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Article Obituaries In Memoriam

Honoring Mary Bergan
Long time CFT President Mary Bergan passed away November 30th, 2023

Mary Bergan
September 13, 1941 – November 30, 2023

Click here to watch the memorial slideshow of Mary Bergan’s family life and career

Mary Astrid Bergan, former president of the California Federation of Teachers died November 30, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, after a long illness. Her career of service stemmed from a Kennedy-era idealism that took her first to the Peace Corps and on to classroom teaching and ultimately an enduring leadership role in education unionism. 

Article

UESF’s big win for paras shows strength and challenges for Classified workers
UESF leaders share the vision and wins of historic new contract

People call San Francisco a city of love and a city of fog, according to Cassondra Curiel, the President of United Educators of San Francisco. But what it really is, she said, is a union town. 

Curiel told attendees at the Council of Classified Employees Conference that the union of 6,500 classified and certificated members just won one of the biggest tentative agreements in the history of the organization.

Article

Bittersweet Legislative Year for CFT Part-time Faculty

Bittersweet would best describe the end results of the 2022-2023 legislative season for community college part-time faculty.

One of the clear positives was the realization of a record 8.22% cost-of-living allowance for California Community Colleges, up .09% from Governor Newsom’s initial proposal of an 8.13% COLA in January. The COLA followed off a fairly robust COLA of 6.56% in 2021-2022. 

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Student Application Portal
Applications now being accepted!

Welcome student applicants! Here you will find information about scholarship eligibility and the link to our online application portal. Please read each section carefully and plan ahead to allow enough time to complete your application. The application period for each CFT Raoul Teilhet Scholarship is open for six months.

APPLICATIONS & DEADLINES

When you click on the application link below, you will be asked you to create a log-in for our application portal. Please keep track of your username and password. Once you have a log-in, you may work on your application at any time until you complete it and submit it.

We recommend that you allow four weeks to complete your application. It requires you to complete several sections and write an essay. In addition, the application requires other individuals to respond to your requests and you cannot control the timeliness of their responses. Please start your application early and plan your time accordingly to allow for successful completion. 

APPLY HERE

Continuing College Students

Application opens: December 15, 2023
Deadline to apply: June 15, 2024
 

ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicants must be high school seniors or undergraduate continuing college students.
  • The applicant’s parent or guardian must be a member in good standing of an AFT local union in California.
  • The applicant must be listed as a dependent on their parent’s or guardian’s tax return.
  • Award selection is based on academic achievement, special talents and skills, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, financial need, and a 500-word essay on a social issue of the applicant’s choice.
  • Scholarships are awarded for any one year of higher education: High school seniors who received Raoul Teilhet Scholarships are not eligible for another scholarship as continuing college students. Continuing college students who received a Raoul Teilhet Scholarships are not eligible to apply again.
  • The CFT accepts only online applications.

PLANNING AHEAD

Requirements for each scholarship are detailed in our application portal. However, knowing in advance what documentation and other information you will need may speed your application. Here’s what to have ready when you apply for a CFT scholarship.

  • Transcript: You will need your most recent transcript. High school seniors are asked to provide an official transcript. 
  • Parent/Guardian Federal Tax Return: The first two pages of your parent’s or guardian’s signed federal tax return are required.
  • Member Verification by Parent/Guardian: You will need your parent’s email address.
  • Member Verification by AFT Local Union President: You will need the name and email address of your parent’s AFT local union president.
  • Letters of Recommendation: Three recommendations are required are required for high school senior applicants, and two recommendations are required for continuing college student applicants. You will need the email addresses of your recommenders.
  • Essay: A titled essay on a social issue of the applicant’s choice, not to exceed 500 words.

We recommend that you allow four weeks to complete your application. The application requires you to complete several sections and write an essay, In addition, it requires other individuals to respond to your requests and you cannot control the timeliness of their responses. Please start your application as early as possible and plan your time accordingly to allow for successful completion. 

Article

A unique salary formula ensures higher wages in Salinas Valley

Kati Bassler, President of the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1020, says the salary formula the local has had since 2011 ensures members they will get a fair share of district funds.

“Their increase in salary is based on financial standing of district,” she said on a video call. “It creates a culture where everyone understands that if the district gets more money, they’re going to get a raise.”

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