Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/939681
How did public education influence your life? It's been everything for me. My mother, an immigrant, raised four kids alone until she lost her battle with cancer. At age 6, I and one of my brothers left California to live with cousins I'd never met in Philadelphia. We struggled and moved around a lot. What saved me was having teach- ers believe in me, support me, and set the bar high for me. I could have easily ended up in California state prison instead of the California State Assembly. I see myself every day in students who face challenges. And like teachers who believed in me, I believe in them. So, I fight to give every student the same opportunity to receive a quality education. Was there a teacher who made a difference? I will always remember Mrs. Harrell, my high school math teacher in Phila- delphia. I struggled in math. She put in extra time and never gave up on me, helping me be successful. I looked for her on social media but couldn't find her. But I would love for her to know her investment in me paid off. How will you fight the federal government's attack against public education? President Trump has sent a message: He'd like to take California's federal dollars for education and repurpose them into voucher programs. That goes against everything we hold dear. I believe pushing back against the Trump agenda starts here in California. California schools are 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending. I can think of no more important job than changing that. How do we fix the teacher shortage? We can't solve the shortage if teachers can't afford to live in the commu- nities where they work. To provide what's best for students, educators need stability. I've met teachers who are homeless and couch-surfing. I'm introducing Assembly Bill 45 to give school districts money to build affordable teacher housing. Residency and pipeline programs can also attract teachers, including ethnic minorities, to teach hard-to-fill subject areas such as special education, science and math. We should support teachers instead of blaming them — and give them the compensation, resources and tools necessary for them to succeed. If we make these investments, young peo- ple will dream about becoming teachers in communities that are historically underserved, and perhaps even return to their own communities one day to teach and become role models. You mentioned special education. Special education in this state and country has been underfunded for a long time. Instead of asking "What's in the best interest of a student's IEP or 504 Plan?" the first thing administrators say is that the services requested are too expensive, forcing families to sue the district, which creates higher costs when a district must pay legal fees. We need to do a better job of funding special education. I spent many years as a social worker helping students and adults with developmental disabilities, and I currently serve on the state's special education advisory committee, which is seeking creative ways to find more funding. Closing the gap? Every student can achieve. But we must provide more support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds — enrich- ment programs, universal preschool, counselors, after-school programs, health care, mental health programs — to address barriers that impede student success. It's hard to learn when you are homeless and hungry. It's hard to do well on a standardized test if you have a toothache. I'm proud to have introduced AB 1014, enacted in 2016, which provides funding to address chronic absentee- ism and support community schools offering health, dental and other sup- port services. It allocated $35 million to more than 30 districts just this year. Another bill I introduced resulted in a A Career of Action and Results Among Tony Thurmond's accomplishments: • As a social worker, worked with disadvantaged and developmentally disabled youths and adults for two decades, and founded nonprofits such as Beyond Emancipation, which provides services to youths leaving the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Alameda County. • Passed legislation providing millions of dollars to school districts to keep students in school and out of the criminal justice system. • Crafted legislation that ensures all youth who have been in foster care have the opportunity to attend college. • Increased funding for early childhood education programs. • Current priorities: Expand school- based mental health and social service programs; reduce teacher shortage through affordable teacher housing; provide more money for preschool and after-school programs. • Current Assembly committee memberships include: Education Committee, overseeing school finance; Human Services Commit- tee, whose jurisdiction includes child welfare services, foster care and child care; three Select Com- mittees: STEM, Career Technical Education, and the Status of Boys and Men of Color. Continued on page 34 33 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 018