Newsroom
Union celebrates banner year for legislative action
Union celebrates banner year for legislative action
Through the hard work and advocacy of leaders, members, and staff, the CFT recorded one of its most successful legislative sessions ever. During the 2015-16 session, the union sent an unprecedented five CFT-sponsored bills, and helped send another three priority bills, to the governor for his signature. Gov. Brown had until September 30 to sign or veto the bills, which are listed below.
Family engagement coordinators perform vital outreach
New classified positions flourish under Local Control Accountability Plans
The first time most parents or guardians of a Berkeley student meet Jocelyn Foreman is soon after bad news has knocked on their door. Be it a death in the family, an eviction notice, a pink slip, or any crisis that throws a household into chaos, Foreman is there to help.
How should progressives vote in the Presidential Election?
By Joshua Pechthalt, CFT President
With less than one month left in the presidential contest and the race for the White House tightening, progressives have to make some clear-eyed decisions about whom to support. Will they support Hillary Clinton or will they cast a protest vote and support Jill Stein?
CFT welcomes more Los Angeles teachers into the fold
California’s largest union of K-12 teachers pens historic merger agreement
Eager to commit unprecedented resources to the expansion of unregulated, non-union charter schools, billionaire privatizers have declared war on public education in Los Angeles, with the goal of moving half of LA’s students out of the district and into charters.
Every Student Succeeds Act: Coming soon to your classroom
State regulations being crafted for new federal law to replace NCLB
Jeni Nudell started this school year like most others, focusing on setting up her classroom, getting to know her students, and administering the California English Development Test to her students at the Rosa Parks Learning Center in the San Fernando Valley.
The Every Student Succeeds Act isn’t high on her radar. The new federal law to replace the one-size-fits-all testing fixation of the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind Act doesn’t take effect until next school year.
Yes on Prop 58: Return language instruction that helps students succeed
Reverse Proposition 227 after 18 years of bad policy
In 1998, Proposition 227 essentially ended bilingual instruction in California schools. It forced English learners into one year of “sheltered English immersion,” hindering their ability to learn academic English and achieve at grade level. Many continued in those classes or were then placed in regular classrooms to sink or swim. The CFT strongly opposed Proposition 227.
Fifteen college students receive CFT Raoul Teilhet Scholarships
This summer, the CFT awarded scholarships to 15 continuing college students through its Raoul Teilhet Scholarship Program. The young adults who received $3,000 scholarships are listed below with the names of their parents or guardians who are members. For high school seniors, the deadline to apply for a CFT scholarship is January 10.
Rank & Files, Sept-Oct 2016
Jennifer Russell, psychology teacher and member of the Novato Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1986, was selected as the Marin County Teacher of the Year for 2016-17 and honored for helping students learn about themselves through portfolio assignments and equipping them with skills necessary for college success in her AVID courses. Marin County’s superintendent said to her, “You have mastered the art of teaching students that achievement is much more than a number or letter.”
Local Wire, Sept-Oct 2016
LOCAL 6554
Contagious…This spring Ann Marie Wasserbauer, president of the
Association of College Educators, delivered 513 petitions from
faculty and students to the West Valley-Mission Community College
Board of Trustees with the message: “Come back to the bargaining
table!”
California Supreme Court affirms appeal court decision: “Vergara v. California” is over
A summary of the Vergara lawsuit
Educators applaud Supreme Court ruling in meritless Vergara lawsuit
August 22, 2016 — Statement by CFT
President
“We applaud the state Supreme Court’s affirmation of the appeal
court decision,” said Joshua Pechthalt, president of the
California Federation of Teachers. “The teacher shortage facing
California has been stoked by the Vergara case, the expensive
publicity machine surrounding it, and the constant attacks by
so-called reformers on teachers and public education.
- Answer to Petition for Review of Intervenors-Respondents CFT/ CTA
- Appellate Court decision overturning Vergara Lawsuit
- News Conference Prior to Oral Arguments in Appeal of Flawed Vergara Ruling
- CFT/CTA Appeal Brief
- California Educators Appeal Decision in Meritless Vergara Lawsuit,
- Judge’s final “Vergara” ruling an attack on teachers, Education unions to appeal
- AFT
- Award-winning teachers
- Civil rights organizations
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- Constitutional law professors
- Educational scholars
- NEA
- School board officials
- Unions
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CFT leaders help launch Prop 55 campaign
Supporters of Proposition 55, including educators, elected officials, parents and other community representatives, held a press conference in front of Hamilton High School in Los Angeles on August 15, kicking off the local campaign for the ballot initiative that will protect schools and students from losing up to $4 billion per year.
Compton College accreditation: A decade later
By Joshua Pechthalt, CFT President
One of the principles of our democracy is the right to elect our representatives. In California, one of the most basic decisions we make is about our children’s education through the election of local school boards that govern both K-12 and community college districts. This may not receive the same fanfare as statewide or national elections, but in more than 1,000 K-12 and 70 community college districts, community residents make key educational decisions that matter to them.