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PALs Update Dear PALs, Thanks to all of you who called and/or emailed Senators, and supported our efforts in Sacramento the last two weeks. AB 5 did not even make it to the Senate floor for a vote. There was a tremendous onslaught of opposition to this bill that would have weakened the current teacher evaluation system in our state at a time when student achievement in California is ranked 47th in the nation. It was truly inspiring to experience so many amazing organizations as well as concerned parents and teachers, regardless of political viewpoints, come together in the best interest of students. We were up against a giant political and financial force in California, CTA (California Teachers Association). Despite this political entity pushing hard to pass AB 5, YOU and the over 50 organizations (including: EdVoice; PTA; Education Trust West; LAUSD; Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Democrats for Education Reform; United Way of LA; and StudentsFirst) and concerned citizens never gave up fighting for our students. The directors of Parents Advocate League had many concerns with AB 5 as stated in previous emails. Our biggest concern is that under AB 5 teachers would not be evaluated annually with a percentage of the evaluation attached to student academic growth. Our children need a system where all teachers, regardless of tenure or lifetime credentials, should be evaluated every year to ensure teachers are effective in the classroom. Students deserve a system that recognizes excellent teachers and provides support for struggling teachers. Parents Advocate League is looking forward to supporting legislation that provides annual and meaningful teacher and principal evaluations. Our children deserve a much improved public education system in our state. This will not be accomplished with the current state of public education in California. Significant change needs to happen for students so not one more child has a wasted school year. I know many of you had to get out of your comfort zone to make calls or write emails. I cannot thank you enough. This bill would have quietly passed if it was not for your efforts. I hope you know it was worth it, and YOU helped every publicly educated student in California, regardless of zip code, have a better chance at academic success. I know I can count on you in the future to continue these efforts for all students. Please read the email below specifically to PALs from Shane McLoud, Regional Outreach Manager with StudentsFirst, thanking YOU for stepping up for students. All the best, Dear PALs, I wanted you to know that the author of AB 5 has withdrawn the bill, releasing a statement Thursday night. It simply didn't have enough votes to pass, nor enough votes to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. How did this happen? From people like you who called, emailed, sent letters, visited the legislators’ offices, wrote letters to the editors in the local newspapers, and encouraged your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members to rise up and oppose AB 5. This is not only a victory for students, it's a victory for grass roots organizing efforts, showing how powerful a movement can be if enough people unite together. There were just enough Senators who started asking questions in the hearings and amongst themselves (thanks to the efforts of the opposition), indicating serious reservations about a new teacher evaluation bill that was actually a step backwards. We heard from many Senators and their staff that they were bombarded with emails, calls, and visits against AB 5. This is what made the difference, and in the end, many Senators didn't want to be associated with something that the education community opposed so strongly. So, what's next: StudentsFirst and the broad coalition of other education and community based organizations will continue to work together, getting input from people like you, and working toward creating a strong teacher and principal evaluation for next year. I want to personally thank every Parents Advocate League member who picked up the phone, emailed, wrote letters, visited their legislator, and attended the two hearings in the past week. Each of these actions helped defeat AB 5, and sent a message to the legislature that the interests of the students are more important than any other interest. I would like to personally invite PALs to also join our organization, StudentsFirst. Together, we can make a difference for students. Become a Member of StudentsFirst |
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