Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/649572
O N F E B . 2 5 , CTA and the California Federation of Teachers presented arguments to California's 2nd District Court of Appeal in Vergara v. California, urging the court to overturn the flawed decision for the sake of all students. At a CTA-CFT press conference outside the court, key advocates spoke about how Vergara hurts students and pushes an anti-student, anti-public education agenda. Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta said, "I strongly believe in providing all children with equal access to a quality public education, and that starts with having edu- cators who have the professional rights to stand up and speak out for the students in their classroom." In June 2014, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a decision in the case that threw out teacher job protections such as tenure rights, due process, and rules regarding hiring and layoffs. e lawsuit is funded by Stu- dents Matter, a nonprofit backed by Si li c on Val l e y mi l lion aire David Welch and financed partly by Eli Broad, whose foundation is helping push a plan to put half of Los Angeles' public school students in charter schools, and the Walton Family Foundation. The suit argues that the state deprives plaintiffs of a quality education due to laws guiding core teacher employment rights, which plaintiffs say keep ineffec- tive teachers in classrooms. Some of the nation's top legal scholars, education policy experts, civil rights advocates, award-winning teachers, school board members and administrators have filed amicus ( friend of the court) briefs highlighting the numerous and major flaws that would harm students in the decision, and urging that it be reversed. Earlier this year, Students Matter deceived Huerta and persuaded her to publicly support its cause. She quickly learned of the organization's mission and wrote, "I am extremely disheartened and disappointed in the way you misrepresented the facts in order to get me to align with your organization and in particular the Vergara v. State of California lawsuit. I am now very much aware of your agenda and it is in direct conflict with my beliefs." A ruling on the appeal is expected within 90 days. Reverse Vergara Ruling and Protect All Students Dolores Huerta speaks at the CTA-CFT press conference. CTA President Eric Heins and Vice President Theresa Montaño are at left; CFT President Josh Pechthalt, attorney Michael Rubin and UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl are behind Huerta. 34 cta.org EARN EXTRA INCOME WITH MyCredentialedTeacher.com was started by educators who saw a need to give students a means of accessing quality instruction while helping teachers find extra income that would help them stay in the profession and grow their careers. FINANCIAL STABILITY IS GREAT. SOME POCKET MONEY IS EVEN BETTER! There is no catch or obligation to be listed on our website. We only get paid when you do. It's a 70/30 split in your favor. Earn extra income starting at $49/hr Create your own Work with students in a 1-on-1 setting WE WORK FOR YOU! Marketing your tutoring services Setting up appointments Collecting payments Making deposits to your bank MyCredentialedTeacher.com Regsiter today at: Designed at info@HollyBlueStudio.com schedule