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.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
November Newsletter
Natomas Teachers’ Association Newsletter
November 2009
Town Hall Meeting November 12th
**Upcoming on Nov 12th is a much-anticipated Town Hall Meeting held by Darrell Steinberg. Our goal is to encourage 10% of our membership to attend. CTA hopes to pack the house with members, parents and community leaders who will share their stories about: the impact of budget cuts, the Race To The Top program and the pending reauthorization of ESEA. Please let your parents know about this meeting too, where they can let our legislators know how the cuts are affecting them on a personal level.** See the flier attached to the newsletter email version.
State Council Update
(Ken MacPherson, CTA State Council for NTA):
Fellow Members of NTA,I have been asked to provide the general membership updates as to what goes on at CTA State Council. Perhaps I should give you a brief description of what it is and what it does. CTA State Council meets four weekends a year in Los Angeles. The purpose of the council is to be the guiding force behind CTA. From endorsing candidates for public office, supporting ballot initiatives, adjusting dues, electing numerous people to represent us (CTA) both nationally and statewide. State Council members also review bills introduced at the state capital, help direct our lobbying efforts. There are over six hundred state council members. The council meets in a gigantic meeting room where we use Roberts Rules of Order to run the general meetings and the numerous sub-committee meetings. (Oh, by the way there are twenty-one subcommittees, seventeen different districts and over a dozen caucuses.) That, very briefly, is what it is and what it does. We just had the first meeting of the year, and here are some of the highlights: Who is allowed by state law to administer drugs to students? Currently the State Nursing Board ruled only school nurses are allowed to administer drugs to students. Some legal changes on this may be forthcoming. We moved forward on discussions of "extra pay for extra work" versus "merit pay". Special Ed class size depending on the level student need was also discussed in the Special Education Committee. This committee's work will most likely become CTA policy by the end of the year. The Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee is moving forward with policy addressing "the inappropriate use of student data in teacher evaluation". This, too, should become policy by the year's end. A special CTA dues rate for RIFFed teachers so they can protect their rights in the re-hiring process is in the works as well. Oh, there is more but, I was told to try to keep it shortJ If any member has questions feel free to e-mail me at: kmacsac@gmail.com
Executive Board:
President: Cynthia Connell; clcsacto@yahoo.com
Vice-President: Scott MacMillan; unitednta@gmail.com
Treasurer: Mike Moyer; butterflyheartattck@yahoo.com
Secretary: Amber Allison; ambergallagher@hotmail.com
Negotiations :
Our Bargaining Team met this Wed 11/4, continuing to negotiate an agreement with the district to help resolve our financial crisis. An update will be sent on Friday.
Grievances
Several grievances have been resolved in the past month:
3 Resolved at Level 0
1 Resolved at level 2
There are 3 outstanding grievances at this time. If you believe the contract is being violated, please see your Faculty Representative or Grievance Rep for advice and help. Our Grievance Committee is made up of:
Joel Schweiger: Secondary
Patricia Hite-Leach: Secondary
Phil Cox: Elementary
***Special thanks to Joel for picking up the ball on several of these and ensuring they got settledJ***
Faculty Representatives:
American Lakes Naomi Nakahara
Bannon Creek Mahnaz Mohammadi,
Teri Slingerland
Discovery High Lundon Jackson
Heron School Maureen Ramos, Erin Ryan,
Peter Talbot
H.A. Hight Jill Crawford & Allyson Kirby
Inderkum Patricia Hite-Leach,
Ken McPherson
Jefferson Amy Hopkins
Leroy F Greene Brenda Borge & Kristen Rocha
Natomas High Maria Atherley, James Layne, Ruth Ward
Natomas Middle Anthony Katsaris, Emilio Moran
Natomas Park Lauren Frazer
Two Rivers Phil Cox
Witter Ranch Tanya Praest
School Board MembersTeri Burns: btburns@natomas.k12.ca.us
Sue Heredia: sheredia@natomas.k12.ca.us
Lisa Kaplan: lkaplan@natomas.k12.ca.us
Bruce Roberts: broberts@natomas.k12.ca.us
Jules Tran: jtran@natomas.k12.ca.us
November Calendar
Board Member Forums:
Mon November 8th: 3pm-6pm @ Panera:
2731 Del Paso RdSacramento, CA 95835-2316(916) 928-8295
Del Paso Road near Safeway
General:
Nov 10th: Public Hearing, Williams Act, DO, 6pm
Nov 10th: Regular Board Meeting, 6:30pm
Nov 11th: Holiday
**Nov 12th: CTA Town Hall Meeting, 5:30pm UCD Cancer Center 4501 X Street**
Nov 13th: Negotiations continue, DO
Nov 17th: Organizing Team, IHS Rm 223, 3:30pm
Nov 23rd: thru Friday Nov 27th: Holiday
Dec 1st: Executive Board Meeting, 3:30pm
Dec 3rd: Faculty Rep Meeting, IHS Rm D204, 3:30pm
Cynthia’s Site Visit Schedule:
11/6 JF 11/16 LFG
11/9 IHS 11/17 HAH and NMS
11/10 TR 11/19 NHS
11/12 ALE 11/20 DHS
11/13 HERON
Websites:
-Here’s a friendlier approach to finding the NTA contract on the District WebsiteJ: click on Departments, then Human Resources and its there: http://www.natomas.k12.ca.us/151110131231320607/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55226&151110131231320607Nav=&NodeID=767
-Board Policy is also on District Website: click on Forms and Documents, and then click on Board Policies: http://www.natomas.k12.ca.us/151110131231320607/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55226&151110131231320607Nav=&NodeID=767
-Check out the NTA Blog: http://natomasteachers.blogspot.com/search?q=newsletter
-California Ed Code Index: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/EDC
-CTA: http://www.cta.org/
-Natomas Buzz: http://www.natomasbuzz.com/
“AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL”
November 2009
Town Hall Meeting November 12th
**Upcoming on Nov 12th is a much-anticipated Town Hall Meeting held by Darrell Steinberg. Our goal is to encourage 10% of our membership to attend. CTA hopes to pack the house with members, parents and community leaders who will share their stories about: the impact of budget cuts, the Race To The Top program and the pending reauthorization of ESEA. Please let your parents know about this meeting too, where they can let our legislators know how the cuts are affecting them on a personal level.** See the flier attached to the newsletter email version.
State Council Update
(Ken MacPherson, CTA State Council for NTA):
Fellow Members of NTA,I have been asked to provide the general membership updates as to what goes on at CTA State Council. Perhaps I should give you a brief description of what it is and what it does. CTA State Council meets four weekends a year in Los Angeles. The purpose of the council is to be the guiding force behind CTA. From endorsing candidates for public office, supporting ballot initiatives, adjusting dues, electing numerous people to represent us (CTA) both nationally and statewide. State Council members also review bills introduced at the state capital, help direct our lobbying efforts. There are over six hundred state council members. The council meets in a gigantic meeting room where we use Roberts Rules of Order to run the general meetings and the numerous sub-committee meetings. (Oh, by the way there are twenty-one subcommittees, seventeen different districts and over a dozen caucuses.) That, very briefly, is what it is and what it does. We just had the first meeting of the year, and here are some of the highlights: Who is allowed by state law to administer drugs to students? Currently the State Nursing Board ruled only school nurses are allowed to administer drugs to students. Some legal changes on this may be forthcoming. We moved forward on discussions of "extra pay for extra work" versus "merit pay". Special Ed class size depending on the level student need was also discussed in the Special Education Committee. This committee's work will most likely become CTA policy by the end of the year. The Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee is moving forward with policy addressing "the inappropriate use of student data in teacher evaluation". This, too, should become policy by the year's end. A special CTA dues rate for RIFFed teachers so they can protect their rights in the re-hiring process is in the works as well. Oh, there is more but, I was told to try to keep it shortJ If any member has questions feel free to e-mail me at: kmacsac@gmail.com
Executive Board:
President: Cynthia Connell; clcsacto@yahoo.com
Vice-President: Scott MacMillan; unitednta@gmail.com
Treasurer: Mike Moyer; butterflyheartattck@yahoo.com
Secretary: Amber Allison; ambergallagher@hotmail.com
Negotiations :
Our Bargaining Team met this Wed 11/4, continuing to negotiate an agreement with the district to help resolve our financial crisis. An update will be sent on Friday.
Grievances
Several grievances have been resolved in the past month:
3 Resolved at Level 0
1 Resolved at level 2
There are 3 outstanding grievances at this time. If you believe the contract is being violated, please see your Faculty Representative or Grievance Rep for advice and help. Our Grievance Committee is made up of:
Joel Schweiger: Secondary
Patricia Hite-Leach: Secondary
Phil Cox: Elementary
***Special thanks to Joel for picking up the ball on several of these and ensuring they got settledJ***
Faculty Representatives:
American Lakes Naomi Nakahara
Bannon Creek Mahnaz Mohammadi,
Teri Slingerland
Discovery High Lundon Jackson
Heron School Maureen Ramos, Erin Ryan,
Peter Talbot
H.A. Hight Jill Crawford & Allyson Kirby
Inderkum Patricia Hite-Leach,
Ken McPherson
Jefferson Amy Hopkins
Leroy F Greene Brenda Borge & Kristen Rocha
Natomas High Maria Atherley, James Layne, Ruth Ward
Natomas Middle Anthony Katsaris, Emilio Moran
Natomas Park Lauren Frazer
Two Rivers Phil Cox
Witter Ranch Tanya Praest
School Board MembersTeri Burns: btburns@natomas.k12.ca.us
Sue Heredia: sheredia@natomas.k12.ca.us
Lisa Kaplan: lkaplan@natomas.k12.ca.us
Bruce Roberts: broberts@natomas.k12.ca.us
Jules Tran: jtran@natomas.k12.ca.us
November Calendar
Board Member Forums:
Mon November 8th: 3pm-6pm @ Panera:
2731 Del Paso RdSacramento, CA 95835-2316(916) 928-8295
Del Paso Road near Safeway
General:
Nov 10th: Public Hearing, Williams Act, DO, 6pm
Nov 10th: Regular Board Meeting, 6:30pm
Nov 11th: Holiday
**Nov 12th: CTA Town Hall Meeting, 5:30pm UCD Cancer Center 4501 X Street**
Nov 13th: Negotiations continue, DO
Nov 17th: Organizing Team, IHS Rm 223, 3:30pm
Nov 23rd: thru Friday Nov 27th: Holiday
Dec 1st: Executive Board Meeting, 3:30pm
Dec 3rd: Faculty Rep Meeting, IHS Rm D204, 3:30pm
Cynthia’s Site Visit Schedule:
11/6 JF 11/16 LFG
11/9 IHS 11/17 HAH and NMS
11/10 TR 11/19 NHS
11/12 ALE 11/20 DHS
11/13 HERON
Websites:
-Here’s a friendlier approach to finding the NTA contract on the District WebsiteJ: click on Departments, then Human Resources and its there: http://www.natomas.k12.ca.us/151110131231320607/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55226&151110131231320607Nav=&NodeID=767
-Board Policy is also on District Website: click on Forms and Documents, and then click on Board Policies: http://www.natomas.k12.ca.us/151110131231320607/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55226&151110131231320607Nav=&NodeID=767
-Check out the NTA Blog: http://natomasteachers.blogspot.com/search?q=newsletter
-California Ed Code Index: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/EDC
-CTA: http://www.cta.org/
-Natomas Buzz: http://www.natomasbuzz.com/
“AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL”
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Natomas Budget in the News
This is the latest Sac Bee article on the Natomas budget and recent school board meeting:
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2208157.html
How does the Sac Bee, which has been critical of the district, fail to get the straight story on the continuing contract negotiations between NTA and the district? Possibly, a simple inability to reach the NTA leadership before the article ran? A need to make an unsensational story sensational?
The facts are that the customary negotiation process is continuing as scheduled. NTA is surveying the membership this week, and then using these results to guide negotiations. The fact that the county has sent letters to the district on several occasions since January, causing an sudden urgency for the district is besides the fact that negotiations have been progressing on the same time-line as it does year after year. Also not relevant are the concessions that administration and classified staff felt pressure to complete during the summer months while the teachers were off for the summer.
If one were to look at NTA's past history of negotiations, one would see the same timeline as always for each year as we await the district's actuals this same time every year. One would not, however, see the district practicing the same process this year as they are showing more impatience than ever and more expenses than ever, all with the goal to paint the teachers out to be the "bad guys." Shame on anyone who goes along with these nasty tactics. If you know and love your Natomas teachers, you would know we aren't that way.
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2208157.html
How does the Sac Bee, which has been critical of the district, fail to get the straight story on the continuing contract negotiations between NTA and the district? Possibly, a simple inability to reach the NTA leadership before the article ran? A need to make an unsensational story sensational?
The facts are that the customary negotiation process is continuing as scheduled. NTA is surveying the membership this week, and then using these results to guide negotiations. The fact that the county has sent letters to the district on several occasions since January, causing an sudden urgency for the district is besides the fact that negotiations have been progressing on the same time-line as it does year after year. Also not relevant are the concessions that administration and classified staff felt pressure to complete during the summer months while the teachers were off for the summer.
If one were to look at NTA's past history of negotiations, one would see the same timeline as always for each year as we await the district's actuals this same time every year. One would not, however, see the district practicing the same process this year as they are showing more impatience than ever and more expenses than ever, all with the goal to paint the teachers out to be the "bad guys." Shame on anyone who goes along with these nasty tactics. If you know and love your Natomas teachers, you would know we aren't that way.
Friday, September 18, 2009
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