Delegates took on social justice concerns, passing a resolution from the United Educators of San Francisco and the CFT Executive Council to officially support the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Resolution 23 calls for community meetings, teach-ins and curricula, such as what’s already posted on UESF’s website and AFT’s Share My Lesson.
Coming in response to recent deaths of unarmed black men, the resolution inspired passionate debate, with adult education teacher and United Teachers Los Angeles member Matthew Kogan saying that not commenting on police violence was putting one’s head in the sand.
The faculty union at City College of San Francisco, AFT Local 2121, after being under attack by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges for several years, submitted Resolution 9 supporting fair accreditation for Compton Community College, which lost its accreditation in 2006.
“The real reason Compton lost its accreditation was because the board was hostile to the accreditation agency, and they [the ACCJC] had to show everyone else in the state nobody was going to dis them,” said Marty Hittelman, former CFT president, who has a website following the exploits of the misguided agency.
Another resolution passed urges Congress to condemn the arrests and killings of students, teachers and union leaders in Mexico, following the disappearance of 43 teaching students last September. A student intern from San Diego’s AFT Guild, Local 1931, Luis López Resendiz, spoke in support of Resolution 28.
“Imagine 43 of your students getting kidnapped by the U.S. military and a week later, the government tells you they were burned alive,” he said. “We ask CFT and AFT to stand in solidarity not only on paper, but in action.”
Key resolutions passed by delegates
Resolution 1 calls for critical revisions to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Resolution 2 asks CFT to sponsor teacher evaluation legislation based on recommendations in Greatness by Design.
Resolution 3 says rules for teacher preparation programs should not adopt test and punishment “accountability.”
Resolution 4 and 5 call for charter school accountability and formation of a CFT Charter Schools Committee.
Resolution 8 supports free community college.
Resolution 12, 14, 15 support shared governance and more funding for adult education.
Resolution 17 supports professional development for early childhood educators.
Resolution 19 seeks death benefit equity for classified employees.
Resolution 20 supports equal pay and paid office hours for community college non-credit faculty.
Resolution 21 calls for an end to the Social Security scam on part-time faculty at UC.
Resolution 25 opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership.