No on Prop. 74 The Governor’s
“Blame Teachers” Initiative

The Governor’s Approach to Education is Flawed:

· We need to vote No on Prop. 74 to send the Governor a message to stop playing politics with our kids. Governor Schwarzenegger broke his promise to repay over two billion dollars he took from California’s education budget last year. Now he is trying to pass an initiative that will enable him to avoid repaying that money forever and that will eliminate California’s minimum education funding guarantee.
· We need to send the Governor a message to get to work on what does improve student learning—things like smaller class sizes and up-to-date text books. Prop. 74 is confusing, but voting NO sends the Governor a clear message to get serious about education.

Prop. 74 is Misleading and Extreme:

· If Prop. 74 passes, teachers can be fired without even being given a chance to defend themselves. We give criminals the right to a hearing. Don’t we owe teachers at least the same protections we give criminals?

· Prop. 74 is unnecessary. There is already a system in place to fire teachers who are not performing in the classroom. Existing law allows teachers to be fired for unsatisfactory performance or unprofessional conduct no matter how long they’ve been on the job.

· Prop. 74 is unnecessary because after two years on the job, all teachers get under current law is the right to a hearing before they are fired.

Prop. 74 Doesn’t Deal With The Real Problems:

· Prop. 74 unfairly attempts to blame teachers for what is wrong with our schools, while doing nothing to address the real problems our schools face.

· Prop. 74 will not improve student learning. It does nothing to reduce class sizes, nothing to provide training for teachers, nothing to buy even one new textbook. We need to focus on proven reforms that really improve our schools. Parents and classroom teachers oppose Prop. 74 because it does not put one more dollar into the classroom and doesn’t do anything to improve teaching.

Prop. 74 is Ineffective:

· University professors of education know of no evidence to show that lengthening the probation period has any impact on teacher quality or student achievement. Instead of blaming teachers, we should focus on proven reforms such as providing mentoring programs and quality training for new teachers.

Congratulations!
Phone Bank Movie Ticket Winners

Carol Velasquez
Sarah Bautista
Victoria Landeros-Lopez
Mary Ann Lebow
Marie Stefanovich
Claudia Banuelos
Marina Martinez Smith

Phone Banking Continues!

Monday 17-Oct EAI
Tuesday 18-Oct RPE
Wednesday 19-Oct GWE/MOI
Thursday 20-Oct BAE/SUE
Monday 24-Oct Retirees
Tuesday 25-Oct WAE/VHS
Wednesday 26-Oct LMI/MHS
Thursday 27-Oct GAE/SUI
Tuesday 1-Nov MPE/WIE
Wednesday 2-Nov GWE/CCE
Thursday 3-Nov BGI/LNE
Monday 7-Nov Adult EdTuesday
Tuseday 8-Nov WGE

How To Prepare Yourself To Compete
For UniServ Staff Vacancies

How To Prepare Yourself To Compete For UniServ Vacancies workshop is a component of the CTA Affirmative Action Program for racial minorities of both genders and women CTA members. The special one-day training session will help you investigate whether staff work is for you. The workshop will be Saturday November 12 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Santa Fe Springs. Applications are available at the MTA office.