KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
Yesterday afternoon we received a communication from the district regarding our voluntary Professional Learning (PL) days on August 8th and 9th. It includes a sample schedule as well as details about the event to be held at Artesia High School.
All of our teachers and nurses will be compensated at a negotiated rate of $474 per day if they take part in these voluntary PL opportunities. At the rep council yesterday, the question was raised how this number was generated and if it would be adjusted in the future. Voluntary PL days were negotiated two years ago and guaranteed that our members could access LCAP funding for up to $948 of additional compensation for the next two summers. The actual rate was derived from a formula based on the average teacher salary district wide at that time. If we were to bargain for something similar in the future and use the same formula the rate would necessarily increase as it would account for the subsequent raises we have earned.
We are able to clarify that members may choose to attend only one of the two days if they wish. Our members would need to attend one full day as opposed to parts of both but they do have the option of attending either the 8th, the 9th, or both.
We can sign up for particular sessions beginning Tuesday, June 6. All members are eligible to participate, but if you want to get into your first choice of sessions, then be sure to register as soon as you receive the sign-up form via email.
In addition to their June paycheck, our teachers and nurses received a “hard” check (as opposed to a direct deposit) for the off-schedule payment negotiated as part of our compensation package in the 2022-2023 school year. Using $90,000 as our average teacher salary and 3% as the off-schedule percentage for most members, the average off-schedule check would be approximately $2700 before taxes.
The district is working on a timeline for our retro check that will be sent out before we end the school year.
Copies of our new master contract, which runs until the end of the 2024-2025 school year, should be available to be distributed in time for our first rep council meeting of the next school year on August 7.
In Unity,
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. This weekly report informs members about issues impacting their working/learning conditions and mental well-being. Our work as a Union is a larger conversation, and together we make the YOUnion.
Traditionally, at the last Rep Council meeting the president makes a State of the Union address to the site representative and alternates. It was an opportunity for newly elected union reps, alternates, and officers to be sworn in (picture below). Here is the statement I made yesterday:
The 2022-2023 school year was a different kind of year but still challenging. We began the year with a PAL Advance that almost did not happen due to the strains of the union and district partnership. The master contract was slated to end June 30, 2020 and had yet to be negotiated. The decline in student enrollment hit 2000 students in less than 5 years. Each 100 loss of students is equivalent to $1,000,000 of ADA funding to the district. ABCUSD experienced a higher percentage of declining enrollment due to out of district permits reduced dramatically as ‘home’ districts did not renew or issue new permits since they too are experiencing declining enrollment. This is one reason you see a move toward Dual Immersion language programs, special CTE pathways, and college and career opportunities that are ABC unique programs that pull students from other districts.
On top of all this, we have had an increase in radical student behavioral needs especially in the primary level. ABCUSD has gone from a dozen of extraordinary student cases to a new level of over 60 cases as of March 2023. Each student is assessed to determine the most appropriate placement which could include movement to a special day class, the Bridges program or non-public school to meet the needs of these students.
The pressures on teachers and nurses have not decreased, maybe the high stakes testing push and its consequences to our delivery of curriculum have somewhat decreased. But the damage of forcing teachers to teach to a test in conjunction with the impact of the pandemic has been traumatic for a majority of our students.
ALL of these factors have made this year even more challenging than the first two years of the pandemic.
As I wrote in the YOUnionews a couple of weeks ago, when we visited schools last fall teachers were telling Tanya and I that they felt ABC wasn’t cutting edge anymore. This is concerning. Perception is reality.
These were just the larger issues in the background but there was also the lack of trained para educators and classified support staff. The challenge of parents who are also struggling to support and understand their children as well the long list of school place shootings, gun violence, and media trash talking, modeling irresponsible behaviors, uncertain economic times, and lastly a cold war that has turned into a full scale proxy war between nuclear armed super powers. Yeah, this year's background of challenges has kind of sucked. Enough of that, right?!
What are the positives? Teachers and nurses did incredible work with their students and parents; providing stability and predictable structures while delivering high impact curriculum and support. ABCUSD hired a homegrown superintendent that understands relationships matter and that people are the superpower that makes ABCUSD a standout district on the national stage. At the beginning of the school year, the district threw a ton of resources at schools in reaction to teacher surveys, site rep advocacy, and table pounding at the negotiating table. This resulted in extra paraeducators, teachers, mental health providers, and other support staff personnel being hired. Rather than building a 20% reserve like some surrounding districts, ABCUSD teachers helped to convince and demand for the proper spreading of our pandemic monies. Pay is always a priority of ABCFT and we are still in the top 20 school districts for pay out of the 80+ Los Angeles County school districts. Not to mention the top 10 for total compensation (which means factoring in both salary and benefit packages). Yes, you read that correctly, ABCFT teachers and nurses are in the top 10 for total compensation within Los Angeles County.
In the previous year with a work to rule campaign that showed other unions that they don't have to be UTLA to make headlines, we are able to get the results we need doing it OUR way. ABCFT members showed that they matter and our work needs to be valued. That campaign last year helped produce a substantial raise, a new master contract, and reaffirmation of why teachers and nurses voices should be heard. A good friend said to me that, “The people closest to the problem are the ones with the best solution.” Agreed!
This was a tough year. But it was a year where ABCFT members saw their voices reflected in the district-wide decisions again. I'm looking forward to working with the newly elected site representatives and alternates and executive board officers. Your union is strong and this infusion of new leaders is building union capacity and making us stronger because there cannot be a time where the union isn't an equal player at the negotiating table. Thank you for all you do as ABCFT members.
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-----
U.S. teacher shortage worsens as educators quit
Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that nearly half of the public education employees—working in elementary, secondary and postsecondary institutions—who left the profession in March resigned. Resignations peaked in the COVID-19 pandemic before declining in late 2020. However, resignations have increased in the previous two years, increasing the already severe teacher shortage in the U.S. as school systems struggle to hire new teachers. With school shootings on the rise and pandemic-disrupted learning taking a toll on teachers who feel increasingly burned out, Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said that public education is struggling to attract—and retain—qualified school staff. Meanwhile, one in three teachers say they're likely to quit and find another job in the next two years, according to a recent survey by the EdWeek Research Center and Merrimack College. According to CNN data, as of May 25 there have been 66 shootings in schools around the country, including on college campuses, and 41 shootings at K-12 schools since Uvalde in May 2022. Educators feel the weight of grief one year after the shooting, Pringle says. More than 60% of teachers say they worry about a mass shooting occurring at their schools, according to a 2018 survey conducted by the NEA “[Teachers] are anxious, and they're mourning,” Pringle said.“The grief — because grief is cyclical, not finite — is rising up in them again.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Teacher shortages: strategies for filling vacancies
Finding enough teachers to fill classrooms is a major issue for policymakers and administrators. In a recent Education Week webinar, three experts—Ashley Osborne, the associate superintendent for teaching and learning at Midland Independent school district in west Texas; Courtney Van Cleve, the state director of educator talent acquisition and effectiveness for the Mississippi Department of Education; and Marvin Lopez, the executive director of the nonprofit California Center on Teaching Careers—discussed what's working to fill vacancies, and what's not. School districts have long had difficulties finding qualified teachers in subjects like special education or high school math. But in recent years, those recruitment challenges have extended to formerly popular fields, like elementary education. The experts suggest offering bonuses, building your own supply of teachers, and rethinking job fairs. Traditional recruitment strategies, like holding local job fairs, are no longer a reliably effective strategy for hiring teachers, Osborne said. California districts have found success through targeting teaching candidates on social media sites like LinkedIn and Instagram, Lopez added. The goal is to elevate the profession and make it attractive to prospective teachers.
Principals tackle mental health crisis
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the mental health challenges faced by students and to encourage principals to lobby for more funds to improve mental health services in schools. Principals are in a unique position to spot concerns and see whether proposed solutions are working. Some schools are bringing in animals to help calm students, while others are prioritizing equity, student involvement, and student voice as key components of their mental health strategy. Caren Howard, the director of policy and advocacy for Mental Health America, noted that nearly 40% of people who use Mental Health America's online screening tools for conditions like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or psychosis are younger than 18. Howard said schools need qualified professionals to provide culturally responsive care to students to work with them. She added that Black and Latino students are more likely to access mental health services when they're provided at school because doing so removes barriers they may face in finding mental healthcare in the community.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California schools to cool down outside areas
California schools may soon have to come up with plans for cooling down outside play areas by planting more trees and replacing surfaces like asphalt that swelter on hot days. The state Senate passed the legislation that would require public and charter schools and districts to strategize on how to introduce more shade on campus, plant gardens and replace surfaces that hold on to a lot of heat with alternatives such as grass and wood chips. Children are at a greater risk than adults of suffering from heat-related illnesses that can cause nausea, muscle cramps, fatigue and fainting. The legislation could cost the state “in the low to mid hundreds of millions of dollars,” or at least $10,000 per school by providing grants for schools to implement their plans. “It's essential that schools that don't necessarily have the resources” or “community backing to do this, get it,” said Christina Hildebrand, president of A Voice for Choice Advocacy, a health nonprofit sponsoring the bill.
Homelessness among students on the rise in California
The number of homeless students in California has risen by 9% due to a lack of affordable housing, skyrocketing rent, and inflation. Monterey County has the highest rate of homeless students in the state at 13.4%. The Santa Rita Union Elementary district has seen the sharpest increase in homeless students, with a rise from 1.53% to 22.24%. Experts caution that statistics on homeless students can say more about how well schools are identifying homeless students than about how many students are experiencing homelessness. The federal American Rescue Plan has given key support to homeless families through the pandemic and its economic aftermath. California received $800m from the plan aimed specifically at homeless children and youth.
California teachers need more than just higher salaries to thrive
California teachers are facing a retention crisis, and while increased salaries and benefits are part of the solution, school workforce wellness for adults is also a key component. Labor and management collaborations have borne fruit on a number of issues in many districts, including educator wellness. Innovative solutions such as the Bakersfield City School District's support mechanism guides and the West Contra Costa County USD's recognition of burnout and allowance of mental health days are important, but not enough. A multitiered system of support aimed at promoting a healthy and robust teacher workforce at all levels, pre-K-12, is needed. The Torlakson Whole Child Institute is teaming with the California Labor Management Initiative for a session on this topic at their upcoming Summer Institute to promote new innovative approaches and help scale these educator and school workforce wellness opportunities to districts across California.
California seeks records on Florida’s textbook revisions
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has filed a public records request with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office and the Florida Department of Education over communications leading to potential textbook revisions publishers made to gain approval for use in Florida schools. Newsom is also asking publishers to disclose if they submitted social studies textbooks for approval in Florida and if they agreed to any changes by officials. The Florida Department of Education announced earlier this month that only 19 of 101 of social studies instructional materials were approved in April “due to inaccurate material, errors and other information that was not aligned with Florida Law.” Since then, 66 of the 101 submitted materials have been approved by the state after working directly with publishers, who have “updated their materials” to comply with the state’s standards.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Students take a stand for LGBTQ+ rights
High school students at Sage Creek and Carlsbad High Schools in California walked out of classes to protest the Carlsbad USD Board and the Carlsbad City Council's recent decisions not to display the Pride flag. The students were also protesting comments made by a school administrator who told members of his church to oppose any “sexual identity or gender ideology curriculum, groups, or celebrations on public school campuses.” The peaceful rallies started at 10 a.m. and lasted about 40 minutes. The students want equal respect and support for LGBTQ+ students and for Carlsbad High School Vice Principal Ethan Williams to resign. Carlsbad Superintendent Benjamin Churchill said the district's policy is to “neither encourage nor discourage student participation in events such as this.”
Flag burned at San Fernando Valley school where some parents oppose Pride event
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a possible hate crime, after an LGBTQ+ flag placed in a plant pot outside of a classroom at Saticoy Elementary School. The school has been the focus of a group of parents who are objecting to a Pride Day assembly this Friday, at which the school plans to teach children about LGBTQ+ identities during a book reading. According to Los Angeles USD, the assembly will include a reading of The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman, which describes family types including multi-cultural families, multi-racial families, single parent families and families with LGBTQ+ parents. Conservative parents with children enrolled at the school last week posted their objections on social media to the assembly, asking parents to boycott the event and “keep their children home and innocent” that day. An LAUSD spokesperson said the district is committed to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment that reflects and embraces the diverse population it serves. “As part of our engagement with school communities, our schools regularly discuss the diversity of the families that we serve and the importance of inclusion,” LAUSD said in a statement. “This remains an active discussion with our school communities and we remain committed to continuing to engage with families about this important topic.”
----- WORKFORCE ----
Teachers take on second jobs to make ends meet during summer break
During the summer break, many teachers take on second jobs to supplement their income. According to a recent Pew Research Analysis, 16% of public school teachers in the U.S. worked non-school summer jobs, with younger and less experienced teachers being the most likely to take on a summer job. The analysis may not take into account the less traditional ways that teachers generate income during the summer. For instance, during the summer months last year, U.S. teachers earned $110m as Airbnb hosts. Terrance Anfield, a kindergarten teacher in the Indianapolis school district, makes an annual salary of $50,000 and earns an extra $5,000-$10,000 doing various other jobs during the summer. Anfield estimated he would need an annual salary of between $75,000 and $80,000 in order to comfortably take off each summer. Federal policymakers have recognised the discrepancy in pay and multiple proposals to increase teacher pay to a minimum of $60,000 have been introduced, but neither bill has gone anywhere.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Teachers agree: Bullying is top safety concern in schools
Teachers agree that bullying is the biggest safety concern in schools, according to a survey conducted by the RAND Corporation. However, they are divided on whether they should be allowed to carry guns on campus. More than half of the teachers surveyed said that educators carrying firearms would make schools less safe, while 20% said it would make schools safer. The remaining 26% said it would neither make schools safer nor less safe. All major teacher, principal, school employee, and school security organizations oppose guns in schools, except when carried by a police or security officer. The survey also found that 49% of teachers said bullying and cyberbullying are the biggest safety concerns facing their schools.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Pockets of districts across California show increases in homeless students in 2022-23 school year
Pandemic-era funding has helped school staff identify and support more homeless students, but its expiration is looming. Staff are afraid of how this loss will impact students.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Ed. Dept. shares AI recommendations
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET) has published a new report which summarizes the opportunities and risks for artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching, learning, research and assessment. The report, entitled "AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations," addresses the clear need for sharing knowledge, engaging educators and communities, and refining technology plans and policies for AI use in education. It recognizes that AI can enable new forms of interaction between educators and students, help educators address variability in learning, increase feedback loops, and support educators. It also outlines risks associated with AI, including algorithmic bias challenges, and the importance of trust, safety, and appropriate guardrails to protect educators and students.
No comments:
Post a Comment