CFT Back to School tour wraps up with visits to community schools in Los Angeles
The CFT back to school tour concluded this week with fantastic visits to three community schools staffed by UTLA members in Los Angeles, including Mendez High School, Audubon Middle School, and Baldwin Hills Elementary (pictured above). CFT was a strong supporter of increasing funding to community schools in the last two state budgets, which netted $4.1 billion to implement the program in schools statewide.
“It was an honor to meet with the UTLA members at these community schools,” says CFT President Jeff Freitas. “The work being done in these schools represents the epitome of what we fight for every day – engaged parents, educators and school workers with a real voice in decision making, integrated community services, and individualized support for students and their families.”
After weeks of hearing directly from rank-and-file educators and classified professionals at schools across the state, CFT leaders are eager to use these valuable perspectives to inform their work in the union in the coming year.
“There is no better perspective to guide our union work than hearing from those who do the work of educating and supporting our students every day,” says CFT Senior Vice President Lacy Barnes. “We heard loud and clear the need to continue our advocacy to address the staffing shortages by raising salaries, securing job protections, and fighting for respect for our professions.”
We recommend a yes vote on Prop 31 - Uphold the state ban on flavored tobacco products
Prop 31 would uphold Senate Bill 793, which banned the sale of flavored tobacco products in 2020. California legislators overwhelmingly passed this bipartisan landmark law to protect kids by ending the sale of candy-flavored tobacco in our state. Since then, the tobacco industry has spent millions to delay its implementation.
CFT supports this referendum because more than 2 million middle and high school students now use e-cigarettes. In California, most high school e-cigarette smokers use flavored products, and 4 out of 5 kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.
Delaying implementation of this landmark law will cost Californians at least $800 million in tobacco-related healthcare costs.
For more information check out CFT’s November ballot recommendations.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness webinar in Spanish Sept. 27
In partnership with the National Education Association, the AFT will host a webinar in Spanish on the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For those who want to learn about the relief available under this program—in Spanish—mark your calendars for Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. PT. Register for the webinar here.
AFT PSLF webinars offered in English take place every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. PT. Register for an upcoming webinar here.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was designed to forgive the federal student loans of public service workers. Recent changes to the PSLF program will give hundreds of thousands of people access to promised loan forgiveness. The deadline to act is October 31, 2022. Don’t wait to take action!
To help complete the PSLF application process, to enroll in income-driven repayment plans, and to find other loan forgiveness programs and get assistance in applying for them, the AFT has partnered with Summer—an online resource that helps borrowers navigate the student loan repayment landscape.
Thousands of AFT members have already joined Summer and are saving, on average, more than $130 per month and $57,000 over the lifetime of their loans. And collectively, AFT members have saved more than $119 million through the AFT-Summer partnership.
CFT resources to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, take a moment to check out our great set of resources for the classroom, including lessons on Latinx history, politics, art, and Civil Rights, as well as further resources for home, family, and beyond.
