KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
Here is a recap of last week’s CFT summit in Sacramento:
The lobbying workshop is always one of the most informative in that it gives an insight into the specific legislation and the political process behind decisions that impact us at our sites and in our classrooms. I am grateful for how knowledgeable our CFT staff is and, as I noted last week, am aware that is one thing my dues pay for that require a collective as opposed to an individual voice. When legislators hear from CFT lobbyists and members they know what our “brand” stands for and just how powerful our united voice is regarding education issues.
There was an excellent workshop regarding community schools and I attended a workshop on layoff preparation as well. To be clear, ABCUSD and ABCFT have worked together so that we do not have a culture of issuing layoff notices to our permanent employees. But I am aware that this is an issue in some of our neighboring districts as it appears that layoff notices have become an unfortunate part of their negotiating process.
The Early Childhood/TK-12 Council (featuring our own Tanya Golden as Senior Vice President!) offered an opportunity for locals across the state to report out with rising health care costs being a consistent concern. We were also able to debate potential legislation and whether CFT’s position should be to support, oppose, or watch for further developments regarding specific Assembly or Senate bills.
There was also a memorial dinner for former CFT president, Mary Bergan. Bergan was the president of CFT from 1991 to 2007 and many of her former colleagues and friends were there to remember and honor her. Events like these are always a reflective time, the work of a union is collective and ongoing but pausing to commemorate an inspirational leader also puts into perspective the generational change that takes place within any organization. I have been attending CFT events for 20 years and have to admit that I don’t feel that much older than when I started until I catch a glimpse in the mirror!
It is important to remember that “the union” is not a particular individual with a title or a bio on a website or an office in Sacramento. They are fellow educators just like you and our strength is our solidarity. Your participation and input is what makes everything work. The union is all of us. Or another way to put it is, you are the union. Or even…wait for it…YOUnion!
In Unity,
ABCUSD EDUCATION FOUNDATION - UpdateBy Ray Gaer
Earlier this month the ABC Education Foundation had its annual Donor Acknowledgment and Grant Awardee Event. This is always a joyous occasion as teachers and school sites are awarded financial support to pursue programs and activities that enrich the lives of their students. In addition to educator grants, there are a number of other Foundation programs and services that have become staples of support for ABC students and families.
2023 Foundation Highlights
• School Essentials for Education (SEED)
• Spirit Wear reimbursement for Elementary Schools in ABCUSD
• Up to $200 Per School through May 30
• Backpacks with supplies from School on Wheels
• Career Technical Education Annual Scholarships
• 10 students - $250 scholarships supporting CTE pathways
• 6th Grade Camp Shirts (Thanks to AutoNation Toyota of Cerritos!)
• Bikes for Kids/YMCA -Niemes ES
The ABC Education Foundation has been supporting teachers in the classroom with mini-grants for over a decade and each year these grants provide students with experiences and opportunities that they would otherwise miss. ABCFT has a long history of supporting this mini-grant opportunity for its members and I am thankful that there continues to be a commitment by the ABC Education Foundation to continue this impactful effort. Below are some of the details on the history of these mini-grants:
248 mini-grants for $391,561 since 2014
• Funded nearly $595,444 in programs from 2012-2024
• Provided 7,500 backpacks with supplies to ABCUSD schools between 2012-2024
• Acquired over $3.5 million in grants from outside sources for the District
This year, the ABC Education Foundation and its supporters provided over $65 thousand in grant money. Here is a link to this event’s program, which has a brief description of the current grantee awards and their proposals. Here are some other facts to illustrate the commitment of this program and its impact on ABC classrooms.
Mint-Grant Program
• Education Mini-Grants - $2,500 max per grant
• Must align with ABCUSD Strategic Plan - We are awarding 17 for $35,747.60
• Toyota Tundra Education Grants - Two $10,000 max grants annually Must align with the ABCUSD Strategic Plan - We are awarding two for $20,000
• Special Mini-Grants - $1,000 max per grant - Projects outside strategic plan with merit for students - We are awarding 11 for $9,947.13
TOTAL FOR 2023-2024 = $65,694.73
2024 Donor Acknowledgement & Grant Awardee Event ABC
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 that could impact your classroom. 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 Megan at Megan.Mitchell@abcusd.us , for Secondary curricular issues, please email Catherine at Catherine.Pascual@abcusd.us, and for Secondary PAL topics please email Megan at Megan.Harding@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. 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.
“It’s the workload.” - This is something I have heard from every teacher and principal I have spoken to over the past two weeks…since August.
I was looking through some educational posts over the week, and I ran into a cute image of all those wonderful things that a teacher does on top of everything else. It occurred to me that, in some cases, there are a lot of parts of our jobs as educators that we didn’t anticipate when we got into the profession. Now I can point to quite a few of those activities or descriptors as things I knew about when I was preparing for my job as a classroom teacher. Still, to my surprise, as a new teacher, I found that there was a hidden menu of jobs and situations that I wasn’t prepared to throw on top of that pile of work. I can attest that this hidden menu of duties and expectations is also the reality of every site administrator. How high can we all jump for the students' needs, for parent approval, for principal satisfaction, district expectations, for state benchmarks, and for federal mandates?
We are at the end of the month of March, and they call it March Madness for more than basketball. Teachers are working hard to prepare students for that last curriculum push in preparation for standardized testing in the month of April. On top of this, teachers are juggling discussions about the four pillars: bell schedules, adjunct duties, PBIS, professional development, curriculum changes and adoptions, shrinking staffs and its impact on next year, principal changes, construction, and did I say construction already because its impact alone is crazy-making with the seemingly endless packing and moving.
You get my drift. Throughout the year, we are juggling a workload beyond our control and sometimes our sense of reasonableness. There is definitely a sense of being overwhelmed and depleted this year. Every educator I’ve spoken to over the past year has experienced some personal challenges about finding balance while still doing their best for students. Those of you here before the pandemic know that many of us were working with some disregard for our own personal wellness….it’s what we did to get the job done. Then, the pandemic came, and we all had to reevaluate our balance. It’s not an easy task to unwind your priorities and find new ones.
I believe that workload issues are now front and center in the most important conversations we can have with students, colleagues, and administrators. One thing I found myself saying in many conversations this week was that “if everything is important, then nothing is important.” We need to prioritize and streamline our efforts.
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-----
California schools face potential layoffs as budget issues continue
California schools are facing a potential increase in layoffs as budget issues continue to plague the education system. The California Teachers Association has reported a significant rise in the number of tentative layoffs this year, with almost 1,400 positions at risk. While budget problems and declining student enrollment are cited as reasons for the cuts, experts argue that falling enrollment could actually allow for smaller class sizes if teachers weren't being laid off. Funding shifts and rising costs are also contributing factors. Despite receiving COVID-19 relief funding, which has supported various resources, districts must now decide which services to keep as the funding ends. The layoffs have sparked concerns among employees, who question the reasoning behind the reductions and the types of services being cut. The situation is further complicated by declining enrollment and population shifts. Several school districts in the Inland Empire have already issued layoff notices, while others are implementing reductions in services or staffing due to budgetary shortfalls.
----- EDUCATOR PAY TRENDS -----
States are Bad at Giving Teachers Raises
Teacher shortages have been a chief concern of public school leaders since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020. According to an August 2023 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, 79 percent of public schools with at least one vacant teaching position reported difficulty filling slots for the 2023–24 school year.
The most commonly discussed solution to mitigating K–12 teacher vacancies is spending more on K–12 education so that teachers receive more competitive pay and the profession becomes more attractive to prospective hires. By this logic, the teacher shortage represents a failure of state legislatures to invest adequate dollars in education over the long run.
But for legislators hoping to improve teacher pay and attract more people to the profession, increasing education spending is surprisingly ineffective. Data published in Reason Foundation’s new study Public Education at a Crossroads indicates that states do a poor job of translating additional education investments into higher teacher salaries. Many states have lost ground on average teacher salaries over the past two decades despite spending more. Those states that do manage to raise teacher salaries largely do so only after investing exorbitant amounts in public education, with most of those dollars still being diverted to expenditures besides take-home pay for current teachers.
https://www.educationnext.org/states-are-bad-at-giving-teachers-raises/
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Vouchers for private school tuition and home schooling approved in Georgia
Georgia senators have given final approval to a plan to create $6,500 vouchers for private school tuition and home schooling. The bill would provide education savings accounts to students attending public schools that rank in Georgia's bottom 25% for academic achievement. The funds could be used for private school tuition, home schooling supplies, therapy, tutoring, or early college courses. The program would be limited to spending 1% of Georgia's school funding formula, or $141m, and would prioritize students from households with incomes of less than four times the federal poverty level. The measure has been sent to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.
Emerging themes from states' artificial intelligence guidance
An analysis by the Digital Promise nonprofit indicates that several themes are emerging across the states that have released guidance on using artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 settings. As of late February, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia, have all released guidance to help school district leaders navigate AI in K-12. Common themes include AI literacy instruction, equity and inclusion concerns, protecting student data privacy, and securing personal information. A separate review of state AI policies, by Arizona State University’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, found conversations shifting away from last year’s focus on plagiarism and bans, and moving toward urging teachers to use AI to enhance student learning, and their own effectiveness in the classroom. The varying guidance documents from states also echo a theme initially pushed out in May 2023 by the U.S. Department of Education, which emphasized a human centered approach when using such technology. The report stressed that schools adopt a “humans in the loop” strategy, meaning educators should be the key decision-makers for the use of AI in their instruction, rather than allowing AI tools to completely replace teachers. It’s expected that the department will release more resources for K-12 school leaders on AI use at the end of this year.
Alabama bans diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in public schools
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has now signed a law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in public schools, making Alabama one of the few states to enact such measures. The law prohibits public schools from having diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and teaching "divisive concepts" about race and identity. It also requires public higher education institutions to designate bathrooms for males or females, opposing transgender rights advocates. Texas and Utah have already passed similar legislation, while other states have introduced such bills.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California school districts working to introduce universal transitional prekindergarten
It’s the second year of California’s four-year rollout of universal transitional kindergarten, an ambitious initiative to make high-quality education available to an estimated 400,000 children. The plan is that the $2.7bn program will be fully implemented across the nearly 900 districts in the state that include elementary grades by the 2025-2026 school year. It will be the largest universal prekindergarten program in the country. The state has yet to release an update to its Preschool Learning Foundations however, which will spell out what students are expected to learn in transitional kindergarten classrooms. Also, some districts are on schedule to provide universal transitional kindergarten, while some aren't. In Fresno, for example, nearly 2,000 children attend transitional kindergarten and the district offers after-school care at all school sites. But the district can’t keep up with demand, even after more than doubling its staff. “Addressing students on the waitlist for after-school programs is ongoing work,” said Jeremy Ward, assistant superintendent of college and career readiness at Fresno Unified. “As soon as we’re able to provide more staffing for an elementary school to take students off the waitlist, more step forward wanting access.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
Three Temecula Valley Unified seats up for election
Three seats on the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board, including those of Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz, will be up for election in November. If school board President Joseph Komrosky is recalled and not replaced, his seat could also be selected by voters. Barclay and Schwartz plan to seek reelection, while a local pastor and a political action committee are also preparing for the election. The pastor believes the election will show support for parental rights, while the PAC aims to elect candidates who prioritize the needs of students, staff, parents, and stakeholders.
Inglewood Unified to close five schools
Inglewood Unified, which has been in state receivership since 2012, has announced the closure of five schools, including Morningside High, by the end of the 2024-25 school year. The district is facing declining enrollment and financial deficits, with its student population dropping from 18,000 in 2002 to less than 7,000 today. The closures are part of an effort to combat these challenges.
Chicago Schools moves away from enrollment-based funding
Chicago Public Schools plans to do away with a decade-old system in which school funding was largely based on student enrollment. Instead, starting next year, each school will get a set number of staff and additional funding based on need. Under the new formula, announced Thursday at a Chicago Board of Education meeting, every school will have certain guaranteed staff, including an assistant principal, a counselor, and core classroom teachers. It would guarantee “a baseline level of resources for every school, regardless of enrollment,” then add more based on need. “It should not take a crisis for us to fully fund our schools,” Bogdana Chkoumbova, the district’s chief education officer, said during her presentation Thursday. Amid broader budget challenges, the district is working to keep several of the new investments it made using federal COVID dollars, including high-dosage tutoring, additional counselors, and extended learning time, such as the expansion of summer school. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, welcomed the move away from student-based budgeting, calling it an inequitable approach “because not every student has the same needs and doesn’t generate the same resources.”
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Los Angeles Unified rolls out artificial intelligence assistant
Los Angeles Unified School District students will soon have their own individualized artificial intelligence tool named "Ed." The tool includes features such as reminding students of upcoming tests, informing them of the cafeteria menu, providing updates on school buses, and waking them up in the morning. Ed will also be able to accommodate students verbally and on screen in 100 languages. Ed is currently operating at 93% accuracy and has strong filters to ensure it is free from offensive language. During the pilot period, Ed will be available to 55,000 students across 101 schools starting March 20. Once the pilot period is over, the program will expand to the whole district. The district has acknowledged cyber security concerns, and has received support from local, state, and national agencies.
From the Labor Center: How should we think about AI?
For workers in California and across the U.S., AI and other digital technologies stand to have a profound impact on how we work for decades to come. Technology can affect everything from workers’ privacy, wages and working conditions, health and safety, job security, racial and gender equity, the right to organize, and dignity on the job. Yet there is currently no regulatory framework, either at the state or national level, that establishes worker rights and employer responsibilities around the design and implementation of these technologies.
The Technology and Work program at the Labor Center works with unions, privacy experts, civil rights advocates, and other stakeholders to ensure the responsible development and deployment of data-driven technologies, centering on the voice of workers and other impacted communities. The danger is that without robust guardrails, workers are subject to algorithms that set an unsafe pace of work, electronic monitoring that invades their privacy, hiring algorithms that discriminate against women and workers of color, and predictive algorithms that mine social media to identify workers who might try to organize a union.
But these harms are not inevitable. In our new online policy guide, we survey the rapidly evolving landscape of public policies focused on protecting workers in the era of AI. Closer to home, we joined a group letter to the California Privacy Protection Agency, proposing steps the agency could take to ensure that workers are fully protected under the state’s privacy law. Another area where California can take the lead is in its role as a public sector employer and service provider. In her recent testimony to the California State Senate, Technology and Work program director Annette Bernhardt argued that the knowledge and skills of public sector workers will be critical to ensuring the responsible, effective use of AI in delivering public services.
Of course, the other area where workers have a voice in determining how new technologies will affect their jobs is through contract negotiations. Last year, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild set precedents in how contract negotiations can be used to protect creative content and maintain artistic control over their work. The Teamsters won major gains in their UPS contract restricting the use of driver-facing cameras. And the UAW won an important victory, bringing EV battery manufacturing under their national bargaining agreement.
We are proud to play a leading role in efforts to ensure that workers have a seat at the table when decisions around workplace technology are made. The research and policy analysis of the Work and Technology Program fit squarely in our mission to strengthen the labor movement to build a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive economy for the people of California. Stay tuned for more exciting work from the team!
In Solidarity,
Ken Jacobs, Co-Chair
Brenda Muñoz, Co-Chair
----- WORKFORCE ----
Financial strains pushing educators to consider career change
Schools across the nation are facing a growing teacher shortage crisis as educators consider career changes due to the resumption of federal student loan repayments. A Study.com survey reveals that 71% of teachers are contemplating a career change because of the financial strain caused by student loan repayments. The shortage of teachers is evident in more than half of the nation's school districts, with Nevada and Florida experiencing significant vacancies. Burnout, stress, low pay, and lack of appreciation are additional factors contributing to teacher retention issues. The financial struggles of educators are exacerbated by high student loan debt and stagnant salaries. Many teachers are taking on second jobs or extra hours to manage their loan repayments. The urgent need for solutions to alleviate financial stress among educators is crucial for the quality of education for future generations.
Teacher morale index underlines workforce challenges
Teacher morale is at an all-time low in the United States, according to the EdWeek Teacher Morale Index, with a score of -13. The index measures teachers' levels of confidence and enthusiasm about their work, and this year's score suggests that teachers aren't feeling great. Reasons for low morale include low salaries, heavy workloads, and a lack of support. Teachers were asked about the hardest parts of teaching and the biggest misconceptions about their jobs. One teacher mentioned the financial stress of becoming a parent while being a teacher, while another highlighted the difficulty of providing resources for non-English speaking students. The report, which suggests that the public often misunderstands the amount of work and effort that goes into teaching, emphasizes the need for improved supports to improve teacher morale.
Superintendents' age decreases in school district leadership
A new survey by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, reveals that the percentage of superintendents older than 60 has significantly decreased in the past 11 years, from 19.5% in 2012 to 9.6% this year. The majority of superintendents who responded to the survey were between 41 and 60 years old. The average age of district leaders for 2023-24 was 50, down from 52 in the previous year. The survey also found that almost half of the superintendents had five or fewer years of experience in their current position. The survey draws on responses from 2,706 superintendents from 49 states. The report also highlights that the superintendency is still dominated by white men, with 87% of respondents identifying as white. The median salary reported by superintendents was $156,000, and most superintendents receive annual performance evaluations without defined measures. The survey provides valuable insights into the changing demographics and employment conditions of K-12 district leaders.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Hate crimes shadow laws targeting LGBTQ issues
School hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have risen sharply in recent years, climbing fastest in states that have passed laws restricting LGBTQ+ student rights and education. According to a Washington Post analysis of FBI data, the number of anti-LGBTQ+ school hate crimes serious enough to be reported to local police more than doubled nationwide between 2015-2019 and 2021-2022. The rise is steeper in the 28 states that have passed laws curbing the rights of transgender students at school, and restricting how teachers can talk about issues of gender and sexuality. In more liberal states, that have not enacted restrictive school LGBTQ+ laws, the analysis found that the rise in FBI hate crimes was lower. Meanwhile, calls to LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotlines have exploded, with some advocates drawing a connection between the political climate, and the spike in bullying and hate crimes.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
Report recommends policy changes to address charter school fraud in California
A new report recommends more than two dozen legislative and policy changes to address weaknesses in California's charter school laws. The report focuses on improving the two main safeguards that California law puts in place to hold charter schools accountable, audits and charter authorizers. It also homes in on non-classroom based charters, where more than 20% of instructional time happens off-campus. The report makes recommendations to increase oversight requirements for authorizers, require charter schools to undergo the same audit process as school districts, and establish more transparency for third-party entities. It also suggests changes to the funding determination process for non-classroom based charters. The report's recommendations are seen as a starting point for potential changes in charter school laws and regulations.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Deadline for college students to apply for state financial aid could be extended
California legislators are considering a bill that would extend the deadline for college students to apply for state financial aid. The bill, known as Assembly Bill 1887, would extend the deadline from April 1 to May 1, giving students more time to complete their applications. This extension is aimed at helping students who have been stymied by technical problems in the federal application process, particularly those who have parents without social security numbers. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to apply for state aid, and some U.S. citizens were unable to complete it due to a technical glitch. The U.S. Department of Education has since fixed the issue. Assembly Bill 1887, authored by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, will be heard for the first time in the Assembly Education Committee.
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