Newsroom
CFT co-sponsors Community Schools Institute
The CFT is proud to be a co-sponsor of the upcoming California Community Schools Institute to be held on February 26-27 in Los Angeles. Community Schools provide wraparound services for students, build parental involvement and increase broad-based community support for schools.
Change the narrative: Choose books and movies that matter
Educators write from the heart and an English movie that will inspire
The Educator And The Oligarch: A Teacher Challenges The Gates Foundation | By Anthony Cody
Point by point, in The Educator and the Oligarch, Anthony Cody takes on the wealthiest man in the world, and his foundation, to defend the teaching profession and public education from corporate education reform.
The union analyzes the governor’s budget proposals for 2015-16
Gov. Brown proposes increasing funding for all divisions of public education in his 2015-16 budget and continues to restore cuts made to education during the Great Recession.
As compared to the current year budget, the governor boosts K-14 education funding by $7.8 billion and foresees $65.7 billion coming in from Proposition 98. He also pays down remaining deferrals for both K-12 and community college districts. The proposed budget includes:
Judge rules accreditor acted illegally in terminating City College of San Francisco’s accreditation
January 16, 2015—Today the CFT hosted a press teleconference call to discuss Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow’s ruling in “The People vs. ACCJC.” Participating were CFT President Joshua Pechthalt, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), AFT Local 2121 President Tim Killikelly, and Shanell Williams, student trustee at City College of San Francisco. Here are the highlights.
Pesticide use reporting and training coming in 2016
At the end of the legislative session, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1405, by Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord), requiring safe use and accurate tracking of pesticides on school campuses. Industry lobbyists previously blocked two similar pieces of legislation.
Staff pressured to administer EpiPens
Under a new law, public schools are required to stock emergency epinephrine auto injectors for students with severe allergies and volunteer staff are required to administer the EpiPens. This change came when the governor signed SB 1266 (Huff, R-Diamond Bar).
In July, the AFT Convention overwhelmingly approved a resolution introduced by CCE President Paula Phillips asking for federal regulation of medical procedures to protect members.
“Unsung heroes” of schoolyard organize
Noon duty supervisors to have their own contract
Sixty unsung heroes flexed their union muscle and joined the Lawndale Federation of Classified Employees.
Noon duty supervisors serve as at-will employees and work only a few hours a day at the district’s six elementary and two middle schools, but the final straw, according to Local President Carl Williams, was not getting a 4 percent raise that faculty and classified received.
Building a classified community
By Paula A. Phillips, President, Council of Classified Employees
What could a groundskeeper or a guard have in common with a bus driver or a computer technician? More than many people think.
As classified employees, we work with faculty to make schools and colleges the glue that holds our communities together. We helped lead the fight for Proposition 30 and now, two year later, new funding is arriving in districts across California.
Classified Conference: Support staff wear many hats…proudly
At the annual conference, the Council of Classified Employees celebrated the diverse work of support staff in a dazzling panoply showing the many hats they wear.
CCE Southern Vice President Carl Williams called out classified job titles one after another. Secretary, paraprofessional, groundskeeper, custodian and media technician. Admissions and records technician, safety officer, library technician, accounting coordinator, and bus driver.
Prop. 30 delivers salary relief in recent contracts
After years of stagnant wages, classified employees are finally seeing long-overdue salary relief in recent months.
The raises largely result from the CFT campaign two years ago to pass Proposition 30. This year, the governor’s budget included $5.6 billion in additional funding for K-14 education. Prop. 30 will generate an average of about $6 billion per year for seven years.
College classified are partners in accreditation process
The City of San Francisco went to court in October to stop the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges from effectively shutting its beloved City College and ending affordable higher education for 80,000 students.
Statewide, community colleges are fighting for fair accreditation and one college that lost its accreditation is working to get it back. Classified staff are helping.
Freeway Flyers: Local action & quick news
ACCJC has taken part-time jobs from San Francisco
With City College of San Francisco still in limbo status due to unfair sanctions from the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges, nearly 150 part-time faculty have lost their jobs in the past couple of years and few, if any, part-time counselors have been rehired.