In last month’s Benchmark, Co-President Kim Allender wrote a detailed account of AB 2160, the bill co-authored by Goldberg, Wesson, and Strom-Martin. This bill gives teachers more control over professional issues that impact students, teachers, and their local schools. However, whenever any established parochial system of leadership is challenged, emotionalism and preposterous claims are used to infuse myth into reality.
In a letter dated February 15, 2002, the California Schools Board Association, (CSBA), wrote to the Members of the California State Assembly making claims to substantiate their vehement opposition to broadening the scope of collective bargaining beyond "wages, hours of employment, and other terms and conditions of employment."
CSBA’s first claim is that the bill would "erode the integrity of the collective bargaining process by giving teachers the right to represent the interest of the students, parents, and others in closed-door negotiations;"
First of all, under Government Code Section 3547 and 3547.5, it states that ALL TEACHER NEGOTIATIONS PROPOSALS MUST BE PUBLIC. IT IS THE LAW! These sections of the Educational Employment Relations Act, (EERA), covering collective bargaining for teachers are not altered by the provisions of AB 2160. There will be no secret negotiations as implied in "closed-door sessions."
Another claim is that the bill will "undermine accountability by shifting more authority for decision making to teachers without shifting more accountability to them;"
We know they are talking about state required student testing and school accountability systems that are already in place. These cannot be bargained away. AB 2160 is a local control bill. Only issues that are within the authority of the local school board can be bargained. However, there is a Student Testing Bill, AB 2347, that seeks to make sense of California’s Assessments. This measure is expected to go to hearing sometime this month.
Teachers are being held accountable for improving student achievement, but currently they have no say in many issues that impact student performance. So, teachers must be allowed to help fashion the tools and methods to improve student learning.
Their claim that continues to pit parents against teachers is that it "disempowers parents and other members of the school community by making procedures for parent participation subject to collective bargaining."
Parents are already left out of decisions by some school districts! Local school boards are entrusted with representing the interests of parents and the community and should have parental and community input mechanisms in place. That is why they are required to be elected by local voters. This bill would give teachers, parents, and local schools a better chance to tailor materials and teaching methods to the unique needs of each school and neighborhood. It would give teachers and parents MORE say in local school decisions.
Under the present system, it is school boards, politicians, and distant bureaucrats who have co-opted authority over curriculum and teaching methods, and this is eroding the integrity of our profession. Therefore, we must resolve to contact our legislators and tell them we want them to support AB 2160 not just because it is the best thing to do, but because it is the ethical thing to do.
You can help by contacting your state legislators. You can find their names and addresses on-line at: www.cta.org Click on "Politics and Legislation." Then click on "Contact Your Lawmaker." Next click on "CA State Legislature." Scroll down and enter your 9-digit zip code or enter your address and 5-digit zip code. You will see the names of your state senator and assembly member. Click on their names for their mailing addresses. CTA strongly recommends handwritten letters because they are logged as "high commitment" letters by the legislative staffs.
In Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena you can write:
Assemblyman Dario Frommer
111 E. Broadway, Suite 205
Glendale, CA 91205
Senator Jack Scott
215 N. Marengo Avenue, #185
Pasadena, CA 91101