Classified Articles
Classified
News for and about classified employees and paraprofessionals working in public schools and community colleges, and support staff in private schools.
Balancing the Load: How Classified Professionals Are Shaping Staffing Solutions with the CFT Ratio Work Group
Yvonne Schmeltz, Member Advocate of AFT Guild Local 1931, started out as a clerical assistant and then an administrative assistant to a Dean. This meant she learned about the different work classified professionals do.
So, when the opportunity came up, Schmeltz applied to be part of the CFT Ratio Work Group, made up of different stakeholders figuring out adequate staffing for both K-12 and community colleges.
Classified Representing and Driving Change on the Executive Council
Andrea Edwards has been on the CFT Executive Council for a few months. As a mother, a part-time faculty member, and the president of one of the largest classified units in the state, AFT 1521A in Los Angeles, Edwards doesn’t have a lot of free time. But when she spoke out about a resolution passed at the CFT Convention that bridges elementary worksites with adult education, that made it all worth it.
Classified and Courageous: BCCE and UESF’s Fight Against Layoffs and Win
Classified professionals with United Educators of San Francisco got surprising and welcome news on May 16th. Rather than laying off the 34 counselors and more than 100 paraeducators who had received notices, the San Francisco Unified School District sent out a release saying almost all those positions would be retained.
The decision came after months of outcry from members, students, and parents. Like her colleagues, Teanna Tillery, the Vice President of Paraprofessionals with UESF, was thrilled.
Calling All CCE Presidents: Join Us for the First-Ever CCE Presidents Retreat!
Are you ready to recharge, reconnect, and reimagine what’s possible for your local union? We’re excited to invite you to CCE’s first-ever President’s Retreat, happening November 7–8, 2025, at the CFT Sacramento office!
This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for local union presidents to step away from the daily grind and come together for two energizing days of learning, sharing, and strategizing. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or new to the role, this retreat is designed just for you.
1521A Launches New Unifying Campaign: Classified Rising
Council of Classified Employees
Aleta Campbell, an executive board member of CFT Local 1521A in the Los Angeles Community College District, is the new director of activities for the local. She says her goal is to get people out to events so they can meet face to face, feel excited about the work the local is doing, and be fired up to be part of it.
“I like getting people involved and in the same space physically, especially since COVID,” Campbell said. “I want them to enjoy themselves, learn something, and make new connections.”
Classified Shining: A profile on Patti Serafin
A new column that seeks to highlight a Classified Professional every edition
Before she helped students in the financial aid office at Palomar College, Patti Serafin traveled around the country, scoring and keep stats for golf tournaments on live TV.
Classified professionals benefit from summer aid program
In 2018, when Arti (Arcelia) O’Connor was serving a 10-year term as the president of the Gilroy Federation of Paraeducators, AFT Local 1921, the Classified Employee Summer Assistance Program started.
The Classified Day of Action motivates and mobilizes
On May 21 hundreds of CFT members gathered outside of the Sacramento Capitol to celebrate and honor the work of classified professionals. The crowd was filled with excitement, pride, and a sense of readiness. All of which fell right into place with the theme of the event: No Class Without Classified: Filling the Gaps to Educate California Students.
T-shirts, buttons, and posters were handed out and gleefully sported which created a colorful bold gathering that drew the curiosity and attention of passersby.
CCE President Carl Williams: “I encourage you to fight and Flex your Power!”
Carl Williams, President of the Council of Classified Employees and AFT Vice President, started out his address to attendees to the annual Council of Classified Employees conference by telling them he wasn’t going to preach to the choir. He wasn’t going to talk about how classified workers are the last hired and first fired. Or how they’re not treated as professionals. Or how they aren’t paid a living wage often leading to long commutes because they can’t afford to live where they serve. Or how public education relies on classified workers for its existence.
Sunday Funday: Final day of CCE 2023 filled with excitement
The Classified Council of Employees President Carl Williams and Southern Vice President Tina Solórzano Fletcher work hard for the union, but they both also like to have fun. So, Sunday morning before attendees left the 2023 Classified Council of Employees Conference at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Williams hosted a game show, Kahoot!, along with presiding over an auction and a raffle (the proceeds went to a fund for classified employees to attend events like the conference).
Kicking off CCE Conference 2023
Remarks on how to take political action, fighting for funding, and more
After greeting attendees at the local presidents’ collaboration on Friday afternoon at the 2023 Council of Classified Employees, the CCE President Carl Williams told them they would hear about a report on classified finances, the first one of its kind which would make what was happening with salaries more transparent.
A report hasn’t existed before because, unlike data for other school employees, which is fairly similar, that’s not true with classified jobs, making it more difficult to compare peer institutions.
Classified Insider Special Edition: CCE Conference 2023
The theme, "Flexing our Power, Protecting our Progress," was felt throughout the weekend
The annual Classified Council of Employees Conference took place at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco October 27-October 29. The theme of the conference was Flexing Our Power – Protecting Our Progress. Some of the local wins over the past year that were discussed by members included a six-figure settlement for employee overtime, paraeducators getting a living wage, and bilingual employees’ checks reflecting their expertise.
Classified members take their fight to the Capitol
Teanna Tillery, the United Educators of San Francisco Vice President for Paraeduators, has been involved with the union in different capacities for about twenty years. She joined, she says because of the disparity in the way classified members were treated in negotiations.
“I worked in my community for years, and it’s just in my nature that if I see something I don’t understand I like to go to the source and try to understand it,” she said. “I just wanted to be part of the group who could address problems.”
Summer 2023
Volume 13, Number 2
Lawndale Federation brings home
medical coverage for part-timers 
CFT-Sponsored Bills Move Through Legislature
San Francisco Paras Walk the Line
Palomar College Staff Come Together
New Look for Orange County Classified Professionals
“Employees” is now “Professionals” – in line with the CFT approach
Get out your smart phones and change your listing for AFT Local 4794. Members of the Coast Federation of Classified Employees voted unanimously at their spring meeting for a new name and look. “Employees” is now “Professionals” – in line with the CFT approach – and a Local 4794 task force created a new logo.
CFT-Sponsored Bills Move Through Legislature
Key legislation passed through the California Assembly in June, advancing to the State Senate for consideration later this summer.
AB 938 increases base funding under the Local Control Funding Formula by 50% to support a 50% raise in TK-12 salaries. The Assembly passed the CFT-sponsored bill by a unanimous 77-0 vote.
AB 1699 prohibits school districts from retaliating against classified staff for refusing or accepting a vacancy. The bill gives employees at least 10 days to apply for a position before the job opens to the public.
This Is How AFT Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel Do It
Hundreds of AFT PSRPs gathered in Baltimore this spring for the 45th annual conference. The theme – “This Is How We Do It” – was fitting. Paras and school-related personnel kept lessons flowing and children fed throughout the Covid pandemic.
PSRP co-chairs and AFT Vice-Presidents Shelvy Young Abrams and Carl Williams opened the first general session. Abrams chaired the Paras Chapter of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers, and Williams leads the Lawndale Federation of Classified Employees.
High Desert Contract Gains
Antelope Valley College classified hope agreement points to better relations with administration. Staff still waiting for new superintendent to honor 2019 State Supreme Court ruling.
Negotiations at Antelope Valley College went late into the night on June 22, when AVC Superintendent Jennifer Zellet and AFT Local 4683 President Pamela Ford put the last touches on a contract for 240 members of the Antelope Valley College Federation of Classified Employees.
Salaries were the main issue at the table. Staff will receive an retroactive raise and increases.
The district will increase contributions to employee benefits, retroactive to October 2022.
Palomar College Staff Come Together for Classified Appreciation Week
Hundreds of classified professionals at this North San Diego County community college were invited to enjoy some well-deserved appreciation and “Cheer on the Dream Team!”in May.
Staff Appreciation Week was an opportunity for members of the Council of Classified Employees/AFT Local 4522 to come together, learn and connect with colleagues. CCE members also collected canned food and other donations to fill the college’s Basic Needs Center for students, employees and the community at large.