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Historic Victory! US Senate passes the Social Security Fairness Act
Late this evening the Social Security Fairness Act was passed by an overwhelming majority in a historic vote in the U.S. Senate. The bill, which now goes to President Biden’s desk for his signature, would repeal the WEP/GPO penalties that unfairly take hard-earned Social Security benefits from CFT members who also participate in CalSTRS.
Introducing CFT’s Newest Task Force: Educators for Quality Schools
EC/TK-12 Council
Members of a new CFT task force have been working on coming up with actions, both legislation and bargaining, to address the problem of understaffing in schools.
Prior to the formation of the task force, EC/TK-12 Council President Steve McDougall says he and CFT President Jeff Freitas discussed the importance of addressing the issue of understaffing.
Student Application Portal
Applications will soon be open for continuing college students
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.
Continuing college students
Application opens: December 15, 2024
Deadline to apply: June 15, 2025
High school students
Application opens: June 15, 2025
Deadline to apply: December 15, 2025
ELIGIBILITY
- A High School applicant must be a high school senior applying, and a Continuing College applicant must have graduated high school and completed on full semester of college with 12 units of credit
- 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.
Community College Council Retreat Focuses on Building Power
Community College Council
After a successful retreat last year for Community College Council (CCC) members, Jennifer Shanoski, Northern California vice president of the CCC and a member of Berkeley’s Peralta Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1603, got in touch with CCC members, asking them if they’d like to do it again. After an enthusiastic response, another retreat was held in San Diego right before the semester started.
The topics people wanted to focus on included running effective meetings, getting involved with local elections, and building a bench of leaders in their locals.
The Challenges Facing Academic Freedom
CFT Universities Council
Universities should be a place to challenge the status quo, says Katie Rodger, UC-AFT president.
Rodger, who teaches writing at the University of California, Davis, says she and her colleagues are concerned that the UC system has changed its “campus climate” policies without meaningful feedback from campus unions, the Academic Senate, and student governments.
For faculty members without tenure at UC campuses, they have long felt their right to free speech is precarious, Rodger said.
Find Key Resources
CFT Fact Sheet
2024
This Fact Sheet is updated a few times a year. Please reach out to the CFT Communications Department for more information.
CFT Communications Director
Matthew Hardy mhardy@cft.org
CFT Communications Specialist
Nason McCarthy nmccarthy@cft.org