CFT leaders visit districts across the state as part of their ‘Back to School: Forward Together’ tour
As communities across the state return to school, CFT President Jeff Freitas, Secretary Treasurer Luukia Smith, and Senior Vice President Lacy Barnes, kicked off their statewide ‘Back to School: Forward Together’ tour this week.
On the tour, CFT leaders will spotlight parents, students, educators, and classified staff coming together to support the safest return to classrooms, and outline our union’s vision for utilizing a record state budget investment to strengthen students’ academic achievement and social emotional well being.
“As students, educators and classified staff return to classrooms there is no return to a pre-pandemic normal; but we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renew public education and set a nationwide standard for world-class learning and whole student support,” said Freitas. “This tour spotlights CFT’s commitment to moving forward together – to create community schools that are true, safe, learning spaces for our students and to ensure that every student’s educational and social emotional needs are met.”
This week CFT officers have already visited communities that span California’s diverse regions, including the San Jose Federation of Teachers, Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers, Gilroy Federation of Paraeducators, Paso Robles Public Educators, Poway Federation of Teachers, and the Lawndale Federation of Classified Employees, with more to come in the following days.
With the growing threat of the Delta variant, CFT is committed to working with local school and community leaders to ensure that all eligible educators, classified professionals, and students can get vaccinated in addition to ensuring adequate PPE and social distancing in classrooms.
Back to school interview with Tony Thurmond
To kick off the ‘Back to School: Forward Together’ tour, CFT President Jeff Freitas got an opportunity to sit down with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to hear his thoughts on the beginning of the school year and how his office is supporting students, educators, and school workers.
Watch the Tony Thurmond interview here.
For photos and details of the tour, check out CFT’s Facebook and Twitter feeds and our tour page on the CFT website. Make sure to share your photos and experiences on getting back to school as well, tagging @cftunion.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by wildfires
Our thoughts are with the CFT members and their communities who are dealing with the rapidly expanding fires across Northern California, including the Dixie Fire which is still burning after almost a month. Already we know of at least one CFT member who has lost their home, with many others facing evacuation and dangerous smoke.
We hope that everyone who is impacted by the fires is able to reach a safe place as soon as possible. We continue to work with our local leaders to contact CFT members who are in the impacted areas to check on their safety.
If you have lost your home, it is completely uninhabitable, or you need assistance, please email CFT Executive Director Sarah Callahan at [email protected].
In the midst of these crises, the resilience and strength union members find in each other truly stands out. We are especially grateful for the work of Matthew Warren, part-time president of the Feather River College Federation of Teachers, who has been checking in on and assisting members in need.
