EdCal EdCal v48.15 1/8/18 | Page 2

2 EDCAL January 8 , 2018

Bill grants playground positions right to unionize

A bill has been enacted that affects schools and playground positions . Assembly Bill 670 ( Thurmond ) removes the exempting of part-time playground positions from the classified service within school districts if the person is not also employed in a classified position . Meaning playground positions are now eligible to belong to classified unions .

ACSA opposed this bill as it made its way through the Legislature , based on the following objections :

• Classified status generally requires some type of certification . Noon-duty aides are not required to obtain additional training .

• Making noon-duty aides classified reduces the flexibility in which schools are able to utilize these employees . If they are unionized then issues such as seniority come into play .

• Many noon-duty aides are parents of students who simply want to participate in their child ’ s school for a few hours a day . But the pay they would earn would diminish if forced to join a union and pay dues .

ACSA also noted that school districts were already able to negotiate noon-duty aides into classified status should the district and employees wish to do so . Several

districts already do this , so ACSA asked , why mandate it ?

ACSA also noted there would be additional costs to districts under this mandate . According to the Senate Appropriations Committee , this bill would lead to increased administrative and payroll costs for school districts , at a minimum in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually .

According to the bill ’ s author , Sen . Tony Thurmond , this bill was needed in order to provide benefits to these part-time playground positions . The bill was sponsored by the California School Employees Association , and had support from labor groups .

Opponents , including ACSA , contend that to require positions that are currently exempt be included in the classified service fails to recognize the fiscal constraints this proposal imposes on Local Education Agencies , and will ultimately limit school districts ’ ability to provide necessary support and services that improve students ’ academic success . In addition , these playground positions will no longer be considered “ at will ”, but be afforded probation and permanency . Also , due process will come into play in cases of termination .

The bill took effect Jan . 1 .

CDE releases chronic absentee data to schools , public

The California Department of Education has made available data on statewide chronic absenteeism , providing a new understanding of absenteeism rates and enabling schools to see at a comprehensive level which students are missing school and in danger of falling behind .

“ This is a big step forward in efforts to provide useful information to schools ,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson . “ This data helps us determine which schools , districts , and student groups have the largest concentration of chronic absences , allowing educators and community members to focus attention and resources and take actions needed to keep those students in class and back on the path to academic success .”

The reports indicate chronic absenteeism rates of schools and school districts and which student subgroups have the highest chronic absenteeism rates .

“ The way the California Department of Education is presenting this data is cutting edge ,” said Hedy Chang , executive director of Attendance Works , a national nonprofit organization that advances student success by reducing chronic absence . “ Making this information available through an interactive channel , allowing the public to access the information and analyze the data in different ways offers the opportunity to identify which schools , districts , and populations are most affected and in need of prevention and

Region 7 meets . ACSA President Lisa Gonzalez was the guest speaker at Region 7 ’ s first General Membership Assembly of the year . Above , Region 7 cabinet members welcome Gonzales . L to R , Daryl Camp , Deborah Rowe , Denise Wickham , Gonzales , Region 7 President Greg Leland , Mary Ann Sanders , Jennifer Backman , Nora Hana and Christine Facella . early intervention .”

A student is considered a chronic absentee if he or she is absent 10 percent of the days they were enrolled in a school . Average Daily Attendance is the average number of students who attend school each day and is used for state funding purposes .

When California enacted the Local Control Funding Formula in 2013 , it was one of only two states in the country to build an indicator around chronic absence . School districts must now track and address chronic absence as part of their respective Local Control Accountability Plan , a tool to set goals , plan actions , and leverage resources to meet those goals to improve student outcomes .

Torlakson has focused on reducing the state ’ s chronic absenteeism rates , especially the rates for racial / ethnic groups and program populations ( such as foster youth ) which are significantly above the state average . He convenes the State Attendance Review Board , which recommends how to identify and respond to patterns of chronic absenteeism or truancy .

In its Model School Attendance Review Board Recognition Program , the State SARB recognizes districts which implement a three-tiered approach to reducing chronic absenteeism rates for student populations which are above the district average :

• First tier : Focus on preventing attendance problems by promoting a positive school climate .

• Second tier : Ensure early interventions for minor attendance problems .

• Third tier : Address intensive barriers to school attendance , such as mental health conditions .

Torlakson supported Assembly Bill 2815 , which expanded the role of attendance supervisors to include more effective strategies to address chronic absenteeism and truancy . These changes will promote a culture of attendance and improve more accurate student tracking .

According to Attendance Works , kindergarten students who are chronically absent are less likely to read proficiently by the end of third grade and more likely to be held back in later grades . By sixth grade , absenteeism is one of the three early warning indicators influencing high school graduation .

The data will help school attendance teams identify patterns in the student groups which are chronically absent and help them implement strategies to keep students in class . This information will raise the awareness of parents , guardians , caregivers , community partners , school personnel , law enforcement , and local businesses of the chronic absenteeism problem and the challenges associated with poor attendance .

“ There are many reasons a student can fall into a pattern of being chronically absent that are beyond their control such as an illness , watching a younger sibling while a parent works , caregiving for an older relative , or lack of a reliable ride , or convenient bus route to school ,” Torlakson said . “ When we identify these challenges , we can link students and their families to all appropriate school and community resources .”

Chronic absenteeism is a state academic indicator and LCFF priority on the California School Dashboard . The new chronic absenteeism data will be included in the dashboard in March 2018 .

Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators

EdCal ® ( USPS 684-390 , ISSN 0740-0357 ) is published Weekly , except for the following dates in 2017-18 : 7 / 10 , 7 / 31 , 8 / 14 , 8 / 28 , 9 / 11 , 10 / 2 , 10 / 16 , 11 / 6 , 11 / 27 , 12 / 11 , 12 / 18 , 12 / 25 , 1 / 1 , 1 / 29 , 2 / 19 , 4 / 9 , 5 / 14 and 6 / 4 , by the Association of California School Administrators , 1575 Bayshore Highway , Burlingame , CA 94010 . Periodical postage paid at Bur lingame , CA 94010 and additional offices . Subscription price : $ 90 value to members ; offered to nonmembers on a qualifying basis . For further information , contact the membership department at ( 650 ) 692-4300 . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to EdCal , c / o ACSA , 1575 Bayshore Highway , Burlingame , CA 94010 .

EdCal keeps ACSA members informed of association activities , efforts on their behalf and issues pertinent to education and education administration . Ad vertising or the mention of products , services or programs in EdCal does not imply endorsement by ACSA .

ACSA is affiliated with the National Association of School Superintendents , Nation al Association of Secondary School Principals , National Association of Elem entary School Principals , American Associa tion of School Personnel Administrators , California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators , Ca lifornia Associa tion of Education Office Pro fes sionals and the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education .

Editorial Offices : 1029 J St ., Suite 500 , Sacramento , CA 95814 ; ( 916 ) 444-3216

• Job ads : e-mail careerconnect @ acsa . org

• News : e-mail crodda @ acsa . org

ACSA Executive Director , Wesley Smith Senior Director of Communications / PIO , Naj Alikhan

Chief Operations Officer , Scarlett Vanyi ; Senior Director of Member Services , Margarita Cuizon ; Chief Marketing Officer , Tatia Davenport ; Senior Director of Educational Services , Margaret Arthofer ; Senior Directors of Governmental Relations , Edgar Zazueta and Adonai Mack ; Senior Director of Information Technology , Tony Baldwin ; Chief Financial Officer , Dave Williams

EdCal Editor , Cary Rodda Editor Emeritus , London Roberts Advertising / Website Coordinator , Emily Agpoon Content Specialists , Michael Kelly and Darcy Totten ACSA CareerConnect Coordinator , Tracy Olmedo

ACSA Board of Directors President , Lisa Gonzales President-elect , Holly Edds Vice President , Linda Kaminski VP for Legislative Action , Terri Rufert Past President , Ralph Gómez Porras

Members : Angel Barrett , Mike Berg , Ana Boyenga , Blanca Cavazos , Juan Cruz , Craig Helmstedter , Charles Hoffman , Linda Hutcherson , Sue Kaiser , Lisa Ketchum , Jon LeDoux , Michael McCormick , Rafael Placencia , Barbara Martinez , Robert Martinez , Denny Rush , Karen Sakata , Kiela Snider , Jay Spaulding , Victor Thompson , Roxanna Villaseñor , Denise Wickham , Ron Williams

Burlingame , ( 650 ) 692-4300 • Sacramento , ( 916 ) 444-3216 • Ontario , ( 909 ) 484-7503 • toll-free ( 800 ) 608-ACSA

This feature introduces ACSA staff to members . These are the people working tirelessly for you each and every day .

Who : Michael Kelly

Job : Communications Specialist

Michael is in charge of all video content for ACSA including the Every Student Succeeding video series on www . youtube . com / acsaorg .

All-time favorite book :

It Takes More Than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting , by Wayne Freedman

ACSA . We work for you .

www . acsa . org