Click here to read the update!

These estimates are just that:  ESTIMATES.

They are based on the current number of members enrolled in particular plans and those that take in lieu.

Any plan changes may result in an increase or decrease in these estimates. Please refer to the CALPERS Health Benefit Cost Analysis done by Brenda Hensley at http://www.vacateachers.org/calpers-2018-medical-rate-analysis/ for more information.

The Vacaville Teachers Association, on May 23rd 2017, voted unanimously to oppose the Heritage Peak Independent Charter application to the Vacaville Unified School District Board.

On June 29th, 2017, the Vacaville Unified School District Board voted unanimously to deny the Heritage Peak application but, now, Heritage Peak is appealing to the Solano County Board of Education in the hopes of circumventing the will of our elected school board.

If you’d like to read Richard Bammer’s story on the reasons behind the rejection on June 29th, please visit – http://bit.ly/2x4xlzE

Please show your support for the Ernest Kimme Charter Academy for Independent Learning – which is staffed by our members and serves the same population as Heritage Peak.

If you need some talking points your letter, feel free to borrow from the list below, or make your own!

• The community of Vacaville serves a diverse and robust population – but Heritage Peak has not one EL student.  This isn’t accidental, this is by choice and excluding EL students is just wrong!

• This school subverts the democratic process because it would be overseen, not by the elected board of the Vacaville Unified School District, but by a board of appointees which meets in secret, in Sacramento!

• This school isn’t financially sustainable!  Heritage Peak has to take a $650,000 loan to cover payroll at the beginning of the year and, while they are hoping for another 100 students, they have no plan for growth – but a need for cash to keep the doors open!

• Vacaville doesn’t need this school!  The Ernest Kimme Independent Study Charter Academy offers everything Heritage Peak offers – but it’s staffed by Vacaville Unified School District employees, all of those employees are properly credentialed, and it’s overseen by the elected board of the Vacaville Unified School District!

The final decision on the appeal will be on September 13th at six pm. Please write a letter in support of Ernest Kimme to the Solano County Board of Education and attend the meeting on September 13th!

To download a copy of this report, click here

SACRAMENTO— State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today denounced President Trump’s decision to suspend the federal Dream Act and told California public school students and their families that California will keep protecting and supporting them.

“Our country made an honest deal with these students—study hard, earn your degree, and you will get a fair chance to compete for college. We should keep deals, not break them. We should support dreams, not defer and destroy them,” Torlakson said. “These students embody the American dream. Their hard work, energy, dedication, and diverse background help them contribute to our economy, while adding to the rich cultural heritage that makes California a dynamic global leader.”

Torlakson called on Congress to act swiftly to restore the program. “I urge Congress to step up, find a permanent path to citizenship, and protect these immigrants,” he said.

Trump suspended the 2012 federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which enables “Dreamers”—young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children—to live, study, and work in the U.S. More than 200,000 of these students live in California. He gave Congress six months to find a legislative solution.

Torlakson called the decision by Trump a “mean-spirited, political attack on students who are working hard to succeed.”

“I want to let all those students know that the American Dream remains safe and secure in California,” he said. “Our great state will continue supporting these terrific students and their families.”

The state has its own California Dream Act, which is unrelated to DACA and allows undocumented students to receive state financial aid for college. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) operates this program and previously reminded students that the Commission will take all available legal precautions to protect California Dream Act information, which is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid and is not shared with any other government agency.

Torlakson earlier in 2017 sent a letter to public school officials statewide and asked them to remind students and parents to file applications for financial aid. The letter is posted on the CDE Web site.

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The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education’s Web site or by mobile device. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson onTwitter, Facebook, and YouTube.