Stop Schwarzenegger’s Attack on Educators
Tell the California Senate “Vote NO on Romero’s SB X5 1”
Join CFT, CTA, CSEA and the California Labor Federation
Call Darrell Steinberg today!
916- 651-1529
Senate Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg, Senator Gloria Romero have teamed up with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to push education reforms that would create chaos in local school districts, undermine local control, interfere with collective bargaining and drain money from local classrooms at a time when the state has already cut school funding by more than $17 billion.
Schwarzenegger’s plan would:
Create chaos in local school districts and drain resources from local classrooms.
· Disguised as parental choice, the Romero bill requires open enrollment between school districts without providing resources for busing or transportation. Without adequate resources only wealthy parents would be able to afford to provide transportation and change schools.
· The Romero bill increases charter schools without any regulations to hold them accountable.
· This Bill is an unfunded state mandate at a time when the legislature has cut more than $17 billion from public education.
· This plan would create chaos in local school districts as districts would not be able to adequately plan for the upcoming year.
Undermine local control and state collective bargaining laws.
· The Romero bill allows the State Board of Education to grant a blanket waiver of the Education Code for any school districts applying for specified Federal grant dollars.
· This means a local school district could be exempt from state collective bargaining laws, all fiscal reporting requirements, criminal background checks for staff, open meeting laws, and the high school exit exam.
· Educators and parents should be partners in any education reform. It is the only way to improve student learning. Romero’s bill doesn’t even allow hard working educators to be part of the process as President Obama has called for.
Zak Ford
Mobilization Coordinator
Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Tel: 916-927-9772, ext. 229
Fax: 916-927-1643
http://www.sacramentolabor.org/
Monday, December 14, 2009
Call to Action
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Race to the Top Update
LegAlert 10 December 2009
Victory in the Assembly:
Now Urge Senate to Approve Brownley’s RTTT Bill ABx5 8
With your help, CTA-supported Assembly Bill X5 8 by Assembly Education Chair Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) cleared the Assembly earlier today (Thursday). This important Race to the Top measure is now on the way to the state Senate.
The passage of the Brownley bill is just part of the good news. At the same time, the Assembly Education Committee refused to pass CTA-opposed SB5x 1, a rival and incomplete measure by Sen. Gloria Romero that was drafted before the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) regulations were released.
Right now, your help is needed to secure the Brownley bill’s passage in the Senate. Once approved there, ABX5 8 will head to the governor for his signature.
The bill could be taken up by the state Senate as early as next week, December 14.
That’s why it’s urgent that you make contact with your state Senator right now.
Background: $700M Weighs in the Balance
The enactment of ABX5 8 will put California in the running for up to $700 million in federal RTTT program grants. The CTA-supported Brownley measure – a special session measure called ABX5 8 -- is a carefully thought-out bill created after the federal Department of Education released its regulations governing the grants.
Assembly Education Chair Brownley drafted her measure in response to the final federal regulations. The bill maximizes California’s chances of qualifying for the new federal money. CTA analysts have calculated that the Brownley measure will give California the best chance of securing the rating points – up to 500 – that will put the state in the best position to receive the new federal appropriations.
Most importantly, Assembly Member Brownley’s ABX5 8 is a strong, well thought-out bill:
Ö It builds upon California’s already stringent standards and focuses on maximizing student achievement and shrinking the achievement gap.
Ö It holds charter schools to the same tough accountability standards that govern regular public schools.
Ö It creates a coherent system of reform that links the state’s education priorities with RTTT criteria.
Contact Your State Senator Now!
Contact your State Senator and urge other CTA members at your school to do the same. The message is short and simple: Vote for AB X5 8 (Brownley).
Be aware that some Senators may want to know why CTA is supporting ABX5 8 and opposing the version by Sen. Gloria Romero, SBX5 1. Let them know that:
Sen. Romero’s SBX5 1 has numerous problems:
Ö It is incomplete, and it lacks coherence and fails to provide legislative guidance to address the RTTT criteria.
Ö It forces unnecessary changes in teacher and administrator evaluations and undermines local collective bargaining.
Ö It allows unfettered increases in under-regulated charter schools that are not responsible to the community.
Ö It increases costs and mandates at a time schools are staggering under $17 billion in cuts and 20,000 educator layoffs.
For more information, contact CTA Manager of Legislative Relations Lori Easterling at 916.325.1500 or GR Communications Consultant Len Feldman at lfeldman@cta.org.
Victory in the Assembly:
Now Urge Senate to Approve Brownley’s RTTT Bill ABx5 8
With your help, CTA-supported Assembly Bill X5 8 by Assembly Education Chair Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) cleared the Assembly earlier today (Thursday). This important Race to the Top measure is now on the way to the state Senate.
The passage of the Brownley bill is just part of the good news. At the same time, the Assembly Education Committee refused to pass CTA-opposed SB5x 1, a rival and incomplete measure by Sen. Gloria Romero that was drafted before the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) regulations were released.
Right now, your help is needed to secure the Brownley bill’s passage in the Senate. Once approved there, ABX5 8 will head to the governor for his signature.
The bill could be taken up by the state Senate as early as next week, December 14.
That’s why it’s urgent that you make contact with your state Senator right now.
Background: $700M Weighs in the Balance
The enactment of ABX5 8 will put California in the running for up to $700 million in federal RTTT program grants. The CTA-supported Brownley measure – a special session measure called ABX5 8 -- is a carefully thought-out bill created after the federal Department of Education released its regulations governing the grants.
Assembly Education Chair Brownley drafted her measure in response to the final federal regulations. The bill maximizes California’s chances of qualifying for the new federal money. CTA analysts have calculated that the Brownley measure will give California the best chance of securing the rating points – up to 500 – that will put the state in the best position to receive the new federal appropriations.
Most importantly, Assembly Member Brownley’s ABX5 8 is a strong, well thought-out bill:
Ö It builds upon California’s already stringent standards and focuses on maximizing student achievement and shrinking the achievement gap.
Ö It holds charter schools to the same tough accountability standards that govern regular public schools.
Ö It creates a coherent system of reform that links the state’s education priorities with RTTT criteria.
Contact Your State Senator Now!
Contact your State Senator and urge other CTA members at your school to do the same. The message is short and simple: Vote for AB X5 8 (Brownley).
Be aware that some Senators may want to know why CTA is supporting ABX5 8 and opposing the version by Sen. Gloria Romero, SBX5 1. Let them know that:
Sen. Romero’s SBX5 1 has numerous problems:
Ö It is incomplete, and it lacks coherence and fails to provide legislative guidance to address the RTTT criteria.
Ö It forces unnecessary changes in teacher and administrator evaluations and undermines local collective bargaining.
Ö It allows unfettered increases in under-regulated charter schools that are not responsible to the community.
Ö It increases costs and mandates at a time schools are staggering under $17 billion in cuts and 20,000 educator layoffs.
For more information, contact CTA Manager of Legislative Relations Lori Easterling at 916.325.1500 or GR Communications Consultant Len Feldman at lfeldman@cta.org.
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