Governor Newsom proposes $20 billion investment in TK-12 schools
Yesterday, Governor Newsom proposed record TK-12 education investments as part of his $20 billion ‘California Comeback Plan.’ The proposal represents a bold step forward for our public schools and will be critical to ensure that our students have an opportunity to recover and thrive as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The California Comeback Plan focuses on issues that educators and classified professionals have supported for years – including a $2.7 billion plan to fully achieve universal Pre-K, a $3 billion investment in community schools, and $4 billion to focus on the behavioral health of our students.
In praising the plan, CFT President Jeff Freitas said, “This far reaching and equity-focused proposal recognizes the socio-emotional and physical well-being of our students as critical to their development and their success both in and out of the classroom.”
Sign the CFT letter to urge California elected leaders to invest in our community colleges
Governor Newsom will release his full budget tomorrow, when he will unveil his formal proposal for K-12 and community colleges. We hope to see his continued support for a bold and equity-focused investment in our community college system as well as TK-12.
California’s community colleges are critical to our students’ and our communities’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But without a strong commitment from Sacramento, most of our colleges are facing dire fiscal crises, threatening jobs and undermining our ability to meet the needs of our students and our communities.
Please take a moment to send a letter to our elected leaders in Sacramento, and urge them to fully invest in our community colleges.
Scathing report from California State Auditor shows it's time to shut down Calbright College
On Wednesday the California State Auditor released a scathing report detailing the many failures of Calbright, the state’s troubled online-only college. The report details low student graduation rates, questionable hiring practices, lack of accountability, lack of student support, and failure to reach milestones set by the California Legislature.
According to CFT President Jeff Freitas, it is time to immediately shut down the failed college.
“The State Auditor’s report clearly shows that it is time to shut down the failed experiment of Calbright College,” says Freitas. “Everything that Calbright claims to provide for students is already being done at our established community colleges, with lower costs and far better results. Instead of continuing to waste scarce public resources on the failed Calbright College, those resources should immediately be used to invest in our established community colleges.”
Calbright’s failures are well known in Sacramento. Last week the California Assembly voted 71-0 in support of AB 1432 (Low), which would eliminate Calbright College at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
We hope the unanimous vote by the Assembly and the scathing state auditors report will compel the Senate and the Governor to immediately pull the plug on Calbright College.
Watch the AFT national town hall on combating anti-asian hate
This week the AFT hosted a national town hall online to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and to address the rise of anti-asian violence and racism.
UCLA Labor Center Director, and CFT Vice President, Kent Wong took part in the panel of distinguished guests, which was moderated by AFT President Randi Weingarten.
You can catch the important panel on the AFT Facebook page. AFT also has a great web page available with resources, lesson plans, and more on standing in solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
In major speech today, Randi Weingarten reimagines public education as nation emerges from COVID crisis
AFT President Randi Weingarten delivered a landmark address this morning outlining her vision to reopen schools, help students recover, and reimagine public education as the country emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.
In the speech, “Return, Recover and Reimagine: Toward a Renaissance in America’s Public Schools,” delivered live from AFT headquarters, Weingarten spelled out the steps necessary to return safely to full in-person learning and build the support systems to help students socially, emotionally and academically. She also backed the Biden administration’s deployment of billions in federal resources for full five-days-a-week reopening of schools and launched an unprecedented $5 million “Back-to-School for Everyone” campaign to realize it.
Watch the speech here.
