Sacramento, CA ―Teach Plus California today issued the following statement as the Legislature begins deliberating the 2020-21 California State Budget.
“Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders are thrilled to see Governor Newsom’s proposed 2020-21 state budget reflecting our priorities: Ensuring that resources get to the students who need them most and that we are investing in building a diverse, well-supported teaching force.
Teach Plus teacher leaders have consistently advocated for investing more in those students who need more support. They were pleased to see proposals in the governor’s budget consistent with the recommendations in their policy memo, Toward More Effective and Equitable School Funding, to increase transparency and accountability in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in order to ensure it meets its promise for addressing inequity. West Contra Costa third grade teacher and Teach Plus California Policy Fellow Jessie Welcomer said: “For my district to truly engage the community in important budgeting decisions and to minimize the impact cuts have on students; educators, families, and community members need to better understand where the LCFF dollars are going and what is working.”
Sarah Lillis, Teach Plus California Executive Director, stated: “California’s teachers are doing everything within their power to ensure their students can realize their potential. We are glad that Governor Newsom is taking important steps to make sure that resources are getting to the students who need them. Teachers know that for their students to fulfil their promise, LCFF must as well.”
Moreover, the governor’s proposed investments to ensure that California has a diverse pool of well-prepared and supported teachers is well-aligned with Teach Plus California’ teacher leaders’ vision for a teaching force that is more reflective of the students they teach. Montebello Unified fourth grade teacher and Teach Plus California Policy Fellow Eddie Garcia said: “For our most vulnerable student populations, California public schools can be the sanctuaries that offer safe haven and acceptance. This is especially true in schools where students are taught by a diverse teaching faculty that reflects the range of life experiences, languages, and cultural traditions held by their pupils.”
Teach Plus teacher leaders applaud the Governor’s investment of nearly $900 million to recruit, prepare, and support teachers but as they outline in their memo, Making Teacher Diversity a Priority, California must also be clear in its goals to actively recruit, retain, and prepare ethnic and cultural minorities to enter the California teaching field, and assess and report on its progress in doing so. Only then can our policymakers ensure that California is cultivating the unique economic, social, linguistic and cultural potential that our students hold.”
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. teachplus.org
