Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1190776
Compiled by Julian Peeples "We demand a fair contract that provides salaries that allow professional educators to live in this community. A fair contract must ensure class sizes that allow teachers to teach, guarantee caseloads that allow nurses to meet the needs of all students, and allow librarians to support literacy." —Mt. Diablo Education Association President ANITA JOHNSON, at an October school board meeting. $12 billion F U N D I N G F O R S C H O O L S and public services per year that would be generated by the Schools and Communities First initiative, currently in signature-gathering to qualify it for the November 2020 ballot. " The fight for equity requires deliberate action, and Schools and Communities First would start to undo the effects of decades of chronic underfunding of our schools, colleges and public services." — CTA President E. TOBY BOYD, at the campaign kickoff for the Schools and Communities First initiative at CTA State Council in October. " Great teachers are the core of a great educational system. Yes, teaching changes lives of individual students, but beyond that, teachers show us all that all children can achieve, no matter who they are." — Superintendent of Public Instruction TONY THURMOND, announcing the 2020 California Teachers of the Year. 975,000 T O T A L N U M B E R of instructional days lost in more than 1,400 schools statewide from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 due to Public Safety Power Shutoffs, according to EdSource. 10% P E R C E N T A G E O F children under 5 who were uncounted in the 2010 Census (more than 2 million kids), according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 46.3 million N U M B E R O F U.S. students who can connect to high- speed internet (100+ kilobits per second), according to digital learning nonprofit EducationSuperHighway. "Through the power and strength of organizing, parent support and our unity, WSCTA reached a tentative agreement with the district that will benefit our students by helping to halt teacher turnover." —LILY SMEDSHAMMER, West Sonoma County Teachers Association president, after reaching an agreement to end a three-day strike in November (see story, page 42). 46% P E R C E N T A G E O F American children who have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience that may be traumatic, according to the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health. 12 cta.org In the Know Quotes & Numbers