Urge Assembly to Defeat AB 1285 to Help Students

Brownley "Compromise" Still Bad

Assembly Education Chair Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) is proposing to amend a CTA-opposed bill by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) that would undermine teacher seniority and harm students by ensuring that less experienced teachers – instead of more experienced ones – would be working with students in Decile 1-3 schools. Assembly Member Brownley is aiming to amend SB 1285 (Steinberg) during a June 30 Assembly Education Committee meeting.  Your continued help is needed now to urge Assembly Education Members and your Assembly Member to kill the measure.

Background

Assembly Member Brownley has negotiated with Senator Steinberg to limit the substance of the bill to:

1. Clarify that districts can skip over less senior teachers during layoffs for purposes of achieving compliance with constitutional requirements related to equal protection of the laws “as it applies to pupils and to certificated employees."

2. Nullify layoffs at a Decile 1-3 school if a school district attempts to implement more layoffs at the Decile 1-3 school than at other schools in the district.

The amendments will lead to the retention of junior teachers who have been assigned, in the discretion of management, to low-performing schools.  These schools would be better served by recruiting and retaining senior teachers. Even amended, SB 1285 does not change the long-term reality that working conditions at hard to staff schools cause numerous teachers to voluntarily leave teaching, regardless of layoffs. Worse yet, the measure ignores the real problem – the chronic and devastating underfunding of public education that has slashed public school appropriations  by more than $17 billion already.

Lawmakers should ensure every student a high quality education by providing the adequate funding that schools need. Adequate funding would allow them to keep libraries open; hire back laid-off teachers, nurses, and counselors; and reduce class sizes to provide students with needed individual attention.

Below you will find the names and contact information for the members of the Assembly Education Committee.

CTA Coordinators: Contact Lawmakers

Get in touch with your state Assembly Member and the members of the Assembly Education Committee. Mobilize your colleagues, friends, family members, and school supporters to do the same.

 Urge Assembly Education to oppose SB 1285 and support more funding for schools. Copy Sen. Steinberg on your letter. When you use the CTA text system, if your Assembly Member is not on Education Committee, you will be routed to speak with Assembly Ed. Chair Julia Brownley.
 Tell lawmakers SB 1285 will be counterproductive, keeping primarily less experienced teachers working at challenged schools.
 Tell lawmakers how the cuts are affecting your students! Let them know empowering districts to practice favoritism won’t help students.

Call your lawmaker by using CTA’s new text-to-call system. (Note: your phone carrier may impose a slight text message charge.) Text 69866 and enter ctasummer. You will be prompted to enter your name, voting address and then you will be connected to your Senator.

Assembly Education Committee Members

Call your lawmaker by using CTA’s new text-to-call system. (Note: your phone carrier may impose a slight text message charge.) Text 69866 and enter ctasummer. You will be prompted to enter your name, voting address and then you will be connected to your Assembly Member. Remember: if your Assembly Member is not on the Education Committee, you will be routed to Committee Chair Julia Brownley.

Julia Brownley, Chair    
6355 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Ste 205
Woodland Hills, CA 91367    
Phone: (818) 596-4141     

State Capitol      
Room 2163       
Sacramento, CA 94249-0041
Phone: (916) 319-2041    

Brian Nestande, Vice Chair
1223 University Avenue, Ste. 230
Riverside, CA 92507
Phone: (951) 369-6644

State Capitol 
Room 4163
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2064

Tom Ammiano     
455 Golden Gate Avenue, Ste 5031   
San Francisco, CA 94102 
Phone: (415) 557-3013     

State Capitol       
Room 4005      
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2013    

Juan Arambula
2550 Mariposa Mall, 5031
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: (559) 445-5532

State Capitol
Room 2141
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2031

Wilmer Amina Carter
335 N Riverside Avenue     
Rialto, CA 92376     
Phone: (909) 820-5008    

State Capitol  
Room 2136
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2062    

Mike Eng
9420 Telstar Avenue, Ste. 103
El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 450-6116

State Capitol
Room 4140
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2049

Jeff Miller      
20532 El Toro Road, Suite 203
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Phone: (951) 737-1671    

State Capitol       
Room 3147
Sacramento, CA 95814   
Phone: (916) 319-2071

Chris Norby
210 West Birch Street, Ste. 202
Brea, CA  92821
Phone: (714) 672-4734

State Capitol
Room 5123
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2072

Tom Torlakson
815 Estudillo Street
Martinez, CA 94553
Phone: (925) 372-7990

State Capitol
Room 5160
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2011

For more information, contact CTA Legislative Advocate Seth Bramble or GR Communications Consultant Len Feldman at 916.325.1500.