Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/315828
Advocacy About AB 215: Under existing law, districts can immediately remove from the class- room any educator accused of immoral conduct or a serious crime, and can keep the accused employee away from students until the facts of the case have been determined. Unfortunately, as seen in recent cases, many districts fail to act. For three years, CTA has supported legislation to streamline the dismissal process while protecting stu- dents and educators. Similar legislation was approved last year, but vetoed by the governor. AB 215 highlights: AB 215 updates and prioritizes the teacher discipline and dismissal appeal process with the goals of keeping students safe, saving time and money, and ensuring due process rights for educators. AB 215 creates a separate hearing process for education employees charged with egregious misconduct, including child abuse, sexual abuse and certain drug offenses. Districts are required to start these cases within 60 days of a complaint being filed. The case will be heard by an administrative law judge, whose decision will be binding. AB 215 streamlines the hearing process for all other dismissal appeals. It requires districts to hold the hearing within six months of an educator making a request, and requires the hearing to be concluded within seven months. These hearings will be heard by the Commission on Professional Competence, which includes an administrative law judge and two educators. Decisions will be binding. C TA B A C K S M A N D AT O RY K I N D E R G A RT E N Members of CTA State Council of Education's Early Edu- cation Committee lobbied 17 members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee at the state Capitol May 13, for a very important purpose: to gain further legislative support for a measure to ensure that all California youngsters bene- fit from kindergarten. CTA is joining Assembly Education Chair Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) and Assembly Member Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) in sponsoring AB 1444, requiring mandatory kinder- garten in California schools. "Our youngest students come to us in various stages of preparedness, yet they are expected to learn the same cur- riculum taught to the entire class, regardless of where each student may be developmentally and academically," says CTA President Dean E. Vogel. "We believe every student deserves a fair shot at a quality education that should begin with kindergarten to ensure they are best prepared to learn and thrive as they progress to the next grade levels." AB 1444 requires all students to attend kindergarten prior to the first grade. "With the current standards, and especially as the Com- mon Core State Standards are being implemented, students who do not attend kindergarten are at a distinct disadvan- tage when they get to first grade," said Ruthie Fagerstrom, a third-grade teacher in the Glendora Unified School District and chair of CTA's Early Childhood Education Committee. "AB 1444 provides students with that much-needed early learning that will prepare them for success throughout their school years." By making kindergarten mandatory, AB 1444 will help parents understand the importance of regular, ongoing attendance. "Many Californians are not aware that kindergarten en- rollment is voluntary, and that children who are not enrolled are at a distinct disadvantage when they enter first grade," says Kei Swensen, a kindergarten teacher in Oakland and chair of CTA's Early Childhood Education Legislative Subcommittee. "We see the effects in our classrooms every day. These students often lag in terms of achievement lev- els, oral language development, and fine and gross motor skill development, as well as socially and emotionally. Our students deserve better." You can learn more about the bill at cta.org/mandatorykindergarten. (Photo left) San Ramon Valley Education Association President Ann Katzburg (left foreground) and a team of educators discuss AB 215 with its author, Assembly Education Chair Joan Buchanan. This team and other teams met with more than a dozen lawmakers with a focus on two important CTA-backed bills, AB 215 and AB 1444. educators who engage in egregious misconduct are immediately removed from the classroom, criminally charged, and go through an expedited dis- missal process." Districts would be required to start egregious misconduct cases within 60 days of a complaint being filed. The case would be heard by an admin- istrative law judge, whose decision would be binding. "This bill is about priorities and making sure the students we are entrusted to teach come first, while protecting the professional rights of teachers. School districts must handle these cases quickly while follow- ing the law," said Kimberley Gilles, a veteran teacher at Monte Vista High School in Danville, who was recently awarded the NEA Award for Teaching Excellence, a top honor in education. "Providing a safe learning environ- ment is a civil rights issue and why I support streamlining the dismissal process for the sake of our kids." You can learn more about the bill at cta.org/ab215. PROTECTING STUDENTS, ENSURING DUE PROCESS 39 www.cta.org M AY 2 0 1 4 Educator 05 May 2014 v1.6 int.indd 39 5/16/14 3:21 PM