Family PAC successfully got a new school board majority elected to the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education last month, I was eager to find out what might be going on in the fourth-largest district in Riverside County that could be attributed to the legendary Prince of Darkness.
This school district, like so many in our state, is an increasingly diverse, suburban district with 28,000 students, 60% of whom are now students of color.
----- WORKFORCE ----
San Francisco recruits record number of internal candidates to teach in classroom
San Francisco USD's Pathway to Teaching program, which began in the 2017-18 academic year, aims to lower the cost and time barriers to become a credentialed teacher. This year, the program pulled from its own staff of substitute teachers, paraeducators and those with “emergency credentials,” or a provisional waiver to teach, to recruit a record number of internal applicants. To date, the program has graduated 276 teachers who are now employed at SFUSD; this year the program received 94 applications. “We know that the key to student success in any classroom is a consistent, highly-skilled and qualified teacher,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said in a statement. “We’re excited that our Pathway to Teaching program offers staff members the opportunity to become credentialed teachers.” A goal of the program is to foster a diverse cohort of teachers who are likely to remain teaching within the district. This year, 80% of the Pathway cohort identifies as a person of color. And among Pathway graduates now teaching in the district, 68% identify as a person of color.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Kids' meds in short supply
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) suggests its members, as well as district and school leaders, keep a close eye on potential shortages of children's medication. While there aren't many reports of schools running out of over-the-counter children’s medication, officials should be wary. The FDA lists more than 100 current drug shortages, including albuterol, given to asthma patients, including many kids, and amoxicillin, an antibiotic frequently given to children. A dearth of painkillers, such as Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Motrin, is so acute that national pharmacy chain CVS has already limited sales to two items per customer. Walgreens has taken similar steps. "Weathering shortages may simply be about being aware, being responsive, collaborating to make sure that the school health office has what it needs to take care of the students,” suggests NASN president Linda Mendonca.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
California Christian college under federal investigation for fraud
An Anza-based Christian college with satellite schools across the world has been the target of a three-year federal investigation triggered by a frantic 911 call to Riverside County authorities from a student who claimed she had not been allowed to leave the campus for months. Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, launched its investigation into Olivet University in 2019 in partnership with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office. The focus of the probe has reportedly been fraud, money-laundering and labor trafficking. The school was founded in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea, in 2000 as Olivet Theological College and Seminary by Korean American pastor David Jang. Olivet also has been tasked with proving to the state of California and its accrediting agency, the Association of Biblical Higher Education, that it is operating to agency standards. Last month, the ABHE placed the university on warning status through February 2024 for failing to demonstrate “integrity in all of its practices and relationships with strict adherence to ethical standards and its own stated policies,” according to the agency’s Nov. 9 letter to Gebhardt.
----- 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
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