ATA Weekly
January 20th, 2023
PAC CONTRIBUTION
Dear ATA Unit Member,
This is to notify you that the Alhambra Teachers Association will be transferring one dollar per month per member from our regular dues collection into our Alhambra Teachers Association Political Action Committee Fund, as authorized by the Association Bylaws and Representative Council, on January 17, 2023.
These funds are used to support pro-public education candidates and issues in non-partisan elections at the district and city level. None of these funds may be used in state or national partisan elections. This is a very important part of our total program to protect the interests of our members and to ensure a supportive environment for the education of our students. Your support of these local political activities is very much needed. In way of context, during the past 6 years we have used our PAC funds to win four AUSD School Board Elections, 3 Alhambra City Council elections and 2 local ballot initiatives. However, this impressive win streak has meant that we have also depleted almost all of our PAC monies and left us with little to no flexibility going forward in local elections or other political activities.
Your local Association also supports the right of any of its members to decline to support these activities and to decline to contribute to the Alhambra Teachers Association PAC. Should you wish to decline participation, none of your local dues will be transferred into the PAC account. All of your local dues will remain in the Association general account to be used for non-political purposes. To be sure, whether or not you decide to have the $1 transferred to PAC, it will not change the overall amount of your ATA dues.
Any member declining participation must complete the form below and return it to the Association treasurer no later than 5:00 PM on February 21 (the date of the next ATA Rep Council Meeting). If a form is not received by that time, the Association will assume that it has full permission to transfer the above amount into the PAC account going forward beginning on March 1, 2023
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email or call. We look forward to an excellent 2023 for all our members and students. With your help, we can work together to make it happen.
Thank you in advance for your support of the Alhambra Teachers Association Political Action Committee.
To access the form, click here.
Sincerely,
Ralph Hernandez, President
Alhambra Teachers Association
Support Your ATA Bargaining Team
Your ATA Bargaining Team will soon be negotiating salary, benefits, and reopeners selected by Rep Council on January 17th. Your strong, visible support is instrumental in helping us achieve a positive outcome. It also shows the District that we are UNITED. To demonstrate our solidarity, we ask that you take pictures with your colleagues (while displaying the sign below) for us to post on our social media and the weekly newsletter. After that, please affix the sign to the inside of your classroom door (or workspace) for site and District administrators to admire. Signs will be delivered to all sites next week.
Your ATA Bargaining Team thanks you for your ongoing support.
SPECIAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
As a reminder, our Special Education Committee will meet with the District on February 23rd to surface issues and concerns dealing with the special education program. The District and Association each select five representatives to serve on this committee. Representing ATA will be:
Gina Centeno
Stephanie Dunne
Rachel Fall
Jose Martinez
Kimi Suehiro
In preparation for the meeting above, we invite ALL special education personnel to attend a preparation meeting on January 26th at 4 pm at the ATA Office.
NEW ATA ELECTIONS CHAIR & COMMITTEE
I'm happy to announce we have a new Elections Committee Chair, Silvia Lohora. Silvia will canvass declarations of candidacy for officers and directors, canvass the election returns, and certify results received through Simply Voting. Simply Voting is our full-service provider of secure, hosted online elections.
Also on the committee are:
Araceli Arzate
Kristin Keenan
BOOKS NEEDED FOR READ ACROSS AMERICA
State Budget: Government Prioritizes Education
Despite a $22.5 billion shortfall, the governor is continuing to invest in education, meaning that local school districts will be able to focus on implementing recent investments, expanding learning opportunities for all students and continuing to recover from the pandemic.
“Gov. Newsom has continued his commitment to support California’s public schools, from the historic investment in community schools and transitional kindergarten to providing more resources for special education, school meals and social-emotional support,” CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement.
The proposed 2023-24 Proposition 98 Guarantee for pre-K-12 schools and community colleges is projected to be more than $108 billion.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the State Legislature will review Gov. Newsom’s proposed budget over the next few months. He will submit his May Revision by May 14, and the Legislature has until June 15 to adopt the budget.
RETIREMENT PLANNING FEB. 16TH AT 4:00 PM
Prudent Investor Advisors will offer their very popular half-hour webinar educational session to ATA on Retirement Planning and Financial Wellness.
This virtual workshop is great for all members and will assist them in making excellent financial decisions. More information to follow.
CTA DISASTER RELIEF FUND
FREE CALM SUBSCRIPTION
SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
The CTA Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship Program encourages Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) students to become educators, school nurses, school counselors or school therapists and to promote professional growth for BIPOC teachers and Education Support Professional members. Award amounts are up to $6,000. Check eligibility and find the application here. Deadline to apply: Feb. 10.
January is Cervical Cancer Prevention Month
Learning the ABCs of Behavior Change with BJ Fogg, PhD - PODCAST
Health Views with Deb Friesen, MD
Food and Activity for a Healthy You Webinar
Thursday, January 26, 2023 - 12:30-1:30pm
See flier to register
You’ll learn about:
· Healthy eating made simple
· Physical activity for a long and healthy life
· How to change your habits
January Workforce Health Newsletter
Cervical Cancer Prevention month.
· “What You Can Do to Prevent Cervical Cancer” About KP Article — Shows how Kaiser Permanente’s 3-part strategy to eliminate cervical cancer among our patients includes vaccination, screening, and personalized follow-up on all abnormal test results.
· “Championing Cancer Prevention” Heath Views with Dr. Deb Friesen podcast — Provides an expert-led discussion around cervical cancer and cancer risk reduction.
· “Exploring the Promise of At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening” About KP Article — Details how Kaiser Permanente is at the forefront of research to increase screening rates by using home tests for HPV, a leading cause of cervical cancer.MARK YOUR CALENDARS
- Pupil Free Day
January 26
- Sped Committee Prep-day - open to all (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
January 27-29
- CTA State Council Weekend
January 31
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
February 3
- AAA Lunar New Year Banquet
February 7
- ATA Board of Directors (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
February 13
- Lincoln Holiday
February 20
- Presidents' Day Holiday
February 21
- ATA Rep Council (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
February 23
- Sped Committee Meeting (TBD)Upcoming Events
Contact Us
Email: ataoffice3030@gmail.com
Website: www.alhambrateachers.org
Location: 3030 West Main Street, Alhambra, CA, USA
Phone: (626)289-1933
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlhambraTeachersAssociation/