California Educator

September 09

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CTA-sponsored and co-sponsored legislation for 2009-10 BILL # SECOND-GRADE TESTING Hancock UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE Leno IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATIONS Mendoza CONSEQUENCES OF DROPPING OUT Block COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUNDING Furutani 50% LAW COMPLIANCE Torlakson 75/25 FACULTY RATIO COMPLIANCE Hill Campaign Continued from page 29 CTA President David A. San- chez thanked leaders for their “phe- nomenal” ideas and said it is only the beginning of such dialogues throughout the state with mem- bers. “Fixing problems in Sacra- mento and funding for our schools are not things that will be taken care of overnight,” he said. “It’s a long- term process.” Sanchez added that getting rid of the two-thirds budget vote is a top CTA priority, along with eliminating tax loopholes for businesses and protecting higher education. Sanchez continued that call at Summer Institute in Los Angeles this year. Summer Institute “One thing we know: We can’t go back to school this year as though it’s business as usual,” said President Sanchez, rousing CTA’s Summer Institute participants in above: Redlands Education Support Professionals Association member and district Director of Transportation Vickey Johnson. 36 California Educator | september 2009 AB 581 AB 551 AB 132 Would limit the extent to which immigration raids disrupt students’ education. Passed Assembly; to Senate Education. AB 374 Would encourage schools to provide at-risk students with a “consequences of dropping out” notice developed by the CDE. (Co-sponsored bill) Would provide for a permanent backfill of shortfalls in property taxes to California Community Colleges. Would require the California Community Colleges chancellor’s office to conduct annual random audits to ensure district compliance with existing law that requires 50 percent of education dol- lars to be spent on instructors’ salaries. AB 1095 Would ensure full compliance with law that mandates 75 percent of instruction be performed by full-time faculty in California Community Colleges within three years of passage. SB 800 Would eliminate second-grade tests in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program effective July 1, 2010. SB 810 Would establish a single-payer health insurance system in California. (Co-sponsored bill) STATUS Senate Education; 2-year bill Senate Appropriations; 2-year bill Senate Floor Passed Assembly; to Senate Appropriations Assembly Appropriations; 2-year bill Assembly Appropriations; 2-year bill Assembly Appropriations; 2-year bill Photo by Glen Korengold the conference’s opening general session at UCLA to organize against the latest cuts to California public schools. Sanchez’s rallying cry echoed the overall theme of this year’s Summer Institute, raising aware- ness about the devastating cuts to public education. Conference workshops, presentations and events were all geared toward pro- viding participants with vital in- formation and motivation to en- list in the campaign. Participants honed their skills in workshop tracks that included bargaining skills, communications, health care benefits and issues, member benefits, legal issues, the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA), community outreach and school finance. Emerging associa- tion leaders participated in an in- tensive program designed espe- cially for newly identified and elected leaders. A special town hall meeting titled “Public Education and Building a Better California” closed out the conference by giving CTA members the op- portunity to share personal ex- amples of the devastating fund- ing cuts with California Assem- bly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles area media. “We must not mask the pain as we tell our personal stories about how our students and our schools are hurting,” said Sanchez. “We have to get the entire community involved to build support for addi- tional revenues for schools.” Highlighting substantial cuts to elementary music programs in Ba- kersfield and Kern County, Eric Dyer — himself laid off from a cho- ral teaching position in the Rosedale Union School District — warned of long-term conse- quences. “The loss of these teach- ers and programs is a tragedy. Not only will it be difficult to rebuild these programs, but the cuts will ul- timately affect middle and high school music programs.” Redlands Education Support Professionals Association mem- ber and district Director of Transportation Vickey Johnson spoke about concerns for child CTA photo by Bill Guy

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