LFT News

5.8.20

Voting Reminder – Hapgood, La Honda, Crestview

The voting deadline on next year’s bell schedules for Hapgood, La Honda, and Crestview is TODAY (5/8) at 3:30. Check your school email for a link to vote from LFT. Don’t forget to vote!

5.6.20

LFT General Meeting – TODAY (5/6)

The May LFT General Meeting will be held via Zoom TODAY (5/6) at 3:30. Please see the LFT Monday Memo emailed to you Monday (5/4) to access the Zoom link for this meeting. Hope to see you there!

5.4.20

LFT Monday Memo

  1. Distance learning in the 2020-2021 year?

At this point everything is ‘up in the air’; as we all can see from the news and daily briefings. The District and LFT are looking at many different options- as are most school districts, unions and county educational offices. Your LFT officers attended CFT’s state committee meetings where these current topics were discussed at length.  See page 6 for reports from LFT officers who attended meetings this weekend. 

  • Negotiations are pending regarding our 2017- 2020 Contract:  

Communication is continuing between LFT and The District.  The LFT Negotiating Team are working with the District to finalize the 22 tentative agreements and create an additional MOU with the other remaining items.   

  • Elementary Federal audit of instructional minutes: 

LFT and the District signed a MOU to extend voting timeline for our elementary sites last week. 

Why the change?   The elementary schools were dismissing and some students/grade levels were eating lunch after the last bell on early release Wednesdays. This is not allowed moving forward per the Federal Audit. Lunch times MUST be offered during the school day not after the last bell on early release collaboration days.

LFT wrote to District Administration to encourage collaboration between the sites’ administration, leadership teams and their staff.  All parties are encouraged to give input on the newly proposed Wednesday schedules. These conversations will impact the newly proposed bell schedule and the voting this month will be on one proposed schedule.   

CV and LH are having the LFT Q and A (Tuesday) and voting (Thursday) this week on their proposed bell schedules.  Other schools will follow this format of a Tuesday Q and A and Thursday vote. 

  • LFT officers for 2020-2021: Due to all positions being uncontested there is no need for a LFT officers’ election for this coming school year.  Thank you to the unit members listed below who will continue to  carry the work of our Union to protect and enhance the rights, working conditions, safety and financial wellbeing of those we represent in order to promote a positive environment where staff can teach and students can learn. 

LFT Officers for 2020- 2021

President:  Skyler Petersen

Secretary: Cindy Spangler

Treasurer: Robin Madden

VP Middle School: Margaret Tennant

VP Secondary: Tom Garrard

VP Elementary: Lodene Blair

Executive Directors:  Carol Arnerich and Martha Bauer

Thank you to EVERYONE who are willing to work for our Unit in the 2020-2021 school year.  Any member can get more involved by attending meetings, serving on committees and letting your voice be heard. 

  •  District communications to questions in blue, black and yellow re: 

Technology

During last week’s LFT Labor Management meeting, LFT mentioned a concern about communicating with teachers the need to back-up desktops because Windows 7 was going to be upgraded to Windows 10.

LUSD has just over 600 Windows 7 desktop computers that were in regular use before school shutdown on March 13.  Windows 7 has not been supported by Microsoft since January 1, 2020.  Antivirus and Antimalware work in conjunction with regular security patches and updates for the OS, not in place of them, therefore, without Microsoft updates and support, all Windows 7 computers pose a significant risk to network security for the entire district. 

IT understands that sites are using these computers out of need and necessity, but the potential for information theft is great with these computers online.  Therefore, IT staff will be evaluating these computers for potential to be upgraded to Windows 10.  If a computer can be made Windows 10 compatible with upgrades, IT will give site Principals an estimate of cost.   However, if the computer is so old that even minor upgrades cannot allow it to run Windows 10, they will need to be taken offline immediately.  Principals will apprise staff of this information at their next staff meeting.

IT want you to understand that this affects any older desktops in classrooms only.  

There should be NO laptops with Windows 7 as they were all replaced 2 summers ago.

So in conclusion, please know, you will need to save your files to the Drive/file stream (Google Drive) from these desk top systems.  

– Is Windows 10 the only OS that is secure to use? Or can older versions of Windows be used?

Windows 10 is not the only safe OS to use.  Windows is reporting that they will support 8.1 until 2023, though 8.1 was not very good and most people immediately upgraded to 10 when it came out.  Also, any Mac OS 10.13 or higher is safe and well supported by Apple. Chromebook updates for District owned devices are pushed out by IT regularly, so they will remain up to date and functional, though Chromebooks are so proprietary, they are rarely hacked or susceptible to viruses.  

Elementary ELD-   Notes below from LUSD Education Services: 

As a result of information obtained at Tuesday’s SBCEO Superintendent’s Huddle (facilitated by Dr. Salcedo), it was shared that Districts need to explicitly identify designated ELD instruction time in their distance learning schedules. The next day, Wednesday, April 29th, Ed Services met with elementary principals to discuss this new guidance.   LUSD recognizes that changing requirements are difficult for teachers to implement.  However, given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated daily information updates shared on national, state and local levels, it is necessary that we all adopt a spirit of flexibility.  LUSD genuinely appreciates every teacher’s effort to provide the best education possible for our English learners during these unprecedented circumstances.  For your convenience, see latest verbiage from the CDE regarding ELD requirements during COVID-19 school closures.

ELD Requirements during COVID-19 School Closures

English learners must continue to receive designated and integrated English Language Development (ELD) as part of their educational curriculum. Local educational agencies (LEAs) have the flexibility to determine how services will be provided to English learners. The LEA can determine where, when, and what the students receive in order to continue to make progress toward English language proficiency and meet grade level academic achievement. Although there are no minimum number of minutes required, ELD is a required course of study for English learners.

  • LFT’s  happenings this week: 
  • Mondays– LFT Monday Memo

                 LFT Negotiating Team’s Zoom meeting

  • Tuesday –
    • LFT Elementary Q and A’s Zoom Invites sent to staff – If you did not get one please contact Lodene Blair.  Thanks! J
      • Hapgood 1:00 pm
      • Crestview 2:00 pm
      • La Honda 3:00
  • Wednesday

This Wednesday May 6th, there will be our LFT General Membership meeting via Zoom at 3:30. Please see the emailed 5/4 Monday Memo for the Zoom invite.

  • Thursday

Voting day as needed via survey Monkey for Elementary sites this week:  Hapgood,  Crestview and La Honda

  • Fridays

CFT’s Tele-Town halls with President Jeff Freitas on Facebook live 2:30 pm   

  • Your California Credential/s:

Have you checked lately when your teaching and/or professional credentials expire?  I happened to think of this and found my credentials would expire this September. 

I suggest you visit https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/extend and check your credential/s status periodically.  This was fairly easy:  I created a profile, payed the fees and now I will be good to go… are you too? 

Message from CFT President Jeff Freitas: 

Dear Friend,

Safety should be the highest priority when considering when to reopen schools.

On Tuesday 4/28 Governor Newsom explored the idea that K-12 schools might reopen in late July or early August. While reopening schools is essential to getting our economy moving again, the health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff should be our highest priority when making this decision. Additionally, any decision to reopen schools must ultimately be done at the local level based on sound public health guidance; through collective bargaining with local unions; and with the input of educators, school workers, parents, and the community.

Governor Newsom has been leading our state through the COVID-19 crisis. We appreciate the way he has handled the crisis in a data-driven way, putting the health and safety of California residents first. As we continue these discussions, we are confident that decisions will continue to be made based on scientific evidence.

This weekend the CFT State Council, Division Council, and Committees will meet to discuss when and how to safely reopen in-person K-12 schools and community colleges. CFT leaders will share this feedback about what our students and our school workers need for the call to be made to open schools in our continuing discussions with the Governor’s office and the California Department of Education.

Do you have thoughts about how and when to reopen schools and colleges? Please let us know your thoughts at cft.org/ask.

AFT releases landmark plan to safely reopen America’s schools and communities

Coming on the heels of Governor Newsom’s announcement this week, the AFT has just released a comprehensive plan on safely reopening schools. The 20-page, science-based “Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities” is the result of a collaboration of public health professionals, union leaders, and frontline workers to prepare for what happens next in the period between flattening the curve and truly eradicating the COVID-19 virus.

There are five core recommendations in AFT’s plan to safely reopen schools: (1) Maintain physical distancing until the number of new cases declines for at least 14 consecutive days before opening schools; (2) Put in place the infrastructure and resources to test, trace, and isolate new cases; (3) Deploy the public health tools that prevent the virus’ spread and align them with education strategies that meet the needs of students; (4) Involve workers, unions, parents and communities in all planning; (5) Invest in recovery: Provide more—not less—investment in public health and in our schools, universities, hospitals, and local and state governments.

As AFT President Randi Weingarten put it, “[The input of educators and healthcare workers, as well as parents, is crucial in making any reopening plan work. They are the eyes and ears, and are indispensable in making any plan work safely and effectively. We hope this blueprint will be the start of a real discussion on reopening schools, universities and other workplaces that allows our workers and families not only to dream of a safe and welcoming future, but to realize it.”

Reports from :  California Federation of Teachers (CFT) Committees 5/2/20

This past Saturday (5/2) four members of the LFT Executive Board attended via Zoom the spring meetings of the respective CFT committees on which they serve. These committees are made up of representatives from local unions from across the state and focus on a variety of issues that impact education in California.

Lodene Blair EC TK-12 Committee:  CDE Task Force Representatives asked CFT committees for discussion and suggestions on:  Learning Loss Due to Distance Learning Quality Standards for Distance Learning Closing the Digital Divide                        

Lengthy list generated by committee participants for CFT COVID-19 Needs for Opening of 2020-2021 School Year (suggestions/input)

Lengthy list generated by committee participants for CFT Discussion:  2021 CFT convention workshop(s):  suggestions/input due by September   Revisited (list below) and potential solutions. Considered if the solutions match CFT’s (or AFT) policies.  Sub committees will see if solutions require legislation including budgetary or community partners.  When appropriate committees will research appropriate laws and Ed. Code that may need changing through the leginfo.legislature.ca.gov and EC TK-12 current topics.   

The EC TK-12 Committees Action List:  1) Support staff and students with disabilities in the mainstream; 2) Monitoring kinder attendance (even for pupils aged 5-years); 3)Grade level appropriate content for kindergarten pupil across all LEAs; 4) Union policy regarding stakeholder control of  LCAPs  

Skyler Petersen:  Civil, Human, Women’s Rights Committee:   The impacts of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in education brought on by this crisis dominated discussions in the Civil, Human, and Women’s Rights Committee.  Among the many concerns addressed were: (1) the need to provide adequate support to economically disadvantaged students because of the reality that online learning increases the achievement gap; (2) the challenges in lower-grade elementary students having to adapt to online learning; (3) the overrepresentation of communities of color (especially Black and Latino communities) in COVID-19 cases; (4) undocumented students being shut out of COVID-19 relief programs (even if they are from tax-paying families); (5) that for legal immigrants, accepting certain federal relief (e.g., Cal fresh) can potentially negatively interfere with their future efforts to apply for U.S. citizenship.

The committee discussed and viewed drafts of four resolutions.  These included a resolution in support of the CROWN Act, a resolution to support currently and formerly incarcerated students, a resolution to seek alternatives to mass incarceration, and a resolution to protect immigrant workers and to provide tools, materials, and support to immigrants in local communities, including those who are our members.  

Also discussed were four CFT task forces that have been formed to address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) Technology and Digital Divide Task Force; (2) Learning Loss Task Force; (3) Quality Standards in Distance Learning Task Force; (4) Reopening of Schools Task Force. If you are interested in joining one of these task forces, email CFT President Jeff Freitas (jfreitas@cft.org).    

Cindy Spangler:  Special Education Committee:  A concern is that The California Department of Education did not issue a waiver for SPED timelines during the current school closure. Discussed resolution for guidelines for returning to school safely. Created resolution for freezing timelines and services.

Cynthia Pereira:  Special Education Committee:  The State Special Education Committee completed a resolution to be sent to State Council. The Resolution includes a Waiver for Timelines and Services covered under IDEA. The Resolution highlighted current economic conditions, the impact of the pandemic on teaching and learning. Issues brought up in the Resolution: (1) Student lack of access and other circumstances preventing them from participating in distance learning opportunities; (2) parents’ lack of ability to participate in IEP meetings (equity); (3) Districts are putting forward best faith efforts across country, to the degree possible during distance learning; (4) Current federal guidelines allowed waivers for assessment timelines but not for IEPs.

The Resolution asked the State to grant the following: (1) That districts be held harmless to for postponed or overdue IEP timelines, loss of instruction, and services as a result of COVID-19 school closures; (2) That schools be given 90 days to complete IEPs upon return to regularly scheduled school day; (3) That services provided upon return to regular school continue to be offered to the same degree that remediation is offered to all students; (4) That schools should not be held responsible for providing compensatory services related to school closures; (5) That AFT push for funding needed to prevent cuts to staff, furloughs, increased class sizes and caseloads, which adversely impact services to children

As a reminder LFT’s Website:  https://lompocfederationofteachers.org/  please use this as a resource for union-related information. Thank you

Thank you to the Unit Member who shared the link below with me; it’s a good read. 

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting

Happy Educator Appreciation Week!

Lodene Blair, LFT President

4.28.20

Reminder – LFT Officer Election Deadline – THURS. 4/30

If you are interested in running for an officer position on the LFT Executive Board, the deadline to submit your name is this THURSDAY, 4/30. Please email Carolina Allen (allen.carolina@lusd.org) to submit your name for the ballot. Any LFT member may run for any position. The Executive Board positions are as follows:

  • President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Vice President of Elementary Schools
  • Vice President of Middle Schools
  • Vice President of High Schools
  • Vice President of Special Education
  • Vice President of Membership

4.27.20

LFT Monday Memo

We are now entering week 7 of our schools being closed.  Our Membership are doing an outstanding job educating our students and families of what learning and teaching truly are- hard work and a honed craft.  Keep on… keeping on… out there and know you are doing a GREAT JOB remotely! Lompoc Unified is shining bright and it is because of our collective efforts to support our students, families and fellow staff members.

LFT Site Rep. Meeting 04/23/2020

Meeting began at 3:30.

Bold = in attendance:
LH, FILL, HAP, MIG, LVMS, Ruth, LHS, LC, CHS, LB, BV, CV, VMS, Map, Bob 

  1. Summer school status: SPED ESY, yes (remotely); Gen Ed elementary, no, canceled; APEX credit recovery, yes (remotely). APEX will be offered only to seniors needing credits to graduate.
  2. Distance learning in the 2020-2021 year? At this point everything is up in the air as we can all see from the news and daily briefings. The District is looking at many different options as are most school districts and county educational offices.
  3. Pending negotiations email sent to District: Our contract is being negotiated. Priorities are to uphold the contract and to uphold the MOU regarding the COVID-19 closure. The LFT Negotiating Team is in contact with District and trying to finalize the tentative agreements we have already reached and make further agreements. 
  4. Federal audit instructional Minutes MOU draft was sent and is pending an agreement: regarding the instructional minutes for our elementary schools.
    Some elementary schools were dismissing and students were eating lunch after the last bell on early release Wednesdays. This is not allowed moving forward per the Audit. Lunch times must be offered during the school day. The District and LFT are working on a MOU to extend the sites voting times. Leadership should be involved with site administration and give input on the new Wednesday schedules for sites. These conversations will impact the newly proposed bell schedule and the vote will be on one schedule.   
  5. Interview dates: Interviews for open certificated, administrative, and classified positions are ongoing.
  6. We have received many questions from Unit members. See Q and A below.
    1. Was the new secondary grading policy negotiated and agreed on by the teachers union? No it’s not a contractual item. 
    2. Site questions about testing and programs:  Union Response:  Continue to communicate with your site administration about site plans.
    3.  What will next year look like without a vaccination?  Will the Union be a part of these discussions? Union response: Everything is up in the air. We do not have answers to these questions at this time. LFT plan on being part of any conversation that will impact our workday.
    4. When do we stop Zooming? At the end of May or after the week of finals (secondary)? Union response: This is a site decision under the advisement of the District. We are paid for our contracted days and may be asked to Zoom until the last day of school.
    5. Are we losing ADA for this closure? No
    6. Has the district put out an “etiquette” piece about how parents/guardians/the home learning environment should be as part of the puzzle during this school closure? What are family best practices for Zoom, family involvement, etc.? LFT forwarded these questions to the District and will let you know when we hear.
    7. Some teachers have been told that videoing and posting lessons is not mandatory. Yes, that was the directive we were told… You should be recording your lessons and posting them in your Google classroom for students not in attendance so they have access to your lessons.   
    8. Who do we call if you still need technology support? Contact Ian Trejo in ITS and or look at the updated Website. 
    9. What is the extent of LFT’s input for next year? LFT had a productive meeting with the Superintendents’ Cabinet this week.  LFT and the District are working to keep lines of communication fluid. If members want to be a part of the conversation next school year we encourage membership run for a LFT office! See #12, below. 
  7. Elementary distance learning and the Friday schedule: There was some confusion about the Friday schedule. See #2 in the plan:   ELA and Math 30 min per day M-Th.

    On Fridays, teachers refer to the chart for an alternative schedule.  If needed you can discuss with your administrator the expectations in your staff meetings or PLC.

    The Friday time can be used for PE, art, science, social studies. 

    We encourage you to continue to PLC with your team, contact parents, or whatever you need to do to support your students and parents. Keep track of what you are doing and be accountable for the time you are working.

     
  8. Nurse Kathie check in: The Lompoc Hospital has been ‘pretty wild’. There are many prisoners with the virus and many other patients with general conditions. She is doing well and is healthy and being as careful as she can be.  She reminds us all to keep practicing safety measures. 

     
  9. Reminders and ongoing communication: 

    Mondays- LFT Monday Memo will be delivered via District emails

    Tuesdays- LFT negotiating team’s Zoom meetings 2:00

    Wednesdays- LFT Site Reps’ Zoom Meeting 3:00 (new time) weekly

    Please if you have a site concern/ question please email your Site Rep. before the meeting

    May 6th LFT General Membership meeting via Zoom 3:30- details in next weeks’ memo

    Thursdays- LFT Executive Board meetings as needed 2:00

    Fridays CFT’s Tele-Town halls on Facebook live 3:00
    1. LFT’s Website:  https://lompocfederationofteachers.org/LOMPOC FEDERATION OF TEACHERSA Union of Professionalslompocfederationofteachers.org  Please use this a resource for union-related information. Thank you.
    2. District communication: Please check the District website and your District emails throughout the professional day.
    3. LFT officer elections: Elections will be in May.  If you are interested in running for any position on the LFT Executive Board please contact Carolina Allen at allen.carolina@lusd.org by Thursday April 30th. Positions:  President, Treasurer, Secretary, VP Elementary, VP Junior High School, VP Senior High School, VP Special Education and VP Membership
    4. LFT scholarships: Are being processed. 

Have a nice and warm week,    Lodene Blair, LFT President

4.23.20

Reminder – Site Rep Meeting TODAY

This week’s Site Rep meeting was rescheduled to TODAY (Thursday, 4/23) at 3:30. Site Reps, check your email for the Zoom info, which was sent out on Tuesday (4/21). LFT members who have questions or concerns should contact their Site Rep prior to the meeting.

4.21.20

CFT Training Opportunities

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The trainings below are open to all interested members of AFT local unions.

Legal Updates: Parental Leaves for Education Workers

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

4:00pm – 5:30pm

Members frequently ask how to prepare for childbirth or adoption, and which laws and programs provide benefits. Are school employees entitled to the leave and pay provisions of FMLA and CFRA? How do members know if they’re eligible for disability benefits, and under which plans? What are my rights to child-bonding leave? What benefits are common in union contracts, and how do members coordinate all of these benefits with the employer? Join one of our attorneys to find out how it all works and provide the answers your members need.

***

Unemployment & Underemployment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

(click on time slot below to register)

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

12:00pm – 1:30pm

4:00pm – 5:30pm

Are you losing your job (or losing hours) as a result of the current pandemic? Is someone in your household unemployed or underemployed? In many cases, you may be eligible for benefits you’re not aware of. Unemployment benefits have been significantly expanded as a result of the CARES Act and other recent laws, and we’ll cover important changes members need to know about. This workshop will also demystify the process of applying for unemployment benefits. Learn about requirements of the Employment Development Department (EDD) and the step-by-step process when applying for benefits. This workshop will benefit anyone facing reduced, cancelled, or unscheduled work in the present and near-future, and those whose households include people experiencing loss of work. 

***

Finding Relief from Student Debt

(click on time slot below to register)  

Thursday, April 23, 2020

12:00pm – 1:30pm

4:00pm – 5:30pm


Is student debt still weighing you down in the current crisis? There may be a way to find relief! The recent federal CARES Act provides significant relief from your student burden, at least on a temporary basis.  And if you work for a public institution or for a nonprofit, you may already qualify for public service loan forgiveness. Learn what’s changed to relieve the student debt burden during the current pandemic.  We’ll also share how to qualify for loan forgiveness, how to make your payments manageable, and how we can work together to address the student debt crisis in California. 

***

When you register to attend a webinar, you will receive email confirmation of your registration directly from Zoom. The email will contain the link to join the videoconference from your PC, Mac, iOS or Android device, as well as the phone number if you choose to call in for your audio. You will also receive a helpful email reminder from Zoom one hour before the webinar begins.

You can learn about and register for all CFT training opportunities at www.cft.org/training.

Additional relevant training opportunities through other organizations are provided on our website at https://www.cft.org/webinars-zooms.

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