STATE NEWS
From the Capitol
CSEA Governmental Relations meets with White House
by Shannon Carr
Cedric Richmond, Senior Advisor to the President and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
In just the first week of President Biden taking office, senior staff from the White House held a meeting with around 25 larger unions, from across a broad spectrum of different sectors, including CSEA.
Cedric Richmond, Senior Advisor to the President and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, kicked off the call by sharing the Biden administration’s desire to be engaged with the labor community, including our union. Under the previous administration, there was very little, if any, communication between labor and the White House.
“That says a lot about their willingness to be engaged with us in the years to come and to make sure our voices are heard, and our issues are considered by the administration,” said David Schapira, CSEA Director of Governmental Relations, who represented CSEA on the call along with CSEA Legislative Advocate Xong Lor.
The conversation covered a wide span of topics, from the upcoming stimulus package to vaccinations, safe school reopening and school funding.
“Because of the relatively limited number of unions on the call, it definitely gave us an opportunity to really raise some critical issues,” said Schapira, who was the first among the labor representatives to have the chance to ask questions and have a conversation with Director Richmond and his staff.
"We are optimistic that the Biden administration will be the first administration in many years to actually meet the commitment to students with disabilities and to staff."
-- David Schapira, CSEA Director of Governmental Relations
“I made sure to introduce CSEA, talk about who we are, who we represent, that we are the largest classified school employee union in the country, the importance of the work that our members do and the work they have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic,” he said.
Schapira shared the importance of ensuring the federal government prioritizes resources to help us continue to secure PPE, funding for testing, and improving vaccine distribution so as many of our members as possible have the opportunity to get the vaccine. He also made points about the stimulus package, expressing hope that there will be money specifically for emergency relief for schools. Additionally, Schapira reminded the administration not to forget about the federal government’s promise to provide special education funding, which is supposed to supply 40 percent of state costs but currently stands at 13 percent in California.
“It’s important to remind them of the federal government’s commitments to our members and the students we serve,” Schapira said. “We are optimistic that the Biden administration will be the first administration in many years to actually meet the commitment to students with disabilities and to staff.”
He also raised the issue of COVID leave. The CARES Act provided funding and requires employers to provide leave to employees who contract COVID-19 or must quarantine from exposure without deducting from their leave banks. That expired at the end of the year and was not renewed in the December stimulus package. Schapira encouraged the White House to ensure that the next package addresses this issue.
The call was just the beginning of CSEA relations with the Biden administration, and our Governmental Relations office continues to be engaged with the White House.
“Our goal in Governmental Relations is always to move the ball for our members,” Schapira said. “It’s great to have access and to have communication with the administration, but our ultimate goal is always to utilize that access to make our members’ lives better.”
American Rescue Plan allocates $15.3 billion to California schools
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law by President Biden on March 11. This third COVID-related federal stimulus bill provides significant funding to education and direct relief to families. Below are estimates of California’s share.
Education Funding for our Schools and Community Colleges
- $15.3 billion: K-12 Schools Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund
- Similar to the first two federal stimulus bills, 90 percent of this funding will be allocated to school districts via the federal Title I formula. School districts are required to spend at least 20 percent on learning loss mitigation.
- The rest of the funding will be provided to the state for state-level learning loss mitigation strategies.
- $2.3 billion: Community Colleges Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund
- At least 50 percent of a college’s allocation must be spent on emergency financial aid grants to students.
- $3 billion: Special education This amount is the overall appropriation to all states. California’s share is not known at this time but is likely to be about 10 percent of those funds (or about $300 million). Of this $3 billion, $2.6 billion will be provided to states based on their normal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) formula, $200 million will be provided to support preschool students with disabilities (ages three to five), and $250 million will be provided to support infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth to two). This is all one-time at this point.
Childcare Assistance
- $3.8 billion in childcare assistance will be provided to California families and providers through the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
Supporting Families
- $1,400 per person in direct payment. Individuals making $75,000 or less and couples making $150,000 or less will receive the full amount.
- For tax year 2021, the child tax credit temporarily increases for individuals making $75,000 or less and couples making $150,000 or less. The child tax credit will be $3600 for a child age 5 and younger and $3000 for a child age 6-17.
For more information, read the EdSource article here.
AB 86 lays out plans for reopening schools
At the beginning of the month, the Governor and the Legislature announced they reached an agreement on reopening TK-12 schools for in-person instruction. Assembly Bill 86 is designed to provide the guidelines and the funding to get students back in the classroom and address the lost learning opportunities they may have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic.
In February, CSEA’s Governmental Relations Department put together its own pathway to reopening, in collaboration with fellow education labor groups, and presented it to state leaders in Sacramento. The CSEA Communications Department named the proposal CLASSES, which stands for Classroom Learning and Safe Schools for Employees and Students, because it represents what CSEA believes is necessary to protect the health of students and staff as schools reopen.
It's obvious the voices of those who know how schools operate – CSEA’s voices – were heard because the legislation announced includes much of what CSEA proposed.
Here are the major components of the $6.6 billion legislation:
- $456 million to rehire laid-off paraeducators and hire new paraeducators to meet the increased needs of our students, representing 10 percent of $4.6 billion allocated to address our students' learning needs by increasing instructional supports and expanding learning time.
- Codifies the governor’s announcement that 10 percent of the state’s allotment of vaccines are dedicated to school staff.
- Commits $2 billion toward reopening costs for schools that reopen in-person between April 1 and May 15.
- Leaves pre-existing collective bargaining requirements in place and requires LEAs to submit a plan to apportion this funding by June 1 in consultation with school staff and parents.
While not perfect, this legislation is a strong statement from our state leaders that they take seriously the importance of in-person learning for our students, and they want to see that happen safely.