AB 2053 (Karnette) was heard in the Assembly Education Committee on April 23.  Speaking in support were Jeff Freitas, CFT Legislative Advocate, and Ernest Kettenring, UTLA.  Cris Johnson, adult ed teacher from Sacramento and Chair of the CTA Alternative Education Committee, was also in attendance.  CTA’s Legislative Advocate also spoke in support of the legislation.

This bill provides that reappointment rights for part-time adult ed teachers who are laid off be a subject of collective bargaining.  Essentially, this means that laid off teachers would have rights to be re-hired before new employees are hired, a level of job security already in effect for K-12 part-time teachers and part-time community college instructors.  As is often the case, we are trying to achieve parity with other teachers.

The bill passed out successfully on a 6-3 vote.  Speaking in opposition were the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the California Adult Education Administrators Association (CAEAA), and the California School Boards Association (CSBA).  It will next go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  CFT and UTLA will be working together to move this bill through the process successfully.

The bill is attached below.

Assemblymember Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach) has introduced AB 2053 in the legislature to address the issue of job security for part-time adult education teachers.  This is an issue of long-standing concern to UTLA, and parallels one of the issues in the adult ed committee’s negotiations package.  Karnette introduced this bill at the request of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), a UTLA affiliate, reflecting a resolution passed at last year’s CFT Conference.
The bill provides that teachers who are laid off because of the varying nature of adult ed classes (low attendance, loss of funding) have priority for re-hiring when the class in question is re-offered.  It does not provide for an expansion of rights for teachers who are terminated for cause.
The first hearing for this bill is before the Assembly Education Committee on April 23.  Both UTLA and CFT Will have representatives there to testify on behalf of the bill.  Predictably, the bill is opposed by organizations representing administrators and school boards.
We need to demonstrate support for this bill; the legislature does not move bills forward unless they believe there is substantial support.
E-mail your support to members of the Education Committee before 4/23.  E-mail addresses are available at:

http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=6

Shepherding a bill through the legislature involves many steps.  After Wednesday, if we are successful, there will be a next step, quite possibly on a rapid schedule.  Watch this website for updates, and please continue to communicate your support for the bill to members of the legislature as it moves through the process.  This bill addresses a critical need of adult education teachers, job security.  Teachers often complain that no one does anything for them.  CFT and Betty Karnette have made their contribution; now it’s your turn.
A copy of the bill is attached below.

Adult Ed advocates Howard Ransom and Julie Carson were recently interviewed about the role of adult education in Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Watts Times.  Click on this link, http://www.lawattstimes.com/articles/2007/12/26/news/front%20page2.txt
or on the link below for the text only version.

UTLA calls on all teachers to rally the afternoon of December 6 at Beaudry headquarters and in the Valley.

The union is calling attention to two issues: 1) The continuing payroll fiasco, accentuated by the outrageous threats from district counsel Kevin Reed regarding the union’s call for boycotts of after-school faculty meetings, and; 2) The district’s insulting “offer” of ZERO for a raise for this year.

Note that the state has provided the district with a COLA increase of 4.53% for the year, but the district is offering ZERO.  Teachers need to communicate that the payroll fiasco is unacceptable, and that a cost of living increase for this year of ZERO is unacceptable, in light of the COLA increase from the state.

Come to Beaudry or the Valley on December 6.  For updates, check the UTLA website, www.utla.net and the notice of the protest rally at http://www.utla.net/events/PDFs/December_6_flyerPOSTIT110707.pdf

See you there!