Socio-Political Listserv

If you are interested in receiving email updates, join the socio-political list-serve by emailing the CATESOL general manager at catesoldon@gmail.com.

New Legislature Begins the 2013-14 Session

Last Monday, the 2013-14 Legislature was sworn in to office. Below is the composition of the new membership.

Assembly
• 55 Democrats, 25 Republicans
• 59 men, 21 women
• 5 openly GLBT
• 7 African-Americans, 8 Asian-Americans, 16 Latinos
• 38 freshmen, who can serve until 2024
Senate
• 29 Democrats, 10 Republicans, 1 Vacancy (2 more vacancies expected in January)
• 28 men, 11 women
• 1 African-American, 3 Asian-Americans, 8 Latinos
• 3 openly GLBT
• 1 freshman who can serve until 2024

Assembly Leaders & Chairs: While Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg ahs not yet named committee chairs, Speaker John Perez announced the following leadership positions and chairs.

Speaker: John Perez
Speaker pro Tempore: Nora Campos
Asst. Speaker pro Tempore: Kevin Mullin
Majority Floor Leader: Toni Atkins
Asst. Majority Floor Leader: Anthony Rendon
Democratic Whip: Jimmy Gomez
Democratic Whip: V. Manuel Perez
Democratic Caucus Chair: Phil Ting
Assembly Committee Chairs:
Accountability and Administrative Review: Jim Frazier
Aging and Long-Term Care: Mariko Yamada
Agriculture: Susan Talamantes Eggman
Appropriations: Mike Gatto
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media: Ian Calderon
Banking and Finance: Roger Dickinson
Budget: Bob Blumenfield
- Budget Sub 1 (Health and Human Services): Holly Mitchell
- Budget Sub 2 (Education Finance): Susan Bonilla
- Budget Sub 3 (Resources and Transportation): Richard Bloom
- Budget Sub 4 (State Administration): Tom Daly
- Budget Sub 5 (Public Safety): Reggie Jones-Sawyer
- Budget Sub 6 (Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation): Bob Blumenfield
Business, Professions and Consumer Protection: Richard Gordon
Education: Joan Buchanan
Elections and Redistricting: Paul Fong
Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Luis Alejo
Governmental Organization: Isadore Hall III
Health: Richard Pan
Higher Education: Das Williams
Housing and Community Development: Norma Torres
Human Services: Mark Stone
Insurance: Henry Perea
Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy: Jose Medina
Judiciary: Bob Wieckowski
Labor and Employment: Roger Hernandez
Local Government: Katcho Achadjian (Marc Levine, Vice Chair)
Natural Resources: Wes Chesbro
Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security: Rob Bonta
Public Safety: Tom Ammiano
Revenue and Taxation: Raul Bocanegra
Rules: Nancy Skinner (Scott Wilk, Vice Chair)
Transportation: Bonnie Lowenthal
Utilities and Commerce: Steven Bradford
Veterans Affairs: Al Muratsuchi
Water, Parks and Wildlife: Ben Hueso
Joint Legislative Audit: Adam Gray
Assembly Legislative Ethics: Cristina Garcia and Allan Mansoor (Co-Chairs)

From Jeff Frost: LAO Predicts Near Term Shortfall – Then Future Surpluses (November 16, 2012)

Yesterday, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released its annual California Fiscal Forecast and reported that as a result of three important factors (the state's economic recovery, prior budget cuts, and the passage of Proposition 30) California is now on the brink of a promising moment: "the possible end of a decade of acute state budget challenges". However, the LAO does still project a $1.9 billion two-year structural shortfall of $1.9 billion because spending is higher than expected and the state will not receive as much, as the Department of Finance predicted, from the elimination of redevelopment agencies and the transfer of that revenue to the state.

K-14 Education (Proposition 98) Forecast

As a result of the additional state general fund revenues that will be derived from voter approval of both Propositions 30 and 39, the LAO is now estimating that the current year minimum funding guarantee for K-14 schools (Proposition 98) will be $53.8 billion or $193 Million higher that the enacted 2012-13 Budget. This is primarily the result of adding in the revenue generated by the passage of Proposition 39 which raises corporation tax revenues beginning in 2013. These Proposition 39 revenues fully offset the lower LAO estimates for Proposition 30 revenues in the current year.

Additionally (and not surprisingly), the LAO is also projecting substantially less property tax revenue will be transferred to school districts and community colleges from former redevelopment agencies in 2012-13 ($1.8 billion less than assumed in the adopted budget). These higher costs from less-than-anticipated redevelopment revenues are only partially offset by higher estimates of baseline property tax revenues (up by $184 million).

In 2013-14, the LAO is projecting that the K-14 (Proposition 98) spending level will be $55.8 billion or $2 billion higher than the current-year level. It is important to note that because another $2.2 billion in ongoing funding will be available within the Proposition 98 base (due to the one-time cost of eliminating $2.2 billion in K-14 inter-year deferrals) a total of $4.2 billion in additional resources will actually be available in 2013-14 for the Governor and Legislature to appropriate to schools. The LAO acknowledges that the Governor has been clear in saying that it is his intention to continue to use a large portion of additional new revenue to "buy down" state borrowing from schools (inter-year deferrals) over the course of the next 5 years.

The LAO projects that required funding increases to K-14 schools over the next five years will be sufficient to retire all the state’s outstanding one-time education obligations (including inter-year deferrals) while simultaneously building up ongoing funding significantly. Significantly, the LAO recommends to the Legislature that they support the Governor's plans and adopt budgets that regularly pays down inter-deferrals, to insure that the state's debt is completely retired by the end of 2017-18.

As we analyze this LAO forecast in more detail we will provide you with additional information.

CATESOL Support Letter for ELD Standards (October 30, 2012)

October 29, 2012

Dr. Michael Kirst, President
State Board of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 5111
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: Support for English Language Development Standards

Dear Dr. Kirst:

The California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) strong supports the draft English Language Development Standards and we urge the State Board to adopt them at its November meeting.

CATESOL is a statewide organization that promotes professional competency and standards for teaching English to speakers of other languages. The organization also works to represent the needs of students and teachers. CATESOL has long advocated to a new set of ELD standards for California. Student assessment data shows that English language learners are continuing to fall behind student’s whose primary language is English.

CATESOL supports these new ELD standards for several reasons. First, there is currently no “roadmap” that provides teachers direction to link English language development and English language arts content standards to ensure fully integrated lessons based on the level of a student’s English language proficiency. In our view, these new standards will provide this much needed direction for teachers.

Second, CATESOL has been impressed with the work that has been done to develop these new standards. The process has been very inclusive and has enabled input from a wide array of stakeholders. As a result, CATESOL believes that the new standards will provide the opportunities for EL students to access, engage and achieve grade-level academic content that is fully aligned to the new Common Core State Standards and is not in isolation of those standards.

Finally, CATESOL supports these proposed new EL standards because they are completely aligned and research-based. Currently, neither the state’s ELD standards nor the CELDT are appropriately aligned. However, the English Language Arts and Math standards have fully aligned assessments. CATESOL believes our ELD standards must also be fully aligned and that these new ELD standards achieve this goal. Only with the upgrading of our ELD standards will California be able to provide the necessary support and structure for our EL students to succeed. These standards achieve that goal.

Again, CATESOL strongly supports the proposed ELD Standards that will be before the SBE in November. We urge you to support them when they come before the Board.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Frost
CATESOL Legislative Advocate

Political Odds and Ends a Week Prior to Election Day (October 30, 2012)

Recent Polling on statewide propositions

Scott Lay, who does an outstanding daily blog on current political events called Around the Capitol, is out with his most recent poll averaging – 10 days prior to election day. As a reminder, these averages look at the broad field of public polls, which are then weighted on recency and methodology. Here are the current numbers:

Proposition 30: Temporary Taxes to Fund Education. Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Yes: 49.0% (-1.8%)
No: 41.2%
Undecided: 8.7%

Proposition 31: State Budget. State and Local Government. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes: 26.5% (-4.2%)
No: 42.3%%
Undecided: 31.1%

Proposition 32: Prohibits Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction. Prohibitions on Contributions to Candidates. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 41.7% (-2.7%)
No: 46.0%
Undecided: 11.0%

Proposition 33: Changes Law to Allow Auto Insurance Companies to Set Prices Based on a Driver's History of Insurance Coverage. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 54.8% (-1.0%)
No: 33.6%
Undecided: 23.1%

Proposition 34: Death Penalty Repeal. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 43.5% (-0.4%)
No: 44.3%
Undecided: 12.2%

Proposition 35: Human Trafficking. Penalties. Sex Offender Registration. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 79.7% (-2.5%)
No: 12.3%
Undecided: 8.0%

Proposition 36: Three Strikes Law. Sentencing for Repeat Felony Offenders. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 67.0% (-4.5%)
No: 20.6%
Undecided: 12.5%

Proposition 37: Genetically Engineered Foods. Mandatory Labeling. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 49.0% (-7.2%)%
No: 38.6%
Undecided: 12.2%

Proposition 38: Tax for Education and Early Childhood Programs. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 41.2% (-0.9%)
No: 48.7%
Undecided: 9.9%

Proposition 39: Tax Treatment for Multistate Businesses. Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Funding. Initiative Statute.

Yes: 54.2% (-0.5%)
No: 30.7%
Undecided: 15.1%

Proposition 40: Redistricting. State Senate Districts. Referendum.

Yes: 44.2% (+0.0%)
No: 25.8%
Undecided: 30.0%

Poll shows Molly Munger chipping away at Jerry Brown's support

Ever since the beginning of the campaign, Gov. Jerry Brown and his allies have worried that Molly Munger's rival ballot measure would siphon away support for his tax plan. It appears they were right to be concerned, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Support for Brown's tax measure, Proposition 30, sank nine points to 46% in the last month amid a barrage of criticism from Munger, who is pushing Proposition 38. Poll data show that fewer of Munger's supporters are also willing to vote for Brown's measure, falling 10 points to 75%. In a close election, that kind of drop can be decisive, said David Kanevsky of American Viewpoint, a Republican firm that worked on the poll. “The legacy of Proposition 38 will be what happens to Proposition 30," he said. "If Proposition 30 loses by a very close margin, you could make a case that Proposition 38 helped kill it.”

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic company, also worked on the poll, which surveyed 1,504 registered voters by telephone from Oct. 15 to Oct. 21. The margin of error is 2.9 percentage points.

Brown's plan, Proposition 30, would increase the sales tax by a quarter-cent for four years and raise income taxes on the wealthy by one to three percentage points for seven years. The governor says it's the only way to avoid billions of dollars in cuts to public schools this year. Proposition 38, which Munger has bankrolled with tens of millions of dollars, would increase income taxes on most Californians on an ascending scale and spend the money on schools, early childhood education and debt payments.

Pollster Stan Greenberg said Brown can still pull out a victory on Election Day, Nov. 6. “This is likely to turn back," he said.

GOP’s California Dream Dashed

A very interesting article by Jake Sherman in Politico, shows how the congressional races are going in California.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Republicans started the year with high hopes for a revival in this reliably blue state. The party spent millions of dollars working to identify and bring out Republican voters, after a nonpartisan redistricting process created a dozen competitive seats where there was just one before. But the Golden State isn’t the golden opportunity the GOP thought it was this cycle. Nearly every Republican in California and in D.C. privately concedes the same thing: They could wake up on Nov. 7 having lost every competitive seat in the state. House Republican leaders, who hoped to be on offense in California, are now playing an expensive game of political defense.

The story of why this is happening is best told in California’s sleepy state capital, which has morphed into the most competitive House media market in the country. Two Republican incumbents in GOP seats — Reps. Jeff Denham and Dan Lungren — are on the ropes against well-funded Democratic challengers. Despite their own polling — which has shown both men below 50 percent — they refuse to concede the race is truly close. The American Action Network — which has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting House Republicans — has had to spend roughly $3 million to prop Denham up — their biggest expenditure in the nation. Internal polling has both races near a dead heat. And because Republicans are on defense in those two seats, they can’t lend help to GOP challenger Kim Vann, a 37-year-old county executive, who is running against liberal Rep. John Garamendi in a barely Democratic district that stretches north of Sacramento. In fact, the media market is so saturated, outside groups are having difficulty finding air time to buy.

A series of missteps, a popular incumbent president, a saturated media market and a population with a large percentage of minorities makes winning seats in this state a tall task for House Republicans. They also can’t really criticize the health care law, which is more popular here. And incumbents are difficult to dislodge. In essence, the national party’s entire election playbook is rendered ineffective in California. To show how uphill the climb is here for Republicans, perhaps their best hope for knocking off a Democrat is in a Stockton-area seat, where Ricky Gill — a 25-year-old Indian American with piles of cash — is trying to paint Rep. Jerry McNerney as a Bay Area liberal who moved into the moderate valley to save his political career. Here’s the problem: President Barack Obama won that district by 16 percent in 2008.

And it’s not only Northern California where Republicans are seeing their fortunes flip. In Palm Springs, Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) is seeing her race tighten. In San Diego, Rep. Brian Billbray’s race is also close. Republicans counter and say Democrats have made mistakes too. They didn’t find a candidate to run against Republican Rep. Gary Miller in a Democratic seat in the southern part of the state. Republicans are also poised to hold a seat in the northern part of the state, and snatch another in the south. It’s crucial that Republicans make inroads in California because it’s now the most competitive House landscape in the nation. To build — and sustain — a strong majority in D.C., both parties will have to learn how to win in the state. So far, it’s bedeviled Republicans. “This state is the road for the Democrats to go back to the majority,” McCarthy said in an interview. “It’s a very competitive state. We’re building a long-term narrative to win seats,” adding that their goal stretches beyond this election cycle.

Republicans face stiff headwinds. They’re 30 percent of the electorate, and have been on a steady decline. They don’t boast a single elected minority in a state where Asian Americans, African-Americans and Latinos are the drivers of the population. The only woman in the Republican delegation is Bono Mack. “What happened is the Republicans’ complete and utter inability to connect with Latino voters and Asian-American voters in this state,” said Garry South, a Los Angeles area consultant who ran Gray Davis’s campaign for governor. “It’s going to be the death knell for the Republican Party. Far from being able to rebuild itself, the California Republican Party is in danger of becoming just another special interest group.” Plus, they’re tethered to a national Republican Party that has policies far out of step with the state. “I always hear people say, ‘We’re going to change the California Republican Party and make it different and do different things.’ But no matter how much money the California Republican Party were to raise and spend, we are stuck with the way the Republican Party is run in Washington,” said Matt Rexroad, a Sacramento GOP consultant who once was a political aide to Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). “We might like to be different to make it more palatable here in California, in the larger view of Republican politics, the sorts of things people would advocate for wouldn’t work in the United States.”

One additional note on this story is that there is very strong evidence that the House of Representatives will remain in Republican hands in the 2013-14 session even though its majority will likely shrink by a dozen or more.

Read more

Department of Finance Releases Revenues for September

On a final note more focused on the state’s budget rather than the elections, the Department of Finance (DOF) released its monthly report on state general fund revenue collections for September. The DOF reports that overall revenues for September were below estimates used to build the current budget. General Fund cash for September was $147 million below the 2012-13 Budget Act forecast of $7.096 billion. Year-to-date revenues are now $379 million (-2.1%) below the expected $18.374 billion. This data shows that the state’s economy is remaining steady but is not showing rapid signs of strong growth.

The DOF's assessment of overall economic indicators highlights modest labor market improvement and some improvement in the housing industry. California's unemployment rate dropped from 10.6% to 10.2% in the last month. While public sector employment has declined by 41,000 jobs in the past year, California's private sector has added over 303,000 jobs since September of 2011. The median price of existing, single-family homes sold in August was $343,820--a 15.5% increase since August of 2011. This was the highest statewide median price since August 2008.

Jeff Frost provides 2012 Legislative Summary (October 3, 2012)

Attached is the final overview of all of the bills that we have been following for CATESOL. The EL bills that were signed is very good news and will hopefully be a springboard for the future. Also note that SB 114 (Yee) was signed by the Governor. This bill requires community colleges to submit information to STRS to ensure that the retirement earnings for part-time adult education teachers is properly calculated. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jeff

English Language Learners Signed by Governor in 2012 (September 30, 2012)

Governor Brown has so far signed 4 of the 5 bills on his desk related to English language learners. CATESOL has been supportive of these bills. This is good news and will help set the foundation for future legislative efforts.

AB 2193 – Long Term English Language Learners

This bill defines “long-term English learners” and “English learners at risk of becoming long-term English learners." The bill also requires school districts to report the number of pupils identified in these two categories and requires notification to be provided to parents of pupils who are, or are at risk of, becoming long term English learners. The bill also establishes a statewide system of support for long term EL students including regional consortia, district assistance and intervention teams and targeted technical assistance for student that are long-term EL or are at risk of becoming long-term ELs.

AB 1521 (Brownley) – STAR Test; Duel Language Immersion Programs

This bill authorizes the administration of a primary language assessment to pupils enrolled in dual immersion programs who are not limited English proficient or who have been redesignated as fluent English-proficient, and eliminates several high school level tests.

SB 754 (Padilla)– Reporting of EIA Expenditures

This bill establishes specified reporting requirements for school districts as a condition of their receipt of economic impact aid funds. Specifically, the bill requires: 1) information be posted in an easily accessible location on the district's internet web site; 2) requires that the posted information specifically include the amount of economic impact aid allocated to the district, used by the district for administrative purposes, expended for limited English proficient students, and expended for compensatory education.

SB 1108 (Padilla) – Reclassification of English Learners

This bill requires, as a condition of receiving funding, for school districts to report the criteria used to reclassify a pupil as English proficient. The bill also requires the department to determine which criteria currently used represent the best practices in reclassifying pupils. CDE would be required to make recommendations to the State Board of Education on these best practices.

AB 1719 (Fuentes) – Supplemental Instruction; EL materials

This bill establishes a process for the review and approval of supplemental instructional materials that are aligned to the common core state standards and the revised English language development (ELD) standards for English learner pupils. The bill requires the Department of Education to recommend and the State Board of Education to approve content experts to review supplemental materials and provides for the adopt of recommended supplemental materials by the Board. School districts would be authorized to select and purchase these materials based on a local review.

California Dream Act: AB 130 (Cedillo) & AB 131 (Cedillo) – Student Financial Aid: Eligibility & Nonresident Tuition: FAQ (August 26, 2012)
Obama Administration's Relief Process for Eligible Undocumented Youth: FAQ (August 26, 2012)

Budget Update (June 18, 2012)

Jeff Frost has provided us with an update on the California budget actions, including an analysis by segment (PDF).

Opportunity to Attend Assembly Bill 250 Public Meetings - Six Locations Statewide (April 5, 2012)

Assembly Bill 250 (Chapter 608, Statutes of 2011), signed into law on October 8, 2011, requires the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to consult with specific stakeholder groups in developing recommendations for the reauthorization of the statewide pupil assessment system. The recommendations will include, but not be limited to, a plan for transitioning to a system of high-quality assessments and shall consider the sixteen areas outlined in statute in the reauthorized assessment system. All meetings will be held from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Locations including addresses and room numbers can be found at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/ab250pm.asp

Members of the public have the opportunity to provide input regarding the reauthorization of California’s statewide pupil assessment system. Meetings are scheduled around the state in six different locations during the months of April and May 2012. Members of the public are welcome to provide comments during the meeting. Information gathered by members of the public, at each meeting, will be considered to inform the reauthorization of the statewide assessment system project.

Public meetings are planned for the following dates and locations:

For more information regarding the bill, refer to the California Department of Education’s AB 250 Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/ab250.asp.

CATESOL Support Letter for SB 1109 (March 27, 2012)

Dear Senator Padilla:

The California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) has reviewed your SB 1109 and has taken a position of strong support for the bill.

SB 1109 will direct the California Department of Education to create a Statewide Master Plan for English Learners.

CATESOL believes that our state must have a clearly delineated Master Plan for English Learners. EL students represent nearly 1.5 million students in our state which is almost 25 percent of our total student population. California has established comprehensive plans for higher education and for students with special needs but has never established a similar plan for assisting our large EL student population. SB 1109 will establish this much needed plan.

As ESL teachers, CATESOL members certainly understand the needs of our EL population. However, our members have been frustrated by the lack of research-based efforts to address the specific needs of this at-risk population of students. There is overwhelming research to show that English language learners, especially those that come from a background of poverty, have a wide array of academic problems and challenges. For example, until the passage of legislation in 2011 (AB 124 - Fuentes) California has never had a comprehensive English Language Development plan and our instructional materials not been adequate for the wide range of EL student needs. Our reclassification process is limited by the lack of clear criteria and the CELDT test, while a good tool for determining the comprehension levels of students at the beginning of the year, has not been adequate to determine whether an EL student is ready to succeed in more rigorous courses where academic English is crucial. Finally, California law has never had any criteria for defining and assisting long term English learners. CALSA believes that the development of a Master Plan for English Language Learners will address, in a comprehensive manner, the critical issues that face our EL students and our schools and set out an action plan for how to address these challenges.

CATESOL Support Letter for AB 1719 (March 29, 2012)

Dear Assembly Member Fuentes:

The California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) has reviewed your AB 1719 and has taken a position of strong support for the bill.

AB 1719 establishes a process for the review and approval of supplemental instructional materials that are aligned to the common core state standards and the revised English language development (ELD) standards for English learner pupils. The bill requires the Department of Education to recommend and the State Board of Education to approve content experts to review supplemental materials and provides for the adopt of recommended supplemental materials by the Board. School districts would be authorized to select and purchase these materials based on a local review.

CATESOL supports this bill for several reasons. First, current law suspends the requirement for the adoption of instructional materials for use in K-8 until the 2015-16 fiscal year and relieves school districts from the requirement to purchase newly adopted instructional materials until the 2015-16 fiscal year. However given that the state has adopted new content standards in ELA and math, and will soon be adopting new ELD standards, there will be a need to provide teachers and school districts with the tools to bridge the gap until new materials are purchased. AB 1719 provides that option.

Second, the development of a list of supplemental instructional materials is a one-time activity and is short-term in nature. CATESOL sees it as the proper solution to dealing with the budget restrictions on instructional materials while still providing districts with tools necessary for their English language learners to access the common core standards.

Seeking Input on Legislation (March 29, 2012)

The following bills are going through committee, but others are being amended. CATESOL is shaping its position on each bill and seeking input.

CATESOL Support Letter for AB 2193 (March 29, 2012)

Dear Assembly Member Lara:

The California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) has reviewed your AB 2193 and has taken a strong position of support for the bill.

AB 2193 defines “long-term English learners” and “English learners at risk of becoming long-term English learners." The bill also requires school districts to report the number of pupils identified in these two categories and requires notification to be provided to parents of pupils who are, or are at risk of, becoming long term English learners.

CATESOL supports this bill for several reasons. First, there is research done on students in California high schools that indicates that almost 60 percent of the English language learners are long-term English learners. A significant majority of the EL students in the districts studied are in the intermediate level of English proficiency or below while the remainder of the students have reached a higher level of proficiency but have levels of academic English that are not high enough to be reclassified. This research points to the fact that California has not developed any strategies for assisting these long-term EL students. AB 2193 establishes a statewide system of support for long term EL students including regional consortia, district assistance and intervention teams and targeted technical assistance for student that are long-term EL or are at risk of becoming long-term ELs.

Additionally, California’s curriculum has tended to provide a “one-size-fits all” approach that has not provided the needed English language development standards (ELD), professional development for teachers working with EL students and materials for EL students. This lack of appropriate materials has resulted in significant roadblocks for EL students to achieve the needed academic English that will allow them to be reclassified and become successful in core curriculum leading to graduation and higher education. The targeted support established by AB 2193 will provide the additional assistance and materials that will result in improved academic English proficiency.

Finally, the bill calls for standardizing definitions of long-term EL which, in CATESOL’s view, will allow school districts will be better able to identify long-term EL students. Passage of AB 2193 will help to prioritize local efforts to address the needs of these students.

CTC Budget Loan Reduced (Jeff Frost - March 26, 2012)

CTC received news last week that the Department of Finance (DOF) will only fund $1.5 million of a requested $2.3 million loan to cover FY 2011-2012 operational shortfalls. The Governor’s budget had proposed to provide a $2.3 million loan in 2011-12 from the Test Development and Administration Account to the Teacher Credentials Fund. However, the Department of Finance only partially funded CTC’s $2.3 loan request. The $800,000 shortfall will force Executive Director Mary Vixie Sandy to take drastic steps to reduce costs between now and July 1st.

Processing credential applications and reviewing educator discipline cases will remain priorities. Most other activities and programs will be immediately suspended. Hard hit will be the work of the Professional Services Division (PSD), charged with accreditation of new and existing teacher preparation programs. A CTC announcement on Friday stated: "Due to unexpected and severe fiscal constraints, the Commission will be unable to accept any additional Initial Program Proposals or Initial Institutional Approval documents for the remainder of the 2011-12 fiscal year."

It is not clear what impact these budget cuts will have on the roll out of the new ELD credential that was recently passed by the CTC.

Department of Finance Announces Trigger Being Pulled - Jeff Frost (December 14, 2011)

The Department of Finance announced today that its revenue forecast was calling for the 2011-12 budget trigger to be pulled but that the effect of this reduction would hit K-12 schools far less than had previously been thought. The total shortfall is $2.204 billion. The trigger will result in Tier I cuts to higher education and social service programs.

Read the full report.

CTC Update - Jeff Frost (December 10, 2011)

This afternoon the CTC unanimously approved the staff recommendation in Item # 5B (see link below) to adopt a revised ELD authorization structure that includes an English as a World credential.

Additionally, there was a lengthy discussion of item #5C(for information only with action planned for the next meeting) to allow a holder of a World Language Credential to also teach single subject English. This agenda item provides the draft Subject Matter Requirements (SMRs) for the new CSET: World Language: English Language Development examination and also the draft World Language: English Language Development Subject Matter Program Standards for initial review by the Commission. Approval of this item will eventually allow a holder of an ELD World Language credential to also teach high school English - which would clearly make them more marketable teachers and would also service to better unify IHEs in how they view and incorporate ELD.

I testified in support of these items on behalf of CATESOL. Magaly Lavadenz was also present and testified on support of these items on behalf of Californians Together Coalition. This brings CATESOL a big step closer to its original goal years ago of developing a robust ELD credential at the secondary level. I think we are one step away for the final hurdle that will lead to a fully integrated credential.

We should thank Dr. Phyllis Jacobsen from the CTC who worked with us from day one to make this action a reality.

http://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/agendas/2011-12/2011-12-5B.pdf

Governor Brown Files Ballot Initiative To Raise $7 billion for Schools (December 8, 2011) - Jeff Frost

Governor Brown made it official this week; releasing the text of his Ballot initiative proposal intended to generate an additional $7 billion beginning in 2012-13. The Governor's proposed initiative meets two of the statutory obligations that he and the Legislature established in the 2011-12 Budget Act. Specifically, "The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012" will ask voters to approve:

1. The shift of local public safety programs (mainly inmate housing) from state to local control and a corresponding shift of $5 billion in sales tax revenues from the state General Fund to local government.

2. Increases to personal income and sales tax rates effective January 1, 2013 that will generate approximately $7 billion annually in new revenue for K-12 school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges.

The Governor's proposed ballot initiative provides that these new tax revenues would be earmarked specifically for schools with 89% of the new revenue being targeted to school districts, county offices and charters and 11% of the revenues allocated to community colleges. The Governor's proposal also prohibits the use of these temporary taxes for "salaries or benefits of administrators or any other administrative costs".

Consistent with recent media reports, the Governor's proposal would impose:

1. A half-cent sales tax increase starting in 2013 that the Sacramento Bee estimates would amount to a $123 annual increase for the median California joint tax filer earning $65,025. The proposed sales tax increases would be in effect for four years.

2. An income tax hike on high-income earners retroactive to January 1, 2012. More specifically, the personal income tax hike would call for a 1 percent increase (9.3 to 10.3%) at $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for joint filers. A separate and additional increase would charge 1.5 percent more (9.3 to 10.8%) on income between $300,000 and $500,000, followed by a 2 percent increase (9.3 to 11.3%) on income above $500,000 for individuals (with amounts doubled for joint filers). These income tax increases would be in place for five years.

In his "Open Letter to the People of California", explaining his intent in proposing these temporary taxes, the Governor continues to acknowledge the importance of education as a core public service by targeting these funds for public schools ONLY. As you are well aware, the Governor's proposal is also an acknowledgment that public education has been asked to assume a disproportionate share of budget cuts over the past three years.

The four-year plan would raise approximately $6.8 billion by increasing the sales tax by 0.5% and raise marginal tax rates on individuals making over $250,000, increasing by up to 2%. All of the funds would be dedicated to K-12 schools and community colleges. The measure would also provide a constitutional guarantee of funding for the $4 billion "realigned" to counties in last year's budget act, as well as protections against additional unfunded burdens placed on counties.

The additional funding for schools would count toward the Proposition 98 guarantee for K-14, and is roughly the Legislative Analyst's Office-projected amount required in 2013-14 ($53.78 billion) above the post-trigger funding level this year ($47.2 billion).

The increased revenues and treatment of them as strictly Prop. 98 will "free up" money between 2013-14 and 2016-17, which would otherwise be required to be added to K-12 and community college funding. Instead of dividing new state general fund revenues roughly 50/50 between Prop. 98 and non-98 programs, a much larger share would be available to restore non-98 programs.

A big question that the plan raises is the "step-down" in 2017-18, after the taxes expire. Because the funds are part of the Prop. 98 guarantee, the state will be obligated to keep the payments coming, even when the tax revenues sunset. While the Legislative Analyst's Office doesn't provide a forecast for 2017-18, the average general fund increase is around $5 billion in each of the next five years. Thus, even if all new money was dedicated to Prop. 98 in 2017-18, there would need to be a $2 billion cut to other programs to "replace" the temporary K-14 revenue, a suspension of the Prop. 98 degree and a $2 billion cut to schools, or there would be a campaign to renew the temporary taxes. We could see a ballot measure every four years in the presidential general to "avoid a $7 billion cut to our schools."

Attached you will find the complete text of the Governor's "Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012" along with his two-page letter.

As I reported last week, the Governor’s proposal is just one of several initiative efforts that could be on the November 2012 statewide ballot. Each of the other proposals are backed by individuals or groups that have the financial resources to qualify a measure and fund a campaign. Should multiple – and competing – tax measures make it to the November ballot, it will make an uphill battle that much harder given the confusion that would be a part of the campaign efforts. For this reason, it is incumbent upon the Governor to take swift action to until these disparate groups and try to arrive at an agreement that would unit all these parties around one measure that would raise tax revenue for schools and other public services.

As we get more information we will keep you informed.

Jeff

SB140 - Supplemental Instruction Materials (December 7, 2011) - Jeff Frost

This year the Governor signed SB 140 (Lowenthal) that creates a more robust supplemental instruction approval process for materials that will be needed to provide the content imbedded in the Common Core standards as the actual Common Core materials are adopted in the next few years. The CDE is now looking for reviewers for these supplemental materials which will include materials for EL students. CATESOL members may wish to participate in this process. The information is on the link below and the deadline is January 12, 2012.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/suptsupmatreview.asp

Education Remains Key to Possible New Tax Options - Jeff Frost

In the ongoing effort to try to secure additional funding for public education a number of groups have now finalized initiatives to they hope will make it to the November 2012 statewide ballot. Among these are the 2012 Kids Education Plan which includes an array of organizations including ACSA and Children Now. In a recent poll (outlined in the attachment) the voters indicated that they would be willing to support additional taxes as long as the revenue went to California public schools and that there were educational reforms included that gave spending control to school boards and greater local latitude for hiring and dismissal of teachers. With these "reforms" included the poll indicated a 63 percent approval rating for the measure. As Ted Lempert, the President of Children Now is quoted as saying, "the reform piece is needed to bring folks together."

However, this effort is far from being alone. Several others are moving toward the November ballot and there is concern that if the various interests do not come together that it will make it harder to pass any new tax effort. Some of the others include:

The Advancement Project, run by Molly Munger, the wealthy daughter of Berkshire-Hathaway co-founder Charles Munger, is moving an alternative educational tax measure forward that is said to raise $10 billion for public education. The revenue would come from an additional 1 percent tax on the state’s wealthiest citizens – those making well over $1 million per year. Much like Mello-Roos fees, we always seem willing to tax the other guy as long as it does not hit us.

The "Think Long" effort, organized and funded by wealthy financier Nicolas Berggruen, would raise $10 billion a year in new revenue with a combination of overall tax reforms and an expansion of the sales tax to services. The funds would go to K-12 and higher education but the measure would also eliminate much of the Proposition 98 maintenance factor repayment requirement faced by the state. CTA and other groups have already come out in opposition to both the Munger funds bypassing the Prop 98 requirements) and Berggren (the changes to prop 98) proposals.

Hedge fund manager Tom Steyer has put forward an initiative that would raise $1.1 billion in new revenue from out-of-state companies. Under this proposal businesses would be required to pay taxes solely on the proportion of sales they have in California. The revenues would be sued to retrofit schools and other buildings to save energy.

Then there is Governor Brown. His associates are working on an array of options for a November ballot measure based on the polling and focus group work that has been done. The mood of the voter remains uncertain but it is heartening to see that recent polls have shown that they seem reasonably supportive of taxing themselves as long as the funds go to schools and that number increases based on the reforms that may accompany the tax. I believe there is little question that a November tax package will be a part of the Governor's January budget plan. What happens then is anyone’s guess.

As progress is made we will keep you informed.

AB 815 Update and Resources

Governor Brown signed AB 815 (Brownley) creating a state Seal of Biliteracy. Californians Togetherprovided workshop events on how the Seal empowers students.

CCESA Update - Jeff Frost (February 2011)

Finally, Jeff prepared a federal update (PDF) for CCSESA.

Older Postings - For Reference

Reference Documents

Below are documents referenced in recent CATESOL Advocacy emails.

California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)

Economic Impact Aid (EIA)

CATESOL and other organizations work together to oppose appointment of Rae Belisle to CA State Board of Education: Letters

ESOL Credential

AB540 Scholarships

Federal Stimulus Information

Governor's Final Bill Actions - October 17, 2011

Please read Jeff Frost's report on the key bills supported by CATESOL.

AB189 Update - September 7, 2011

Today, the California State Assembly approved the passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 189 by Assemblymember Mike Eng (D – Monterey Park), which will empower parents and community members to advocate for the protection of education programs as local boards consider making deeper cuts or closing entire programs, and permit school districts to gain revenue to help fund programs like Adult Education.

The complete press release is available here.

CTC Survey for New ELD Exam - Deadline October 3, 2011

September 2011

Dear Bilingual Coordinator:

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission), in conjunction with California educators and the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson (Evaluation Systems), is developing a new CSET: World Languages subject matter examination for credential candidates (World Language: ELD) and would appreciate your assistance in assuring that this examination meets the needs of California schools for qualified teachers of English Language Development.

Examination questions for the CSET: World Language: ELD will be based on the WL: ELD Subject Matter Requirements. These requirements describe the content eligible to be included on the examination and have been developed by California educators in alignment with the current state frameworks and standards for English Language Arts and English Language Development for purposes of preliminary teacher certification.

We want to make certain that we have accurately and comprehensively identified the job-related content that should form the basis for the CSET: World Language: ELD examination. We would appreciate your help in the Content Validation Survey now being conducted. The results of the Content Validation Survey will be reviewed by the Commission's Bias Review Committee, the Commission's English Learner Authorizations Advisory Panel, and the Commission.

To be eligible to participate in the Content Validation Survey, a teacher educator must be a current faculty member or provider of a Commission-approved program of preparation for candidates for a Single Subject Teaching Credential. They must be employed at least half-time in this capacity. In the last two full academic years, not counting the current school year, teacher educators must have taught one or more required or elective courses that addressed ELD or SDAIE instructional components for candidates for a Single Subject Teaching Credential.

To complete the survey, click on the secure link below (or copy and paste the link into your computer’s browser) and enter the access code provided when prompted.

https://survey.pearson.vovici.net/wsb.dll/s/10g21a
Access code: CS20187

If the link above does not open the survey, please copy and paste the link into the address bar of your browser.

All surveys must be completed no later than October 3, 2011.

Each participant's response to this survey is very important both to the development of the CSET program and of the teaching profession in California. All responses to the survey will be confidential. No attempt will be made to identify individuals in the analysis of the survey results.

Thank you for your assistance with this very important activity.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Graybill
Interim Executive Director

Budget Update - Jeff Frost (June 30, 2011)

Jeff Frost provides CATESOL with an overview of the approved state budget for 2011-2012.

Budget Update - Jeff Frost (May 2011)

Jeff Frost provides CATESOL with an overview of the Governor's May Revise Budget.

AB 815 Support Letter - Jeff Frost (April 2011)

On behalf of CATESOL, Jeff Frost has submitted a letter in support of AB 815 (Brownley). AB 815 would establish the Seal of Biliteracy which would recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English. This recognition would be in the form of a state insignia that can be affixed to either the high school diploma or the transcript of high school graduates. This action could take place with no cost and would result in significant value to students, businesses and the Sate’s economy in the future.

AB 532 Support Letter - Jeff Frost (April 2011)

On behalf of CATESOL, Jeff Frost has submitted a letter in support of AB 532 (Perez). AB 532 amends the Public Schools Accountability Act by requiring pupil assessments to be valid, reliable, and comparable for pupils who are limited-English-proficient and for pupils with developmental disabilities. The bill also requires the results of the primary language assessment to be used in any measure or results reported for the state's assessment system or in any successor system.

Advocacy Update from Jeff Frost (March 5, 2011)

AB 124 (Fuentes), the CATESOL co-sponsored bill to strengthen the ELD standards, will be heard in the Assembly Educaiton Committee on Wednesday March 16. Jeff Frost sent in a letter of support. He reminds CATESOL members that they can send support letters of their own to the committee and the author.

Letter in Support of Assembly Bill 124 (January 28, 2011)

CATESOL has issued a letter in support of AB 124 (Fuentes), which will create an advisory panel that will develop ELD standards.

Equity for Part-Time and Adjunct Faculty (August 28, 2010)

As some of you may know, TESOL has been a member for several years of the Coalition on the Academic Workforce, an advocacy group focused on the issue of equity for part-time and adjunct faculty. The Coalition released an issue brief on this topic earlier this year that TESOL co-signed. The brief, and more information about the Coalition, is available on their web site at http://www.academicworkforce.org/.

TESOL also has several position statements relating to part-time and adjunct faculty. TESOL’s position statements are available online at http://www.tesol.org/PositionStatements.

Regards,

John Segota
Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

A skill, not a weakness (July 11, 2010 - Los Angeles Times)

Knowing more than one language is an asset in the global economy. Schools should be helping all students, English learners as well as English-only speakers, expand beyond one tongue.

By Laurie Olsen

Learning more than one language is a 21st century skill. It provides students with economic opportunities across the globe and at home. Many students enter our schools fluent in a language other than English. They speak Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Farsi, Arabic, Khmer and dozens of other languages important in international trade. They come with a resource.

The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-olsen-english-20100711,0,698032.story

CATESOL Supports AB 1741 (June 2010)

The CATESOL Board of Directors has voted to support AB 1741. A copy of the letter of support is available in PDF format. AB 1741 requires a petition to establish a charter school that will serve at least 15% English learners (ELs) to include specified information related to the instructional program for these pupils and makes findings and declarations relative to interventions for schools identified as persistently lowest-achieving schools for purposes of implementing the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) program and absence of data about the success of ELs in charter schools.

Common Core Standards Update from Jeff Frost (June 2010)

Here is some additional information on the common core standards. On June 10, in Sacramento, PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education) held a forum to explore these issues and open discussion with members of the state’s Academic Standards Content Commission, the commission charged with making a recommendation on whether or not to adopt the standards.

Podcasts and accompanying slides for this meeting are now available online.

Press Release: California State Board of Education Votes to Support ACLU Lawsuit Against LAUSD Teacher Layoff Practices (May 2010)

California State Board of Education President Ted Mitchell and Board Member Benjamin Austin issued the following statements regarding the Board's unanimous vote this week to stand up for student civil rights by supporting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)/Public Council lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) teacher layoff practices that are disproportionately hurting low-income and minority schools:

"The State Board of Education voted unanimously to support this landmark ACLU lawsuit because it is what's right for the students of California," said Board President Mitchell. "We must take action to ensure that all students have equal access to quality education."

"By supporting the ACLU lawsuit, the State Board of Education unanimously sided with the parents and children of Los Angeles and California against the defenders of the status quo," said Board Member Austin. "This decision sends a powerful signal to every single parent in California that we stand with you in your struggle to make our public education system about children, not grown-ups."

Comment from Jeff Frost: The thing that this press release does not say is that the Governor has also entered this suit on behalf of the plaintiffs and the ACLU. The formal action of the SBE was to support the suit and to agree to use the Governor's lawyers. Additionally, Senator Steinberg has weighed in and has plans to seek a legislative remedy to the suit by making changes (as yet to be determined) in the Education Code that will ensure that the rights of all students to a full and complete education are upheld. The ACLU suit is focused on the issue of seniority in that the least senior teachers in the lowest performing schools in LAUSD have taken the largest number of layoffs due to reduction in force (RIF) needs. The question is how or whether specific changes to California's seniority laws in the areas of hiring, reassignment, teacher preparation and professional development can address the concerns of the ACLU. Senator Steinberg held the first of several meetings last Friday to discuss these issues. There will be more to this story as the year progresses.

Effects of the California High School Exit Exam on Student Persistence, Achievement, and Graduation (September 11, 2009)

A new PACE policy brief (PDF) summarizes the findings from a study investigating the impact of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on California’s lowest performing students. Utilizing longitudinal data from four large urban school districts, Sean Reardon from Stanford and Michal Kurlaender from UC-Davis compare students scheduled to graduate just before (2005) and after (2006-07) the exit exam became a requirement for graduation from California high schools. They find that the CAHSEE requirement had no positive effects on students’ academic skills, and a large negative impact on graduation rates that fell disproportionally on minority students and on female students. The authors conclude that policymakers should reevaluate the utility of the high school exit exam in California’s accountability system.

From Jeff Frost re: Education Trust - West and STAR Scores

Here is the entire packet of data from CDE related to the recent STAR test scores (DOC). This is helpful in light of the press release sent out from Education Trust - West. I share legitimate concerns about a lack of progress in the scores of minority and poor students, but I am disappointed that the Education Trust - West leaders do not acknowledge the incredible loss of Prop 98 revenue over the last several years, culminating in the multi-billion dollar cuts from 2008-09 and 2009-10, and the resulting educational upheaval that has resulted.

TESOL ALERT Dream Act

Support the DREAM Act by asking your members of Congress to co-sponsor the DREAM Act!

Click here to take action now

TRPI October 2009 Policy Brief (October 29, 2009)

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute has released a new policy brief, "Are English Language Learning Students Remaining in English Learning Classes Too Long?" You can access the brief at the TRPI website.

The study by Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California showed 29 percent of English learners in the Los Angeles Unified School District were still in these classes in the eighth grade. More than half of these students were born in the United States and were in classes for English learners for more than eight years. The study has recently been covered by EdWeek.

President's Response (2006)

Read CATESOL President Cadiero-Kaplan's Response to "Proposal Revives Bilingual Education Debate," an article from the August 11, 2006, LA Times by Carla Rivera