Whittier Elementary Teachers' Association

A Message from our President - Marjean Rosen

Dear WETA Members

Welcome to October. Parent teacher conferences are over and we are looking forward to Halloween and the Autumn season.
October also brings allows us to officially welcome our new permanent status (Formerly Tenured) teachers.
Congratulations:

Andrews K-8:            Dexter Middle School          Edwards Middle School
Julie Anderson           Crystal Castillon          Julio Aguirre
Cherylin Blanco        Sang Cho              Armando Baragas
Stephen Galvan      Catherine Escano            Vincent Chapeta
Vanessa Perez                              Susana Faulhammer
Kelci Quinabo                              Bob Garcia
Allyson Ramirez
Janet Sonco

Hoover Elementary       Jackson Elementary           Mill/Andrews
Gina Nirtaut            Maria Mendoza            Ashley Anaya

Phelan Elementary       Sorensen Elementary           West Whittier Elementary
Blanco Bobadilla        Ebone Fisher              Jennifer Archila
Elsa Rosales                                Gabrielle Guevara

The Whittier Elementary Teachers’ Association extends our warmest welcome. Congratulations on this incredible journey!

Patty Britton
WETA President

New Update:

Next WETA Rep Meeting: Monday, November 1, 2021 at 3:45pm - Zoom or In-Person

Teacher of the Year 2021 - Letty Mendoza
Lou Henry Hoover Elementary School

New Information is available:

WETA is constantly uploading new information on our website to provide you with the most current information. Please check out the following items:
* 2020-21 Calendar of WETA Meetings for Representative and Executive Board available
* 2020 - January 1 Salary Information is available - Thank you bargaining team for getting our increase in salary!!!
* Retirement - Date: May 17, 2022 at Double Tree by Hilton Whittier 7320 Greenleaf Ave
* Also, join us on Facebook at Whittier Elementary Teachers' Association

CTA Information

Legislative Wins Secured for California Public Schools2021 Session Wrap UpThe ink is still drying following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s October 10 deadline to act on bills that cleared the legislature and made way to his desk.

Thanks to those of you who contacted your legislators amid all the extra work and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working together, alongside coalition partners and community supporters, we helped secure record funding for education, Community Schools and Transitional Kindergarten for children beginning at four years of age, resources to attract and retain educators, among many other critical programs. Take a look.

Early Action Budget Agreement (AB 86)
The legislature and governor provided $6.6 billion in one-time funding for schools as part of “early action” by the legislature. AB 86 included $2 billion in incentive grants for schools to provide in-person instruction, $4.6 billion in Expanded Learning Opportunity Grants for schools to provide academic and other supports, and prioritization for vaccines for school employees.

2021-22 Budget Agreement (AB 129, AB 130, and SB 132)
The June budget agreement included a total Prop. 98 funding level of $93.7 billion in 2021-22, the highest level ever, reflecting a $23.2 billion increase from the level adopted in the 2020 Budget Act. The 2021-22 budget included major accomplishments that will enhance teaching and learning. Highlights below. Also, read the budget “clean-up” legislation memo.

Payment Deferrals – Eliminated all payment deferrals to schools and community colleges.
Local Control Funding Formula – Provided a 5.07 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the LCFF and provided $1.1 billion in ongoing funding to increase the LCFF concentration grant from 55 percent to 65 percent of the base grant for LEAs to increase staffing.

Independent Study
The adopted state budget includes provisions making changes to the independent study program to provide families with high-quality alternative options to in-person learning when necessary, and for those not ready to return to classrooms amid the pandemic.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
Educators know early learning goes a long way. Lawmakers adopted universal TK, phasing in expanded age eligibility by two months per year from 2022-23 to full implementation in 2025-26. Included the intent to “rebench” the Prop. 98 Guarantee to provide ongoing funding for the TK expansion of approximately $2.7 billion at full implementation.

Community Schools
The difference between the haves and have nots became ever-so-clear making it impossible to ignore as has been the practice. The governor and legislators, with lobbying from CTA members like you, prioritized and allocated funds for Community Schools. The goal is to disrupt poverty and address long-standing inequities in our neighborhood public schools. The adopted state budget included $3 billion in one-time Prop 98 funding through 2028 for LEAs to expand the community school model. Read Community Schools: Building Heart and Hub about the work to support everything students do.

Teacher Pipeline and Training
Facing a critical teacher shortage, CTA helped secure $2.5 billion for various teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development programs. AB 130, the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill, includes important provisions related to credentialing for teachers and teacher candidates – provisions that were initially part of CTA-supported AB 312 by Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto and AB 437 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra. In addition to extending COVID-related testing flexibilities, it also created new options for aspiring teachers to meet the Basic Skills Requirement and to demonstrate Subject Matter Competence. Read more in CTA IPD’s Credentialing Update.

Student Assessments
Thanks to CTA advocacy and overwhelming outcry and support, LEAs were allowed to administer standards-aligned local assessments during the 2020-21 school year, in place of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress’s summative assessments, and receive an apportionment at a rate approved by the State Board of Education. Read all about it here.

Health and Student Support Services
Also incorporated in the budget trailer bill were CTA-supported AB 285 by Assemblymember Chris Holden to appoint a state school nurse consultant to work with local educational agencies and school nurses to promote school nursing and school health programs; and AB 563 by Assemblymember Marc Berman that created the Office of School Based Programs to improve operations and technical support for students throughout the state.

School Nutrition
Food insecurity dominated headlines as the pandemic raged through our communities and it’s a well-known fact that hungry kids can’t learn. The state budget provided funding for the Universal School Meals Program, with an increase in state meal reimbursements by $54 million in the 2021-22 and $650 million in ongoing Prop. 98 funding beginning in 2022-23, to cover the costs of offering breakfast and lunch for all students.

Special Education
To support students with learning recovery and resiliency, special education funding increased by $396 million in ongoing Prop. 98, by increasing the per-student statewide base rate, and the special education funding formula by $260 million in ongoing Prop. 98 to include funding for specified services for children aged 3-5 years old in the formula.

Charter Schools
Mandated lockdowns surrounding the pandemic made it necessary to extend the existing moratorium on the approval of new non-classroom-based charter schools by three years to January 1, 2025.

Community Colleges
The 2021-22 budget included the following appropriations to community colleges:

- Provided a 5.07 percent COLA to apportionments, or $371.2 million in ongoing Prop. 98 funding.
- Provided $100 million in ongoing Prop. 98 funding to increase the hiring of full-time faculty.
- Provided $90 million one-time Prop. 98 and $10 million in ongoing Prop. 98 funding to support part-time faculty office hours.

Ethnic Studies
Gov. Newsom signed CTA co-sponsored AB 101 by Assemblymember Jose Medina which means all students will have completed a semester of ethnic studies prior to earning a high school diploma. This is the first in the nation and a meaningful measure that will ensure curriculum is more reflective of the culture and history of our population.

Teacher Credentialing
Gov. Newsom also signed CTA-supported SB 488 by Senator Susan Rubio which makes substantive changes to the outdated and controversial Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) statute. CTA has worked for several years with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and education stakeholders to eliminate the RICA because of its negative impact on the teaching profession and there’s no evidence it has improved reading literacy for students.

Employee Rights
CTA co-sponsored SB 294 by Senator Connie Leyva removes the 12-year limitation for CalSTRS or CalPERS service credit earned on an employer-approved compensated leave such as union work. Gov. Newsom signed this bill Oct. 5.

The governor also signed CTA co-sponsored AB 438 by Assemblymember Eloise Reyes. This bill makes equal the required advance notice of layoffs for classified staff to that of certificated personnel and administrators.

Voter Access
Thanks to CTA-supported AB 37 by Assemblymember Marc Berman, voting by mail is here to stay for future elections. Gov. Newsom signed the bill extending the practice that started to prevent spread of COVID-19 at polling sites.

Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021
Gov. Newsom signed CTA-supported AB 367 by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia. This bill requires community colleges and schools serving students in grades 6-12 to stock 50 percent of the school’s restrooms with feminine hygiene products and prohibits a public school from charging for any menstrual products provided to pupils.

The legislature is now in recess until January 3, 2022. When they return in January, they will start the second year of the 2021-22 Legislative Session. Legislative