News Briefs | FYI
August 19, 2024
Newsom asks school leaders to limit smartphones on campus
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging school leaders to use their authority to regulate the use of smartphones.
In an Aug. 13 letter to school leaders, Newsom asks them to limit smartphone use on campuses using AB 272 (Muratsuchi), a 2019 law that grants school districts the authority to regulate the use of smartphones during school hours.
ACSA issued a response to the letter asking for consideration of “a more holistic approach that includes reducing the persistent, negative content that targets young people.” ACSA is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 976 (Skinner) and supports Senate Bill 1504 (Stern), that would seek to limit the flow of addictive social media feeds targeting minors and require social media platforms have mechanisms to report cyberbullying, respectively.
Work continues on efforts to end WEP/GPO laws
ACSA’s Council of Retired Leaders recently received an update on work to end two federal laws that impact the retirement income of school administrators.
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) unjustly reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for public service workers and others who have qualified and earned Social Security benefits from their earnings record or that of their spouse.
In recent congressional testimony, Social Security experts and congressional leaders stated the WEP and GPO formulas are flawed and outdated and create an unfair outcome for impacted beneficiaries. WEP and GPO affect public servants like teachers, firefighters and police officers.
Two bills have been introduced in Congress — one in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives — that would repeal the laws. There are currently 323 co-sponsors for H.R. 82 (Graves/Spanberger) and 60 co-sponsors for S. 597 (Brown/Collins). Members of the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force continue to reach out and meet with their representatives to encourage more members to support the bills.
Recently, the California Retired Teachers Association led a three-week “virtual march on Washington, D.C.,” which involved flooding legislative offices with calls for fairness, according to Council of Retired Leaders President Shelton Yip.
“Repealing WEP and GPO is a matter of justice, fairness, and practicality,” according to the national task force’s position paper. “The financial cost impact is minimal, while the benefits are substantial. It’s time to end these unfair penalties and ensure that all Americans receive the Social Security benefits they deserve.”
FYI
Connect with peers at new ACSA networking groups
Ready to expand your network? ACSA is rolling out new networking groups where California school administrators can connect and share resources with one another: Arab American Network, Equity Administrators Network, LGBTQ+ Network, Pacific Islander Network, and Visible & Invisible Disabilities Network. To join, fill out an interest form at acsa.org/equity.
CDE classified workgroup seeks members
The California Department of Education is recruiting members for the Classified Employee Staffing Ratio Workgroup. This workgroup will be responsible for providing recommendations to the Legislature for classified staffing ratios for identified classified staffing groups with the number of pupils at a site. The workgroup will include between 15 to 20 members, who will be selected to ensure balanced representation of regions and school types. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply and to distribute the application to other potential applicants. To apply to be a member of this focus group, please visit cde.ca.gov/ci/pl/cesrw.asp. Applications must be submitted no later than 4 p.m. Sept. 3.
Free student well-being workshop offered
The nonprofit Lenny Learning is offering a free 1-hour workshop focused on empowering educators with the skills and tools needed to improve student well-being. Participants will engage in a dynamic, virtual session focused on integrating practical, evidence-based strategies into their daily teaching practices — and all participants receive resources that can be used during school hours. If interested, please apply at www.lennylearning.org/workshop by Sept. 30.