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MEMBERSHIP UPDATES - Teaching Credential Renewal By Tanya Golden
ABC recently saw the retirement of our district expert in credentials. As the District looks for a properly qualified person to fill this important compliance position, it is important that you are aware of your credential status to ensure that there are no breaks in pay or health benefits. The ABC District administration has a history of being proactive in making teachers, nurses, and administrators aware of the lapsing of credentials so that individuals can renew their credentials in a timely manner.
Ultimately, teachers are responsible for renewing their credentials every five years. As a courtesy, the district usually sends affected teachers a reminder. However, timely credential renewal is the credential holder's responsibility and is vital to staying employed as a teacher. If you are unsure when your credential expires, click here to look up your credential. It’s a good practice to put your renewal date in your calendar so you can renew your credential in a punctual manner.
The renewal process can be completed online using the Commission on Teaching Credentialing website. The renewal application fee is $100. Click here for the complete application fees.
MEMBER-ONLY RESOURCES
Women’s History Month
Save lesson prep time with this collection of 100 women’s history lessons and activities featuring key figures and historical events. Click here to access these free lesson plans and resources.
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 united we make the YOUnion.
Native Americans say you need to have eagle vision and ant vision.
The end of February on a leap year is definitely a special event as our calendar adjusts for the rotation of the earth’s orbit. That added day is to make up for some rounding math that happens in the calculations of our calendar year. Math does matter, in fact, if you look at the buzz at the state and national level there is renewed focus on creating successful math learners in our classroom. The question is how do you make the necessary changes in the curriculum and delivery to get those gains in mathematics skills? The key is to talk to those who have the most experience in teaching students, their teachers.
Last year, the Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, Dr. Carola Castro, and I started discussing how to inform the decision process for the school district’s latest LCAP report. When the two of us discussed math teaching and math professional development, there seemed to be a gap between what the data was showing and what was actually happening in the classrooms. What is often the ground truth about what is happening in curriculum delivery are those vital conversations in the break rooms, department meetings, or informal conversations teachers have about student abilities and challenges throughout the school year. Those conversations are typically focused on where theory meets reality and how a team of educators can help students reach their full potential as whole child. Those kinds of critically important details cannot always be sorted out in a data point from a single-day test or the progress in a grade book.
To Dr. Castro’s credit, she suggested last year that we visit a number of fifth-grade teams across the district to hear directly from teachers about their experiences with students as they teach the subject of math. Those conversations discussed everything from the changing challenges of students' home lives, the good and bad experiences with the curriculum materials, the professional development design, and the great desire for vertical teaming with secondary or similar grade-level teams throughout the district. Teachers gave examples and anecdotal evidence to substantiate their observations and opinions. What made this a powerful experience was that those “empathy” interviews were used to drive some of the decision-making process addressing math curriculum challenges, the district LCAP report, and the delivery of math professional development. Again, raising the level of teacher voices will have a positive direct influence on the success of our students.
Jump to the 2023-24 school year, and Dr. Castro, in our monthly meeting, is telling me about the challenges of analyzing the math benchmark and testing data trends. There’s something missing in the data, so we agreed to meet with secondary math teams about what they are experiencing. I have joined Dr. Castro in two of these interviews so far, but we have a good number of meetings in the near future with math departments in all of the secondary schools.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to join Dr. Castro in meeting with the math department at Tracy High School
about the student abilities, their life circumstances, or other factors that become the unique challenges to a school. Every school faces similar challenges or limitations that hinder student progress. Still, the most crucial discussions are about the unique situations that impact each school's math delivery, structures, planning time, or curricular professional opportunities. These empathy conversations bring to light classroom solutions directly from the delivery experts. Embedded in the empathy interviews is the opportunity for teachers to ask “why” the district has benchmarks or why we have pacing guides. (all dictated on the district’s need for data to report to the state as instant feedback of math progress in addition to state testing results, which are always a year later). Teachers getting the opportunity to address nagging concerns they might have that impact their teaching world is vital to the success and retention of all teachers, and the byproduct is better student outcomes.
I applaud a district administration that takes the time to hear from classroom teachers in a meaningful way. I applaud a superintendent who makes it a priority to visit every teacher's classroom. I appreciate that employees and their sets of skills, expertise, and perspectives all have a place in the discussion to improve our workspaces and our learning spaces. Are things perfect? No, there’s no such thing in education or anything in reality, BUT having a voice that helps drive our schools and classrooms honors our professionalism. Let’s not take these opportunities for our voices to be heard for granted; trust me, it is not happening in many other districts. I encourage you to have brave conversations with administrators, colleagues, and parents. What you bring to the table makes a difference.
In YOUnity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
TK/EC-K12 Council gets to work at SPED Summit
CFT members from throughout the state are gathering this week for the annual TK/EC-K12 Special Education Summit. The summit is an opportunity for union leaders and special education teachers and staff to take part in professional development, connect, and strategize about how we can strengthen our advocacy for many of our most vulnerable students.
The summit this year includes professional development on Universal Design for Learning, Finding Strengths when Supporting Students With Disabilities, and a demonstration from Digital Promise on Learning Variability.
Thanks to all who are taking part in the summit and to all the special education teachers and support staff who do the work every day!
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
President Randi Weingarten’s topic this month is school funding. The column draws on findings from a new report from the Shanker Institute that 39 states devote a smaller share of their economies to their K-12 public schools than they did in 2006. School funding in the U.S. already is inadequate to create equal opportunity for all students; it will get worse if lawmakers don’t act to avert a fiscal cliff when federal pandemic aid expires this fall—loss of that aid will amount to about $1,000 per student. You can find the entire New York Times column here.
A picture is worth a thousand words!
Dr. Jessica Saint-Paul, a licensed physician’s assistant, educator, and Los Angeles College Faculty Guild (Local 1521) member, is pictured above with President Biden at an event that took place this week in Los Angeles.
Saint-Paul had her loans forgiven (over $100,000) through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, after twenty years of payments on her loans including interest while working in public education. Because of this forgiveness, she is now able to stay in her faculty job and be able to purchase a home. Her family also welcomed a child into their home just two weeks ago!
On Wednesday she introduced President Joe Biden who announced student loan forgiveness for 153,000 more borrowers. As of this week, the Biden administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt relief for close to four million Americans through various actions.
Read more about Jessica’s story on the CFT website.
(Photo credit: The White House Twitter account)
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
LINK TO LATEST EDITION OF LOS CERRITOS COMMUNITY NEWS
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT - FINANCE ----
Most school boards have little experience with deep budget cuts, academics argue
Marguerite Roza and Laura Anderson of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University argue that most school boards have little experience with deep budget cuts. The typical district has seen a decade of solid budget growth, capped off with a hefty infusion of federal relief funds. This presents a perfect storm when relief funds dry up, they suggest, as enrollments continue to fall and districts must sort through commitments they made to new staff and inflation-era pay hikes. "Too often, we’re finding that the majority of trustees in these meetings aren’t engaging on budget discussions beyond a generic let’s protect students statement. Too rarely do trustees investigate different budget options, weigh tradeoffs or explore expected impacts using student data," they conclude.
----- EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY -----
New report card includes students' socioeconomic status
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will introduce a new composite measure of student income that takes into account broader family and school resources. The index incorporates factors such as eligibility for school meals and other federal safety-net programs, the total share of students eligible for income-related programs at the school, the number of printed books in the student's home, and the education level of either parent. The new poverty index will allow test scores to be disaggregated for high, middle, and low-income students. The index data can be retroactively applied to 20 years of student data, providing insights into achievement gap trends. The new measure aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between student achievement and socioeconomic backgrounds. It will help shed light on different areas of the socioeconomic spectrum and enable educators to compare student performance across different states. The index may also prompt conversations at the state level about addressing students' needs more effectively.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
More states banning phones in class
Educators and experts are increasingly advocating for a ban on cell phones during classes. Several states, including Florida and Utah, have already implemented cellphone bans in schools, citing improved learning outcomes and reduced distractions. However, enforcing these bans remains a challenge. A study by Common Sense Media found that 97% of kids use their phones during school hours, and policies vary from classroom to classroom. To effectively enforce a ban, schools must take responsibility and not leave it up to individual teachers. The Phone-Free Schools Movement advocacy group recommends requiring students to turn off and lock away their phones for the entire day. While some students and parents have concerns about being cut off from communication, others appreciate the increased focus and face-to-face interaction. Schools that have implemented cellphone bans have seen positive results, with increased student engagement and improved test scores. “Students used to have an understanding that you aren't supposed to be on your phone in class. Those days are gone,” says James Granger, who requires students in his science classes at a Los Angeles area high school to place their phones in “a cellphone cubby” with numbered slots.
Sandie Gunion Tribute The Hill
Increasing concerns over childcare funding expiration
The expiration in fall 2023 of federal COVID-19 emergency childcare funding is creating a ”childcare crisis,″ some fear, as centers face challenges including staff shortages, program closures, and rising tuition rates. According to survey results released by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 56% of center directors and family childcare owners or operators said they were under enrolled based on their current capacity. The reasons for under enrollment included staffing shortages (89%), low pay (77%), and lack of affordability for families (66%). About 36% of directors, owners, and operators said they were paying more in rent compared to six months earlier, while nearly half (49%) reported paying more for liability insurance. “The results make it clear, significant public investment in child care is needed urgently to ensure programs can retain qualified educators and remain open to serve children and families,” says Michelle Kang, CEO of NAEYC. Relatedly, the U.S. Department of Education this week released revised guidance for how schools, districts, and states can use federal Title I funding to expand access to high-quality preschool for three to five year-olds in a range of settings.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California education budget faces further shortfalls
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) has projected that California's education budget will face an additional $7.7bn shortfall, on top of the $13.7bn already announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The LAO warns that further erosion of state revenues will likely reduce state funding for TK-12 by $5.2bn in 2023-24 and $2.7bn in 2025-26. The California Department of Finance disagreed with the LAO's projections but confirmed that revenues were "heading in the wrong direction." The LAO recommends using the $9bn cushion in the Proposition 98 Reserve account to cover the shortfall, instead of Newsom's proposed funding maneuver. School advocates prefer the governor's approach and are critical of the LAO's recommendations. Edgar Zazueta, executive director of the Association of California School Administrators, called on Newsom and legislators to protect their investments in schools. The budget crisis may require cuts to new programs, reductions in costs, and the restructuring of existing programs. Lurking in the background is the option of deferrals, issuing IOUs for funding that would be repaid in subsequent years.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Middle school investigating AI-generated fake nude photos of students
Beverly Hills Unified School District is investigating AI-generated fake nude photos of students at Beverly Vista Middle School, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Students generated the photos by superimposing photos of other students’ faces on AI-generated nude bodies. Students reported the photos to administrators. It is uncertain how many photos were generated.
“As the investigation is progressing today, more victims are being identified,” according to message from the school district. “We are taking every measure to support those affected and to prevent any further incidents. We want to make it unequivocally clear that this behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our school community. Although we are aware of similar situations occurring all over the nation, we must act now. This behavior rises to a level that requires the entire community to work in partnership to ensure it stops immediately.”
Special education disputes growing nationwide
The Irvine Unified School District in California has now spent more than $1m in legal fees fighting parents who requested that, if it wouldn’t provide the help itself, the school system pay about $40,000 a year for their daughter to attend a specialized private school to address her learning disabilities. The district feels that it must litigate against parents because demands for special services at private schools can be excessive, and administrators have to be cautious about establishing costly new precedents. Roughly 10% of the district’s 38,000 students have a learning disability, for example. The case offers a window into the growing number of high-stakes legal fights around the country to resolve special-education disputes. Nearly 46,500 formal complaints or mediation requests were filed nationwide in 2021-22, according to the most recently available federal data, which is up 27% from the year prior.
Wall Street Journal
Santa Rosa City Schools considers consolidation with surrounding districts
Santa Rosa City Schools is considering consolidating with nine small elementary school districts that surround it. The consolidation would save millions of dollars in administrative costs each year, unify programs and services, and potentially close underutilized school sites. It would also mean a new school board and superintendent to serve more than 27,000 students. There are three ways that the Santa Rosa school district could move forward with the consolidation: have support from the nine elementary districts, submit a petition with signatures from 25% of voters, or have an elected official submit the petition on behalf of the district. The process could take at least two years.
How San Diego Unified plans to close a nearly $94 million budget gap
San Diego Unified officials shed more light Friday on how they plan to bridge what they now expect is a $93.7 million budget gap for next school year — a plan that includes cutting dozens of central office staff positions and spending down district reserves.
The school district, which has more than 12,000 staff, has not yet said how many people it might lay off. The school board is expected to approve any notices of potential layoffs at its meeting on March 5, as the deadline under state law for districts to issue such notices is March 15.
The district has already begun to notify some central office employees that their positions will be cut. The equivalent of at least 98 full-time central office staff positions have been eliminated so far for next school year, a district spokesperson told The San Diego Union-Tribune in an email.
----- SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION IN LOS ANGELES -----
L.A. school board candidate removed amid investigation
Los Angeles USD board of trustees candidate Graciela Ortiz has been removed from her job as an L.A. Unified counseling administrator pending a confidential investigation. The investigation was launched after a civil lawsuit was filed alleging Ortiz and a political ally are liable for the actions of a campaign worker who pleaded no contest to sexual misconduct with an underage volunteer. Ortiz and Martinez, the political ally, are both running for political positions. Ortiz is a Huntington Park City Council member running for District 5, while Martinez is running for the 57th state Assembly district. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the victim. One union has withdrawn its endorsement of Ortiz due to the ongoing investigation. Ortiz is supported by Local 99 of Service Employees International Union.
---- LGBTQ+ -----
Polls underline complexities of race and LGBTQ issues in education
Three new national studies, from the Pew Research Center, the research corporation RAND, and the University of Southern California’s Center for Applied Research in Education shed light on how teachers, parents, and students think about what is appropriate for discussion in schools. According to a nationally representative survey conducted last fall by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, more than two-thirds of K-12 public school teachers said topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity rarely or never came up in their classroom last school year. Half of teachers meanwhile said they thought students shouldn’t learn about gender identity at school, with an even higher share of elementary school teachers agreeing with that view. In a nationally representative survey of 13- to 17-year-olds conducted last fall, around four in 10 teens said they felt comfortable when topics related to racism or racial inequality came up in class. Only around three in 10 said the same about topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity, and just under half of teens said they shouldn’t learn about gender identity at school. “The topics of race and LGBTQ issues are often lumped together in discussions about these so-called ‘culture wars’ and how that’s playing out in K-12 education,” suggests Luona Lin, a research associate at Pew. "But teachers and students actually feel very different about these two topics.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
Newly arrived students need greater supports
A coalition of educators, researchers, and advocates has launched the National Newcomer Network Policy Platform to improve supports for newly arrived students to the United States. The recommendations call for federal legislation and dedicated state funding to support wraparound services for students, including a proposal to strengthen newcomer case manager roles in school districts in partnership with community-based organizations. While some school districts have programming in place to welcome newcomer students and address their needs, other districts haven’t yet built this capacity. Notably, the network refers to newcomer students as a linguistically and culturally diverse group of recent immigrant youth, refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, migratory children, and students with limited or interrupted formal education. These students may have varying levels of English proficiency and not all will be English learners, the network said. There were about 1m immigrant students in the U.S. during the 2017-18 school year, according to the most recently available federal data.
----- TRANSPORTATION -----
Push towards electric school buses has further to go
The number of electric school buses on the road or on order across the country has more than tripled in the last two years, according to the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative. That’s meant ten times as many students riding on electric school buses, from around 20,000 in 2020 to 200,000 in 2023. The number of states with electric bus legislation or goals also grew, from two to 14 between 2020 and last year. Despite the progress, fewer than 1% of the 489,000 school buses in the United States were electric at the end of last year. One of the biggest challenges is the cost. Even with the fuel and maintenance savings of an electric bus, they cost two to three times more than diesel. The Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out $5bn in funds set aside for zero-emissions buses in the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law. Nearly 440 grants and rebates totaling $1.8bn have already been disbursed to replace thousands of buses across several hundred school districts in the U.S., which should help "grease the wheels" of the nationwide push towards cleaner, greener school transportation.
----- LEGAL -----
Orange County’s Wild West of Campaign Finance: The Board of Education
Almost every campaign for city, county and state government in Orange County has a limit on how much donors can spend on their favorite candidates. But one big outlier in Orange County is the county Board of Education, which Voice of OC found has no limitations on donations to politicians. A review of the most recent election cycle found over $700,000 of contributions to the current board that would violate state campaign finance limits for cities and counties without their own campaign financing caps. But they are legal for school districts and boards of education.Voice of OC also reviewed the campaign finance filings for all of the board’s challengers for the March 5 primary. While none received direct contributions that went over state limits for cities and counties without campaign contribution limits, the Westminster Teachers Association reported spending around $52,000 on mailers for Nancy Watkins’ and David Johnson’s campaigns combined.
https://voiceofoc.org/2024/02/orange-countys-wild-west-of-campaign-finance-the-board-of-education/
----- CHILD DEVELOPMENT ----
Resources to support early education published
The U.S. Department of Education has released guidance for how states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools can use Title I funds to expand access to high-quality preschool in a range of settings, including schools, Head Start, and community-based organizations. The guidance encourages schools across the nation to better set up kindergarten to be a bridge between the early years and the early grades. The Biden-Harris administration has secured historic educational investments, including an additional $1.9bn in annual funding for the Title I program since 2021. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona championed the announcement on Monday during a visit to an early childhood center in New Jersey. "High-quality, early learning opportunities are proven bridges to later academic success and every child deserves access,” Cardona said.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
California Retired Teachers Association awards scholarships
Division 21 of the California Retired Teachers Association has awarded $10,000 scholarships to three future teachers. Yesenia Chaidez, who graduated from Coachella Valley High School and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and linguistics from UCR, hopes to teach middle or high school Spanish. Hailey Rivera, a fifth-year student in a master's degree program, plans to become an elementary school teacher. Shannon Garman, who graduated from Paloma Valley High School, has a master's degree in educational leadership and aims to teach special education students in elementary school.
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