FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Monday, June 13, 2016

Answer to Petition for Review

Los Angeles – Today lawyers representing the California Federation of Teachers and California Teachers Association, intervenors, filed their answer to the petition for review in Vergara v. California with the California Supreme Court.

The CFT and CTA argued that the court should not accept for review a petition to overturn the California Court of Appeal decision on April 14, in which a panel of three judges unanimously found the case has no constitutional standing. That reversal of the Superior Court decision affirmed arguments by educators, civil rights advocates, and legal scholars that the state statutes regarding educator rights do not harm students, as claimed by the anti-teacher, anti-union Students Matter.

CFT President Joshua Pechthalt said, “We believe the Appeal Court ruling was definitive, and that the Supreme Court will rightfully refuse to hear the case. We welcome the opportunity to move on from expensive distractions like the Vergara lawsuit and refocus on solving the real issues we confront in California public education.

“We have a teacher shortage exacerbated by lawsuits like Vergara and similar attacks on teachers and public education. We need to work together to create a climate that keeps veteran teachers in the classroom, attracts young people to the profession, and provides the tools to continually improve teacher performance.

“We can bring the best public education system possible in California to our students. That outcome requires adequate resources and policies that support smaller class sizes, strengthen peer assistance and review, reinforce positive collaborative district practices, and redress the teacher shortage.”

More information on the case as well as background can be found here.

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The California Federation of Teachers is the statewide affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, and represents more than 100,000 certificated and classified employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education.