Category Archives: California Teachers Association (CTA)

The Educated Guess: Big changes to weighted formula

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By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

Responding to criticisms of his plan for school finance reform, Gov. Jerry Brown has significantly revised his weighted student formula, raising the base amount that all districts will receive, reducing the differences between district “winners” and “losers” by reducing extra money for disadvantaged students, assuring districts they will be repaid for past budget cuts, and adding contingencies in case optimistic revenue projects come up short.

State Board of Education President Michael Kirst, who four years ago co-developed a weighted student formula on which this proposal is based, said the administration incorporated most of the suggestions that it received. “I think this is a much better proposal and the one to frame the debate rather than the initial plan with flaws and omissions,” Kirst said.

via Big changes to weighted formula – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

Vallejo Times-Herald: Vallejo teachers celebrate each other in day of recognition

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By Lanz Christian Bañes/Times-Herald staff writer/

Vallejo teachers celebrated each other Wednesday as part of the annual Day of the Teacher observance.

“I know that there is nothing as exhilarating or exhausting as teaching,” said Christal Watts, Vallejo Education Association president.

The teachers union sponsored the barbecue dinner at the U.S.A. World Classics Event Center, which was packed with hundreds of teachers from across the Vallejo City Unified School District.

via Vallejo teachers celebrate each other in day of recognition.

The Reporter: Teachers’ work celebrated in Vacaville and throughout the state

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By Richard Bammer/ RBammer@TheReporter.com

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw famously wrote, “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.”

Problem is, the Nobel Prize-winning author apparently never met any Vacaville-area teachers.

For they most certainly can — and teach — if two of them, Dawn Marsh, a sixth-grade teacher at Callison Elementary, and Peggy Eriksen, an eighth-grade teacher at Golden West Middle School, are any indicators.

via Teachers’ work celebrated in Vacaville and throughout the state.

The Educated Guess: Faster firings in ‘egregious’ cases

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By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

Kathy Baron provided reporting from Sacramento for this post.

The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to make it quicker and cheaper to suspend and fire teachers facing a narrow range of “egregious” misconduct charges that include sex, drugs, and violence. In doing so, they disregarded calls from the mayor of Los Angeles and superintendents of Fresno and Los Angeles Unified to go further, by also making it easier to dismiss incompetent teachers.

via Faster firings in ‘egregious’ cases – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

California Watch: K–12: Proposal would raise teacher credential fee

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Joanna Lin

The fee to become a credentialed teacher would increase 27 percent under budget recommendations by Gov. Jerry Brown and the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

The state Commission on Teacher Credentialing faces a $5 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. Credential applications and tests – the commission’s primary source of revenue – have fallen substantially in recent years. California credentialed 6.5 percent fewer new teachers in 2010-11 than it did a year prior. The number of teaching credentials issued since since 2004-05 has shrunk by one-third.

via Proposal would raise teacher credential fee.

The Educated Guess: Polling looks good for Brown

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By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

It was a fine weekend for Jerry Brown. He should be elated with the first polling on his revised tax initiative. And the California Teachers Assn., a strong supporter of his first initiative, has come around to back the new version, too, and committed $9 million for the June and November elections. At least a piece of that’s expected to help Brown round up signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, though how much has yet to be disclosed.

via Polling looks good for Brown – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

Legislative Analyst’s Office: A Review of the Teacher Layoff Process in California

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Reductions to school district budgets over the past five years have resulted in a sharp decline in the teacher workforce, with the number of full–time teachers decreasing by 32,000 since 2007–08. This has led to an increased focus on how the teacher layoff process works. This report gives an overview of the existing layoff process, evaluates how well the process is working, and makes recommendations for improving its effectiveness. For our analysis, we distributed a survey to all public school districts in the state asking them about their implementation of the teacher layoff process, used information provided by two state agencies–the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)–and included information from the California Teachers Association (CTA).

via A Review of the Teacher Layoff Process in California.

The Educated Guess: Teacher layoffs at 20,000 and counting

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By Kathryn Baron

Cynthia Dalmacio has a mnemonic device to keep track of how long she’s been teaching in BrisbaneElementary School District; one pink slip for each of her four years.  The latest one came yesterday, the state deadline for notifying teachers that they may not have a job in the next school year.

via Teacher layoffs at 20,000 and counting – by Kathryn Baron.

Dan Walters: Cloudiness over California school funding increases

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Educating 6 million kids is not only the largest single piece of the state budget, but its most popular one – which explains why it always drives the Capitol’s annual budget ritual.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/14/4335193/dan-walters-cloudiness-over-california.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy

via Dan Walters: Cloudiness over California school funding increases.

CTA News: Public Education Can’t Take More Cuts, Pink Slips

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UNION CITY – Bay Area public schools are at a darkening crossroads after years of devastating cuts and pink slips and can’t survive without adequate funding, while the governor’s proposed budget could make matters worse, local Education Coalition members warned today at a news conference in one decimated school district in Alameda County.

via Public Education Can’t Take More Cuts, Pink Slips.

CTA: Fatal Flaws of Millionaire’s Tax Will Make Matters Worse for Public Education

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BURLINGAME – Dean E. Vogel, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association, released this statement regarding support for the governor’s tax initiative and the unintended consequences of the proposed Millionaire’s Tax initiative.

via Fatal Flaws of Millionaire’s Tax Will Make Matters Worse for Public Education.

The Educated Guess: Charters choose Brown’s tax plan

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By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

Charter schools and the state’s largest teachers union rarely find anything to agree about. But the California Charter Schools Assn. is now the second major education group, next to the California Teachers Assn., to endorse Gov. Jerry Brown’s $7 billion tax initiative. The 13-member board of CCSA, representing most of the 982 charter schools in the state, voted unanimously to support it last week, said Jed Wallace, CEO of the charter schools association.

via Charters choose Brown’s tax plan – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

Dan Walters: Why would the California Teachers Association back Jerry Brown’s tax measure?

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The California Teachers Association stands alone among major public education groups – at least so far – in supporting the tax-increase ballot measure Gov. Jerry Brown says is needed to prop up public schools.

via Dan Walters: Why would the California Teachers Association back Jerry Brown’s tax measure?.

The Educated Guess: CTA’s a team player for Jerry Brown

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By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

The president of the California Teachers Association said Monday that in backing Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, the state’s largest teachers union is agreeing to “stay at awful” for now with the expectation that more money will flow again to schools in coming years. But if voters defeat the $6.9 billion tax measure in November, the CTA will fight Brown – and go to court if necessary – to prevent the governor from exacting disproportionate cuts to K-12 schools.

via CTA’s a team player for Jerry Brown – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

California Teachers Association endorses Brown tax initiative

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EdSource Extra!

By Louis Freedberg

In a major boost for Gov. Jerry Brown’s attempt to balance the state’s budget, the California Teachers Association yesterday endorsed his proposed initiative for the November ballot that would yield billions of dollars for California schools.

via California Teachers Association endorses Brown tax initiative.