Momentum growing to cancel student debt
After a 21-month pause on student loan payments, put in place by the CARES Act to alleviate financial strain caused by the pandemic, payment requirements will resume on February 1, 2022. But a recent national survey from the Student Debt Crisis Center shows that even among student loan borrowers with full-time employment, 89% say they are not financially secure enough to resume the payments.
That is why the AFT has joined over 100 organizations to officially urge President Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt. The relief would be immediate and life-changing for the vast majority of borrowers and would have a tremendous impact on the economy.
The coordinated national effort comes on the heels of a recent settlement announced by the U.S. Department of Education that brought sweeping changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that will make it easier to achieve loan forgiveness. More on the settlement, including in-depth interviews with CFT members who were involved, can be found in next week’s edition of CFT United.
School psychologists standing strong for their jobs and their students
A shout out to the members of the Mount Diablo School Psychologists Association, who last week announced that 99% of their members voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike, and this week stood with their district colleagues to demand a new contract.
School psychologists and behavioral health specialists are critical educators in the Mount Diablo Unified School District and across the state, supporting students in special education programs and the educators and support staff who serve them. And their work is especially important now as our students continue to face mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.
Sign the letter to Governor Newsom: Time to fund healthcare for part-time community college faculty
For too long, too many part-time faculty in California’s community college system have gone without healthcare benefits. But in the upcoming legislative session, we have an opportunity to address this. Please take a moment to sign this CFT letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to include funding for part-time faculty healthcare in his January budget.
