Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/740763
Aiming for Perfect Aendance LISA BUCKNER, B AK ER SFI ELD ELEM EN TAR Y TE AC H ER S A S S OC I ATION One of the reasons I feel so passionate about Prop. 55 is that some of the monies raised will go toward increasing access to quality health care for low-income families. My students come from low-income families, so this will directly impact my classroom. Let me give you a little example. At my school, when a class spells out "perfect attendance" by gaining one letter each day all students are present, that class then gets a huge treat. It took my class all year to receive this treat, since there is limited access to health care. Also, my students are kept home to care for younger siblings when they are sick. Overcrowded, Underresourced L AUR AN HOOD, A S S OC I ATED C H AFFE Y TE AC H ER S When I started teaching six years ago, I had close to 40 students in my class- room. Imagine 40 pairs of teenage eyes expecting the best from you, day in, day out. Our librarian was shared between two schools. We had no technology that was from this century, and the school year had been cut by 10 days to save money. As a first-year teacher, I had to buy my own pens and pencils, tissues for kids, and copy paper. I remember being limited to 100 copies per semester. One hundred copies for 180 students just doesn't work. Our students deserve better. Instability Impacts Teaching and Learning KATHRYN STE VENS, TE AC H ER S A S S OC I ATION OF PAR ADISE V IC E PR E SI DEN T Out of 17 years that I've taught, I've been laid off for nine. Some years, the layoffs were rescinded before school was out. One year, I subbed for the first two weeks before being hired back. I've watched school staffs get shuffled from year to year, and seen student disappointment when a teacher is no longer available to teach them. I've seen this instability impact teaching and learning, because every year teachers are learning new curriculum and the rules of a new campus, rather than perfecting their curriculum and delivery. Finally, I saw my daughter, who aspired to teach, turn away from education after feeling and watching the impact of this now unstable profession on our family. I don't want to see those days return. 1. Local leaders conduct rigorous, in-depth interviews with candidates. 2. Local educators make recommendations to the CTA Board of Directors. 3. State Council, CTA's top governing body, votes on recommendations. Candidates must receive 60 percent or more of the vote. 4. CTA recommends candidates to members and the public. As always, these are recommendations, and the final decision belongs with you. 29 October 2016 The Music Is Back During the recession, Rowland Unified School District cut back its music program. But starting this year, all elementary students — about 6,000 — receive music education with funding from Prop. 30 (the 2012 ballot measure that brings in education funding through temporary tax increases), channeled by the district's Local Con- trol and Accountability Plan (LCAP). " Through the vision of our board, and in collaboration with the Associ- ation of Rowland Educators (ARE), we developed a plan to add time for teachers to engage in collabora- tive planning, while students were introduced to music as part of their instructional day," says Julie Mitchell, district superintendent. " The idea to increase the arts for RUSD students was part of the input received during our LCAP meetings with students, staff and parents." It's a win for everyone. "In our most recent contract, we were able to increase planning time for our elementary teachers," says ARE Pres- ident Shay Lohman. "Once a week, music teachers provide 50 minutes of music instruction to students while their teacher has planning time." Left, Ocean View Teachers Association members handwrote 1,675 letters to voters; Lakeside Teachers Association represents!