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Members of ACSA ' s Human Resources Council discuss the merits of legislation with a representative from Assembly member Kevin McCarty ' s office

ACSA ’ s Human Resources Council met in Sacramento last week and spent some time visiting legislative offices to deliver the message of ACSA ’ s position on some key HR bills , as well as the looming teacher shortage .

One of the bills , Assembly Bill 1220 ( Weber ), would extend the probationary period for granting tenure to teachers . Members of the council expressed ACSA ’ s support for passing this bill out of committee and moving it forward .

The members noted that the bill actually asks for a longer period of probation for teachers than ACSA has been advocating . ACSA ’ s message was that school leaders would simply like to have an extra year to assess a teacher . Currently , the way the situation stands , HR departments must render a decision after only 18 months on the job . With some standout teachers that might be sufficient time , with teachers “ on the bubble ” often the only thing a district can do is choose not to re-elect the teacher .

As ACSA members repeatedly expressed , that is not something they want to do . They have time and money invested in each hire , and choosing not to re-elect someone basically means resources that were earmarked for helping students learn have been wasted . It would be much better , they said , to have another year to see how a teacher on the margin might respond to coaching or other professional development .

The school leaders noted a new teacher faces many challenges when entering a classroom for the first time , including managing the complexities of providing differentiated standards-based and

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Dated Material engaging instruction to meet the needs of each student , effectively collaborating with peers , engaging parents in a meaningful way , and learning to manage a classroom , all in 18 months .

“ Schools really want to keep their teachers , especially now that we are facing a teacher shortage ,” said ACSA Legislative Advocate Laura Preston . “ What our members would much prefer to do is to help the probationary teacher improve so they can be retained and not add to our severe teacher shortage ,” Preston said . “ Many might become good to great teachers with additional coaching or professional development .

ACSA believes if additional time is granted to a probationary teacher , the district must provide additional support and training on the complexities of effective instruction to help the teacher improve , keep them in the teaching career , and strengthen the academic achievement for students .

ACSA advocated against a required public employee orientation that includes inclusion of the exlusive representative .

The message is that school districts regularly offer orientation for public employee unions to speak to employees . But this bill would require all public employers to provide an orientation for all new hires – during work hours – within four months . The problem is that with many school districts in a constant mode of hiring , it would require a concurrent constant mode of orientation . This would disrupt classroom instruction .

ACSA will keep members apprised as developments occur .

A new online Immigration Resource Directory has been launched by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and her Judicial Council of California .

The informational site , housed on the state courts website at www . courts . ca . gov / immigration . htm , does not provide legal advice or referrals to specific lawyers . Los Angeles Judge Dalila Corral Lyons and San Francisco Judge Samuel Feng , co-chairs of the workgroup charged with developing the directory , said its purpose is to aggregate immigration resources and address the concerns and confusion about the role of the California courts in immigration issues .

The directory offers answers and resources on the following :

• Immigration Basic Information . Explained here is the fact that California state courts do not decide if a person can stay in the United States , but in a few instances , what happens in state court may affect immigration status . Resources are available on such matters as understanding immigration , special immigrant juvenile status and immigration services .

• Immigration Legal Help . This section warns users to beware of immigration scams and includes information on avoiding legal scams . Resources are available on

See RESOURCE , page 3

CDE designates 275 2017 Gold Ribbon Award schools

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that 275 middle schools and high schools are being honored under the Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program .

“ These terrific schools are leading the way in embracing our new rigorous academic standards and showing others how to help students succeed on their way to 21st century careers and college ,” Torlakson said . “ I look forward to traveling the state to honor these schools and to help share the programs , methods , and techniques that are working .”

The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program , which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment , accountability , and continuous improvement systems . A total of 477 middle schools and high schools

See GOLD , page 2

The final edition of Leadership magazine is expected to “ hit the stands ” this week , and it ’ s time to start thinking about writing articles for 2017-18 .

Following is the list of themes and suggested topics for the school year . Leadership welcomes your submissions . Articles should be up to 2,500 words and include practical information written in an informal style . No footnotes ; please list references / resources at the end of each article . Be sure to include complete author contact information . Email your article to lroberts @ acsa . org .

September / October 2017 : School climate / School choice Facilities , bond needs • Administratorto-student ratios • Salary issues • What ’ s

ACSA in D . C . ACSA leaders , including President Ralph Porras , Superintendent Kirsten Vital and Principal Brent Tilley , are in Washington , D . C . this week to meet with key players on the federal scene about ACSA ’ s top legislative issues . ACSA Legislative Advocate Laura Preston said topics for discussion with lawmakers will vary , depending on who the ACSA lobbying team is able to meet with . Among the topics expected are protecting budget cuts , preserving Title 2 , IDEA funding and Perkins reauthorization .

CalSTRS appointment . Karen Yamamoto has been appointed to the CalSTRS Board . ACSA ’ s Governmental Relations Department and Retirement Committee lobbied Gov . Brown for the post to the “ retired member ” seat . Yamamoto said she looks forward to ensuring funds for current and retired educators are protected . “ It is my hope that through our work , educators will continue to receive the benefits they truly deserve ,” she said . Yamamoto served as an elementary teacher for 15 years and was named to the state Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission . She has legislative experience working for four Assembly members and is a founding member of the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project .

NAESP election . The National Association of Elementary School Principals Election Audit Board has certified election results as follows : Vice President David Wick , Columbia Falls Junior High School , Mont .; Director , Zone 1 Victoria Reed , Highland Elementary School , Conn .; Director , Zone 2 Angelina Martino Finnegan , Lake Hiawatha School , N . J .; Director , Zone 8 Kasandra Nelson , Vici Elementary School , Okla . The officers will serve effective Aug . 1 . In the meantime , NAESP has named L . Earl Franks as its new executive director , replacing Gail Connelly who will serve as NAESP executive director emeritus upon her retirement .

being done to respond to charter schools / vouchers • How some charter schools have done well • CBO-level tools • Messaging in a digital environment • Positive school culture and managing change • Parent involvement • Safety • Restorative Justice . Deadline : June 23 , 2017

November / December 2017 : Equity / Student Issues / Subgroups

Striving for equity ; successful equitable practices • Connecting with student interest , background and culture • Student access to leaders of color • Ensuring Equity policies include LGBT + students , families and staff • Meeting the needs of English Learners • Meeting the needs of students

See LEADERSHIP , page 8