Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1541528
Compiled by Julian Peeples Quotes & Numbers Increase in costs of school supplies this year, according to a new report from the Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation 7.3% Volodymyr Hryshchenko/Unsplash " I think that teachers are the cornerstone of a student's success. I feel like I can instill hope in students." — CHRISTINE TRAN, recent college graduate preparing for a teaching career, recalling how an eighth-grade teacher sparked her passion for education, in an EdSource story about the impacts of our nation's political climate on new educators " Our union has been proud to advocate for historic investment in this model that brings educators, parents, students, community organizations and administrators to the same table to make decisions about their school together. At a time when public education is under attack at the federal level, in California we are investing in models that work and organizing together for the schools our students deserve." — CTA President DAVID GOLDBERG at a September press conference announcing findings from a new Learning Policy Institute study on community schools (see page 35.) "We have to have a voice in order to keep the best possible learning conditions for our students." —KEVIN COUGHLIN, Colorado Springs Education Assn. president, in an NEA Today story on the local's historic one-day strike in October (see page 46) "Our job as educators isn't to shield (our students) from reality, but to meet their questions with honesty, care and, most importantly, developmentally grounded truth." —GABRIEL MENDOZA, JR., CTA-Aspiring Educators president, in an NEA Today story on teaching across the political divide Number of students statewide who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known in California as CalFresh (Photo: CTA President David Goldberg, back row center, and NEA President Becky Pringle, in front of him, visit Alhambra Teachers Assn.'s community food pantry in September). 7.6 million Number of students who receive special education services nationwide, nearly 15% of the total student population 13% Current congressional funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). When IDEA was passed in 1975, Congress committed to fund 40% of special education costs. But it has never funded more than 17%. See how to take action to fix this on page 39. $27,000 Amount average teacher salary is higher in the 50 most well-funded basic aid districts in the state than the combined average in LCFF and other basic aid districts, according to a new study by Policy Analysis for California Education and Bellwether. 2 million 14 cta.org In the Know