SACRAMENTO - CTA's bill (AB 2160) to give teachers a greater voice in issues that affect student learning and teaching passed its first legislative hurdle today as the Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee approved the bill on a 4 - 2 vote.
"We are pleased that the committee members saw through the misleading rhetoric of the bill's opponents and agreed that teachers, those professionals who work directly with our students, should have a say in issues that directly affect their classrooms," said Wayne Johnson, president of the 330,000-member California Teachers Association.
AB 2160 expands the collective bargaining law to allow teachers the right to negotiate the procedures by which local education decisions are made concerning curriculum, textbook selection, teacher training, increasing parental involvement and other classroom matters.
In testimony before the legislative committee, CTA Vice President Barbara E. Kerr touted the bill's amendment that guarantees parental participation on any committee that's established in negotiations "for the purpose of selecting textbooks and instructional materials or the development and implementation of educational objectives, content of courses, and curriculum."
"Currently, school district officials can ignore parent and teacher input," said Kerr. "AB 2160 will ensure that the voices of parents and teachers are heard. And that will help ensure the success of all of our students."
The Assembly Education Committee will consider AB 2160 next week