Resolutions and Policy

Whereas, the CFT believes each child deserves a free and appropriate challenging education that can only be reached through adequate and supported resources as identified in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs); and

Whereas, through Child Find, Special Education identification is increasing the number of students with IEPS (source: California School Dashboard); and

Whereas, the California Department of Education, Section 56362(c), addresses only caseload caps of 28 students for Resource Specialists; and

Whereas, in the summer of 2012, when California community colleges were turning away hundreds of thousands of students due to budget shortfalls, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in the context of a cost-benefit framework, restricted repeatability for nearly all courses in order to prioritize basic skills, certificate and degree attainment, and transfer preparation; and

Whereas, increased levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide and methane are the primary causes of climate change; and

Whereas, climate change is an existential threat to life on earth; and

Whereas, the Obama administration estimated the economic damages imposed by climate change to be $51 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions; and

Whereas, 1.5 million people were massacred by the Turkish government beginning in 1915; and

Whereas, the U.S. Congress formally passed resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2019; and

Whereas, Turkey has continually denied the genocide;

Therefore, be it resolved, that the CFT will formally recognize the Armenian Genocide; and

Whereas, the Environmental Protection Agency has identified that High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) systems can help in the reduction of airborne viruses; and

Whereas, schools, colleges, worksites, and offices usually have Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units and personnel to service these units; and

Whereas, along with source control cleaning and sanitization, HEPA filtration would decrease student and employee risk of exposure;

Whereas, public education is a ladder of opportunity and a place to develop the muscle of civic participation, where we both embrace America’s diversity and forge a common identity rooted in social justice; and

Whereas, the AFT’s founding motto is “Democracy in education, and education for democracy,” which was frequently invoked by Martin Luther King, Jr., Bayard Rustin, and Al Shanker; and

Whereas, CFT strongly believes in combating racism and advocating for social justice and has publicly announced support of the Black Lives Matter national movement; and

Whereas, CFT has an obligation to address structural racism by not only condemning racism and white supremacy, but also by proactively working toward systemic change to end white supremacy, anti-Black racism, and institutional racism in the California education system; and

Whereas, opinion research consistently shows that a majority of American workers would join a union in their workplace if they did not fear getting fired during an organizing campaign; and

Whereas, the National Labor Relations Act, meant to protect workers in collective action and enable them to organize, has been gutted by adverse court decisions and legislative reforms favoring employers over the years; and

Whereas, all retirees who were CFT members in good standing when they retired are AFT members for life, and

Whereas, benefits provided by the state of California and by local school and college districts can change after someone retires and retirees need to be informed of these changes, and

Whereas, retired member activists have had their talents enriched by decades of effective dedicated service and productive labor activism, and