Will CAPO teachers strike for 3 months?

Question: Do you have any updates on the teacher situation in the Capo district? I am hearing rumors of teachers walking off the job for the last 3 months of school (for all grade levels) and new substitutes brought in to fill the positions.
Answer: I have not heard of this rumor stated in this way. Don't worry. There won't be anything like this happening without tons of notice and a 3 month walk out would be next to impossible. I am almost positive it is just talk.

More information on Social Security Windfall Act and Teachers

Many readers have been asking for more information. Here is some details people have asked me to find:

1. What is the name of the current legislation trying to end this Windfall Act?
A new bill from the House of Representatives, HR 235 and a Senate bill, S484, were reintroduced to do the same thing – "repeal the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions."

2. How do I find my political leaders to contact to support this legislation?

Find your representatives and assembly members here:
http://www.ocvote.com

or

Click “find my district” on this page http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp

3. Where can I learn more about this provision?
www.ssa.gov
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windfall_Elimination_Provision

LAUSD Will not be laying off???

Did you see that LAUSD announced there will be no layoffs? Is the news getting better?

Eyes were on LAUSD because they had permission to begin significant teacher layoffs next month. They announced there will be no layoffs before the end of the year. The whole statement released to the press included preminitions that layoffs will occur for next year, but they want to see what money comes in the Stimulus Package. There could be significant relief and Sacramento is due to release its budget package in Feb. Everyone is watching each other unsure of what is to come. There are avenues of hope, but also significant fears out there. The news got better for the students of LAUSD, however, alongside the teachers. The kids' classrooms would have been significantly interrupted had they followed through with mid year layoffs. Students would have been moved and services stopped. It is good news for LAUSD, but even they warn the news is not expected to be good for next year.

Will teachers get laid off before the end of this year, 2009?

Will teachers get laid off before the end of this year, 2009?
LAUSD is starting the lay off process and other districts in Orange County will have to prepare to make cuts as well. Anyone looking at the state budget knows cuts will come.

There have to be special circumstances to start the lay off process early, and this budget crisis qualifies as a special circumstance.

I will address this topic in my column next week in the Orange County Register's Local section, page 2. Feel free to post comments or questions here or email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com

Cutting the school year 5 days short?!!?

What is up with this idea to cut the school year 5 days short? This is outrageous. I know, 'let's just let them out early, who cares, it's only the end of the year, they aren't doing anything then anyway.' What a better way to send the message, 'school really isn't that important to us in California, but please move here because it is so desirable.'

I am curious how this will play out. Cutting the school year will save a great amount of money. I was surprised how much it will save, $1.1 billion. If we are sure there will be cuts to schools, if the government really is about to run out of money, then cuts have to come some way. I get the impression that it is going to happen, but I doubt we will be posting it on any ads for our state. You have a good point.

Soldiers Lose Benefits if They Go Into Teaching

I am retired military, and I continued working in a second career as a teacher. I retired from the State Teaching Retirement System (STRS). I believe that all should pass the competency tests in order to teach. As far as ex military personnel going into teaching they should remember that they will eventually collect their Social Security benefits since they paid into this system while in the military. However, in teaching they are not under Social Security and upon retirement from teaching and when applying for Social Security they will have their Social Security benefit reduced. This unfair practice is or was before Congress in the form of S 206 since 2007. Help is needed to get these bills in congress passed. For this Social Security offset see SSA's Publication # 05-10045.

This is unfair. We agree that soldiers need to pass the competency tests in order to teach, and we agree that their benefits should not be reduced for doing so. That is sometime worthy of change. If soldiers choose teaching and go through the steps to prepare themselves for this career, their benefits should not be touched. Once our soldiers earn something it is unfair to take it away later. This provision applies to any government agency position since these offer pension programs. The title of the provision is interesting. It is called the ‘windfall elimination provision.’ There is no windfall to be had when moving from military service to service in the classroom.

Stop Mid Year Budget Cuts

These are tough economic times and cuts are coming everywhere since there is less and less coming into the state budget. That does not change the fact that our children should suffer the least. Mid Year cuts will cause a disruption to the school year and to our classrooms.

WRITE OR CALL YOUR LEADERS
What should they do instead?
1. Stop mid year cuts.
2. Ease restrictions on funding for next year if cuts must come to free districts to be more creative with their funds since less money will be coming in to the schools.
3. Ask our state leaders to appeal more effectively to the Federal Government to fully fund the Special Education IDEA act. That would mean the districts and the state would have more money for all students. Right now the Federal Government says schools must provide very expensive services, and the Federal Government was supposed to fully fund this act and never has followed through with that promise. The Orange County Superintendent Bill Habermehl wisely points out that if the Federal Government even started an incremental pay-back program to start funding more and more each year, this would be money for the state and the schools. It would cost California NOTHING and it would mean a lot to our special education students as well as all students in our state.


Our leaders pile these letters in piles FOR and AGAINST to see what the electorate think. We all need to tell them. Here is all the contact information I have so far:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor (R)
State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 445-2841; (213) 897-0322 Fax: (916) 445-4633

California Senate Districts Senator Dick Ackerman - Senate District 33 (R)
17821 E. 17th Street, Suite 180 Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 573-1853 • FAX (714) 573-1859
e-mail: senator.ackerman@sen.ca.gov

Sacramento Office—Room 4066 •
(916) 445-4264 • FAX (916) 445-9754

Find your representatives and assembly members here:
http://www.ocvote.com

or

Click “find my district” on this page http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp

Other Contacts

Senator Tom Torlakson
Senate Education Committee
7th Senate District State Capitol Building,
Room 5050 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax:
(916) 445-2527

Assemblyman Fabian Nunez Speaker of the Assembly
California State Assembly State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0046
Fax: (916) 319-2146

Senator Don Perata
President Pro Tempore California
State Senate State Capitol Building, Room 205
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 327-1997

Assemblyman Michael N. Villines
Assembly Minority Leader
California State Assembly State Capitol, Room 3104
Sacramento, CA 94249-0029
Fax: (916) 319-2129

Special Education Funding Congressman John Campbell House of Representatives – District 48 610 Newport Center Drive, Suite 330 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Fax: (949) 251-309 Congressman Gary Miller House of Representatives – District 42 1800 E Lambert Road, Suite 150 Brea, CA 92821 Fax: (714) 257-9242