CTA and education partners are calling on legislative leaders to prioritize education funding and identify additional revenue to close a projected $20 billion education state budget shortfall during the global pandemic and beyond. Ways to generate revenue include suspending or eliminating tax expenditures, imposing additional taxes on high income individuals, or corporate tax changes.   

“We are in the midst of historic and severe health, economic and racial crises and all eyes are on state lawmakers to provide leadership and address this before it’s too late. Most of our schools are unable to physically reopen safely and it’s only going to get worse next year if we don’t take action now,” said CTA President E. Toby Boyd.   

For more information and a breakdown of the projected shortfall, go here.  

CTA, Planned Parenthood, California Medical Association and SEIU sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 11 urging him to put additional resources into the state’s public health systems, education systems, and worker safety during this final month of the legislative session. View the letter here.

Would you like to know how much your district will receive when Prop. 15 passes?  Use this tool.

Join NEA Teacher Quality in a series of webinars designed to help you prepare your distance learning classroom. Register for one or all three!

August 10, 2020

Planning for a Week of Distance Learning

Join ed tech experts in exploring examples of what distance education might “look” like for you and your students. We will also consider the transitional thinking required to best support student engagement and success.

Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/nea/event/294137/

August 17, 2020

Facilitating Quality Practice

Quality practice looks, sounds, and feels different virtually. Let’s practice with tools that teachers and paraeducators can use with students. We will learn about best practices for online learning, including instructor presence, learning objectives, real world applications, clear expectations, engaging students, prompt feedback, and netiquette. We will focus on two platforms: Seesaw and Google Classroom.

Register here:https://www.mobilize.us/nea/event/295430/

August 24, 2020

Providing Accommodations and Scaffolding Online

How do you support students with IEPs, English language learners, and older students with developing literacy skills in an asynchronous distance learning environment? Using Google Classroom, learn strategies for providing accommodations, scaffolds, SIOP features, and elements of explicit instruction in an asynchronous setting that support all students.

Register here:https://www.mobilize.us/nea/event/295432/

Prop 15: Schools & Communities First will ensure that our schools & communities DO come first with enough resources to truly educate all of our kids and services to support all of our families. 

• RECLAIMS $12 billion every year to fund neighborhood schools and strengthen local economies to lift up all Californians.
• CLOSES commercial property tax loopholes and ends shady schemes that big corporations and wealthy investors use to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes.
• PROTECTS all homeowners & renters by maintaining tax protections for ALL residential property.
• LEVELS the playing field for businesses that already pay their fair share.
• EXEMPTS smaller businesses valued at under $3 million.
• EXEMPTS all agricultural land.

YES on 15 would mean an additional investment of $6,915,000 in VUSD students’ education every year! This could be negotiated by VTA for professional pay, smaller class sizes, more resources & supports, etc. and could prevent potential layoffs and drastic cuts during the economic recovery.