Going on offense to protect our schools
On Wednesday CFT President Jeff Freitas sent a letter to CFT members recognizing the complicated emotions many are having following the results of the election. He also provided assurances that, “as unionists and as educators we will continue to advocate for what we believe in through the organizing work that we do. Together, we will defend our constitutional right to collective action. Together, we will fight for our right to self determination. Together, we will protect public education that is the basis for our democratic society...”
That work began today, when Freitas joined California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and union and state education leaders at a press conference in Sacramento, where collectively they vowed to go on offense against the attacks on our students, our communities, and our schools laid out in Project 2025.
In his remarks today, Freitas pledged to all Californians that we will continue to fight to keep schools safe and welcoming for all students, including our immigrant students, LGTBQ+ students, and students with disabilities, and that we will fight to protect public education from attacks at the federal level.
In the weeks and months to come there will be much more work to do.
California election results will take time
We are happy to report that Proposition 2, the statewide school bond, has passed with a 57% yes vote. Proposition 2 will raise $10 billion in general obligation bonds for repair, upgrade, and construction of K-12 and community college facilities. Statewide voters rejected a similar school bond in 2020, making this year’s bond even more critical, especially because 38% of students attend a public school that fails to meet minimum health standards.
We are also very pleased to report that Califorian’s have also overwhelmingly voted to support Prop. 3, which formally amends California's constitution to declare marriage a fundamental right, repealling a ban on same-sex marriage codified when Prop. 8 passed in 2008. Prop. 3 is passing with a 61% yes vote.
Many critical races in California, however, are simply too close to call. Statewide election experts predict that we will have a turnout of 75% of registered voters this year, but according to the California Secretary of State, they have recorded only 48% turnout so far.
With millions of ballots still remaining to be counted, many close races are still up in the air. That includes swing Congressional races throughout the state, where the difference between candidates is as low as 600 votes. The closeness of the races underscores why our field and phoning efforts during elections are always so critical. So thank you again to all the CFT members who volunteered in this election.
Unions showed up on election day
Despite disappointing results in many races on election day, some important trends have emerged that highlight the power of unions. Overall, union households showed up better for Harris-Walz in 2024 than in the previous presidential election cycle, with one exit poll showing union voters favored Harris-Walz by 55-45%.
Further, pro-public education, reproductive rights and workers’ rights measures were passed across the nation. AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement that our “opportunity engines—labor unions and public schools—remain popular and enduring. It means we must fight for the means and agency to secure a better life, and that public education and a growing labor movement are more important than ever." Read more to get the details.
Celebrate Veterans Day with Share My Lesson
This Monday is Veterans Day, when we honor those who have served in our armed forces. To help educators bring the importance of this day into their classrooms, check out this range of teaching resources for preK-12 students from Share My Lesson.
