Legislative Agenda
CSA's State Legislative Agenda for 2011
Expand and Enhance Early Childhood Education (CSA SUPPORTS S328 Montgomery)
A strong and targeted investment in quality early childhood education and the professionals that provide early learning services is absolutely necessary. Extensive research has repeatedly proven that children with access to high-quality early education have a major advantage over those who do not. Every child should have access to high-quality early education and corresponding social, health and mental health supports, including full-day opportunities for all 3 and 4 year olds. CSA supports S328 to require the New York State Education Department, in consultation with other relevant state agencies, to make recommendations on the creation of a seamless and comprehensive set of educational systems and supports for all children from birth to age five.
Turn Around Schools
The federal School Improvement Grants program, established under the No Child Left Behind Act, provides funding to assist those schools deemed to be “persistently lowest achieving”, a determination made by our state education agency, the New York State Education Department. In order to be eligible for this funding, a state must demonstrate its commitment to improving a school’s performance by selecting one of four “turnaround” models: Turnaround, Restart, School Closure, and Transformation. Under all four models the school Principal must be removed. CSA supports legislation to require that an assessment be conducted of any school identified as persistently lowest achieving to determine what factors cause the school to be so identified prior to implementing one of the four intervention models|.
Juvenile Justice
Reform of New York’s juvenile justice system is needed to ensure that youth in residential facilities are provided with resources and opportunities to continue their education and to earn educational credits. Unfortunately, youth in detention facilities often return to the community without the educational preparation to better position them towards earning a degree. Further, we must take a close look at student placement policies to ensure that these students are enrolled in appropriate academic settings in order to provide them with the full complement of support needed to help them succeed.
Bedbug Chapter Amendment (CSA Supports A11689/S8470 of 2010)
CSA supports a chapter amendment to Chapter 426 of the Laws of 2010 to provide Principals of schools in cities of one million or more with flexibility in notifying parents in the event of a bedbug infestation.
Principal Leave
Existing law allows public school teachers to request an extended leave of up to two years to teach in a charter school. Charter schools were created in New York to:
- Improve student learning and achievement;
- Increase learning opportunities for students who are at-risk of academic failure; encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods; and
- Create new professional opportunities for educators
CSA believes that public school Principals should be afforded the same opportunity to work in charter schools as is given public school teachers. Allowing both public school teachers and administrators an opportunity to work in a charter school provides an opportunity to learn and apply best practices that can be brought back to the public school upon their return from leave.
Pension Reform
Over the years, state and local governments have seen an increase in their required contributions to pension systems due to the economic situation in New York and the nation. As a result of the increase in financial obligations to maintain pension systems, legislative proposals have been advanced to drastically alter the pension system to decrease employers’ financial obligations. Any change to the pension system, whether to create a fixed defined contribution or to cap the State’s fiscal liability, must be applied prospectively and not to current members. Current pension members, many of whom are nearing retirement, would not be able to plan for and absorb alterations to their retirement benefits. Changes made to existing members’ benefits would result in an increased reliance on social service programs to help pay for health care, medication, utilities and food.
Health Insurance Benefits for Retirees
As the cost of providing health insurance benefits continues to increase at an alarming rate, many have proposed increasing the financial contributions made by in-service and retiree members to help relieve the localities’ financial burden. CSA strongly believes that any proposal to require an increased financial contribution towards health insurance benefits should not be applied to current retirees. Imposing such an alteration to their retirements would be abrogation of the employee agreements under which retirees formerly worked and saved for many years. Upon retirement, retirees live on fixed incomes and in many cases are forced to choose between prescription medication that will prolong their lives and the day-to-day necessities of life: food, rent and utilities. We must not add health insurance coverage to the list of items that retirees are forced to do without due to limited income.
CSA's NYC Legislative Agenda for 2010
DOE Contract
CSA is negotiating with the Department of Education and Mayor Bloomberg’s administration to ensure that a new contract agreement is reached before the current contract expires in March 2010. CSA is committed to protecting the rights and benefits of our members while seeking fair yearly salary increases.
Day Care Contract
CSA Day Care members have been working since June 30, 2006 with an expired contract. In January 2008, the city offered a new contract under the condition that Day Care members give up their private health insurance in exchange for a state health insurance plan. CSA subsequently discovered that its Day Care members were ineligible for that state program and offered its own cost-saving plan that we deem acceptable for our members. However, an agreement has yet to be reached.
Please contact your City Council member and tell him or her that you support publicly-funded Day Care for working class New Yorkers, and you support a fair contract for Day Care Directors and Assistant Directors. Follow this LINK to find your Council Member’s contact information.
School Budget Cuts
Over the past year, our schools have been hit with significant budget cuts, victims of the economic melt-down this nation faced. CSA advocated that before taking money away from schools, the Department of Education should cut its central administration at Tweed: stop awarding no-bid contracts, stop hiring unnecessary outside consultants, and limit expensive testing and data collection programs.
ELI Professional Development
The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), a not-for-profit branch of CSA, delivers practical and essential professional development to CSA members, the school leaders of NYC. As the average age and experience of school leaders has decreased, professional development has become more essential. The City Council has funded ELI for a number of years now and in its last budget provided $620,000.
Retiree Health Benefits
Health benefits for retirees are constantly under attack, and in hard economic times, the pressure to reduce them becomes even worse. CSA’s political team monitors proposals in Albany and in City Hall that might adversely impact retiree benefits and pensions. CSA is also working with the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), CSA’s national union, to push for federal health care legislation that will protect current benefits and expand health coverage to all Americans.
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