A new era of local control at state level - read more about it:

PROVIDING A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION AND ALLOWING LOCAL SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TO MAKE SCHOOL FUNDING DECISIONS ARE CRITICAL TO IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING

Call Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson at916.319.0800, and tell him to keep fighting for local control of school funding decisions and a well-rounded education for all our kids.

A new era of local control is helping teachers, parents and community supporters design the best educational experience to meet the needs of all students in local districts. Grounded in the Local Control Funding Formula approved by the legislature, the California Department of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction are responsible for implementing and protecting the new law. In addition to parents and teachers working together to make all our schools stronger, a well-rounded education that includes career and technical education is equally important for California’s students. Learn more about these issues below and join CTA in asking Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson to keep fighting for local control and to help ensure our local schools prepare all students for the jobs of tomorrow.

• Local Control Funding Formula: The largest shift in funding for California schools is designed to make sure districts serving students with the greatest needs – low-income students, English learners and foster youth – get additional resources to achieve the state’s academic standards. It’s important that the Superintendent of Public Instruction protects the intent of this law to ensure spending decisions are made by parents, teachers, principals and the local school community.
  
  
• Career Technical Education:Not all students choose to attend college after high-school graduation. That’s why a well-rounded education that focuses on science, math, and career training for students who don’t choose college is so important. Read more about the Superintendent’s Career Readiness Campaign and encourage him to keep fighting for the technical training our students need.
  
  
• Improving Lower-Performing Schools: CTA has been leading the charge to help schools serving our most at-risk students. TheQuality Education Investment Act is providing additional resources and bringing proven education reforms to nearly 500 of California’s lowest performing schools. It’s important that these reform ideas become part of the funding decisions by local school districts as these changes have increased student learning across the state. To learn more about how the lessons from QEIA can help other schools, read two recent reports, “Cultivating Change in Schools” and “Pathways to Change.”
  
  
• Learning over Testing: In addition to implementing a new school funding plan, California schools are also implementing the Common Core State Standards to move beyond the No Child Left Behind Act, which created a system of winners and losers based on test scores. CTA supported Assembly Bill 484 to ensure that California students didn’t take outdated state tests this year and to help set up a common sense implementation of the new standards before moving to high-stakes assessements.     

Call Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson at916.319.0800, and tell him to keep fighting for local control of school funding decisions and a well-rounded education for all our kids.