Pajaro Valley community fights back and wins to stop layoffs
Teachers, parents, and students from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District were out in force on Wednesday ahead of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District school board meeting, where the board was considering laying off over 100 teachers, educators, and classified staff, despite keeping massive reserves.
After a boisterous rally and passionate testimony from dozens, the community was successful in convincing the board to vote no on the layoffs.
According to Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President Nelly Vaquera, the proposed cuts would have increased class sizes, reduced student support, and weakened the educational experience for all students.
"I am so proud of all of the teachers, classified staff, parents, students, and the Central Labor Council for coming together on Wednesday to stand up for our jobs and our schools,” says Vaquera. “This victory belongs to the entire community."
Great work everyone!
El Camino Real Charter High School educators on strike this week for the future of their school
Solidarity with the more than 130 educators from El Camino Real Charter High School in Los Angeles, who are on strike this week, fighting for a new contract and the respect they deserve to do their critical work. The hard-working educators have been without a contract since last summer, despite bargaining for over a year.
El Camino Real Charter High School educators are fighting for fair wages, long-term stability, and a commitment to the future of our students. But instead of making real investments in their staff, El Camino Real’s board is pushing costly short-term bonuses while refusing to secure lasting salary improvements.
Offer your support by following and commenting on the ECR-UTLA Instagram, and by signing their petition urging the board to settle a fair contract.
Stop Elon Musk from stealing Americans' private data and shutting down the Department of Education
It appears Musk has hacked into millions of Americans’ personal information and now has access to their taxes, Social Security, student debt and financial aid filings. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency was not created by Congress—it is operating with zero transparency and in clear violation of federal law. This is outrageous, and it must be stopped. Sign the AFT letter urging Congress to stop Musk from stealing our personal information.
AFT joins suit against Elon Musk for illegally hacking Americans’ private data
AFT, and a coalition of labor unions representing more than 2 million workers, filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging a data heist carried out by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency inside three federal government departments.
The suit alleges the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Treasury improperly disclosed the sensitive records of millions of Americans to DOGE staff who lack appropriate security clearances and have not been properly vetted, granting access to some of the government’s most sensitive and closely guarded data systems, in violation of the Privacy Act.
Linda McMahon comes up short in Senate hearing
This week Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary, took part in a hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. We were disheartened that McMahon would not commit to protect funding for the Department of Education against potential devastating cuts – as President Trump and Elon Musk have promised – that would deeply harm our public schools and put our most vulnerable students further at risk. Of particular concern is the proposed cuts to IDEA and Title I, which support our students in special education and low income students.
CFT member survey on literacy instruction
All CFT members who work in K-12 schools or in early education (including all educators who do reading instruction, in any grade) are encouraged to take the new CFT member survey on literacy instruction. The brief online survey is an opportunity to share your experiences and ideas about how the state can best support literacy education. In California and around the country, policymakers and advocacy groups are considering changes to requirements and guidance about literacy instruction. CFT has opportunities to be a part of these discussions, and the CFT Legislative Department is seeking input from you, the educators and practitioners who are in the classrooms, teaching students to read each day. Take the survey here.
