I owe you all a sincere thank you . Your kindness , support , encouragement and love sustained me and my family through the most serious health concern I have ever personally endured . Once again , you took time out of your busy schedules to care for another . I am honored to serve all of you and humbled by your thoughtful support . – Wesley Smith

Nutrition act revamp moving in House

The U . S . House Committee on Education and the Workforce has passed the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 by a 20 to 14 vote . The legislation reauthorizing the Healthy Hunger- Free Kids Act of 2010 is among ACSA ’ s top issues in Washington , D . C .

Specifically , ACSA has communicated the following points to policymakers :

• We support increased flexibility to allow schools to make healthy food options available to students throughout the school day and after school .

• We support regional indexing , taking into account the California cost-of-living , for those students living in poverty .

• We oppose changing the verification for students eligible for free or reducedprice meals over the current 3 percent .

• We support allowing schools to provide fruits and vegetables to students based on age group .

“ California has led the nation on the issue of school nutrition ,” said ACSA Legislative Advocate Laura Preston . “ The

ACSA-sponsored bill moves to Senate committee

With a 79-0 vote on May 5 , the Assembly unanimously approved the ACSA-sponsored bill , AB 2336 by Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen . The proposal will extend the number of days a substitute teacher may serve in a special education classroom .

If passed by both houses and signed by Gov . Brown , AB 2336 would increase the number of days that a special education substitute teacher is able to serve in one

VERGARA

Continued from page 2

based on the infringement of the fundamental right to basic educational equality , where the plaintiffs have proven that the laws in question impose significant and disproportionate harm on low-income and minority students , is such a showing sufficient to trigger review under the equal protection clause of the California

state has banned trans-fats in school lunches , eliminated the sale of fast food on school campuses and prohibits soda from being sold in school vending machines . California educators know good nutrition is one of the tools to improving academic achievement .”

California supplies approximately half of all the fruits and vegetables grown in the nation . Both the Senate Agriculture Committee and House Committee on Education and the Workforce are working on legislation to update the Child Nutrition Act . The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 expired Sept . 30 , 2015 .

Federal child nutrition programs provide a basic reimbursement for all meals with “ special assistance ” for low income households . Those with an income 130 percent of the national poverty line are eligible for free school meals and households between 130-185 percent receive school meals at a reduced price . The problem is that the statute applies a single , national standard for poverty . California has a substantially higher cost of living than most other states in the

classroom to 40 . Current law restricts the number of days to 20 .

The bill specifies that a substitute teacher must be given six hours of training prior to the service extension and be provided with ongoing support by a fully credentialed teacher . The intent of the bill is to provide a stable learning environment to special education students , while also supporting substitute teachers who step up to support

Constitution ?

• When a trial court , sitting as finder of fact , finds that a statute has a disparate adverse impact on low-income and minority children , disproportionately harming their educational opportunities as compared to their peers , is that factual finding entitled to deference on appeal ?

• In a facial constitutional challenge based on the infringement of a fundamental right , where the plaintiffs have proven that the laws in question have a “ real and nation . ACSA supports the simplification of the direct certification process , the automatic certification of foster children , and the establishment of community eligibility .

“ ACSA supports the continuation of providing healthy food to our students ,” Preston said . “ We encourage increased flexibility in the Child Nutrition Act to allow schools to make healthy food options available to students throughout the school day and after school .”

Reducing the rigidity of some of the policies will allow food that has already been purchased and not eaten to be utilized in a variety of ways .

The association further supports regional indexing in order for greater access by California ’ s students . ACSA opposes changing the verification for eligible students , and instead supports simplifying regulations and adding flexibility to maximize efficiency and ease administrative burdens .

ACSA will continue to closely track the child nutrition reauthorization as it makes its way through Congress .

them when full-time teachers are away from the classroom .

The bill currently has a five-year sunset and is considered a short-term strategy , while the state considers other legislative proposals addressing teacher shortage and pipeline issues , from recruitment to credentialing , induction and retention . The bill is headed to the Senate Education Committee and will likely be considered in June .

appreciable ” negative impact on the rights of a subset of Californians , is such a showing sufficient to trigger review under the equal protection clause of the California Constitution ?

The state , California Teachers Association , and California Federation of Teachers – all defendants or defendant intervenors in Vergara – are expected to oppose the plaintiffs ’ petition for review .

To read the plaintiffs ’ petition for review , visit http :// studentsmatter . org .

REGISTER TODAY !

FROM THE

Executive

Director

May 30 , 2016 EDCAL 3

I was going to call this column “ A Heartfelt Thank You ,” but the lowbrow pun is beneath the intellectual standards of our members .

Every time I address educational leaders , I thank you for championing the rights and needs of our 6.2 million students . I thank you for taking the time to volunteer through ACSA to support your colleagues as they serve their students – support you graciously provide in addition to the demands of your real jobs . Now , I want to thank you all for supporting and sustaining me and my family .

On March 18 , I felt ill while waiting for an early morning flight to Southern California , where I was scheduled to give a state update . The flu-like symptoms worsened , so I decided to cancel my flight and drive home . After 14 hours of suffering from these symptoms , my wife convinced me to go to the emergency room for Tamiflu and an IV to protect against dehydration .

An hour later , the doctor shared the good news that I did not have the flu or food poisoning . He proceeded to share the not-so-good news that I was having a heart attack . They administered other tests , and then admitted me into the hospital in preparation for open heart surgery .

While in the hospital , they explained several times what would happen in surgery . They told me they would put me under and then mine my legs , arms and chest for grafting veins / arteries . They explained how they were going to cut open my chest and then pry it apart , so they could stop my heart to graft the veins / arteries . They reassured me that while my heart was stopped , they would use machines to oxygenate and pump my blood . Then they told me they would try to restart my heart , and they had a 98 percent success rate in doing so . This is one of those times I hoped not to be in the 2 percent . legal collaborative

ATKINSON , ANDELSON , LOYA , RUUD & ROMO

BURKE , WILLIAMS & SORENSEN , LLP

DANNIS WOLIVER KELLEY

FAGEN FRIEDMAN & FULFROST , LLP

LOZANO SMITH

June 21-23 , 2016

La Quinta Resort and Club

Come with a Team , Leave with a Plan .

Achieve educational goals through negotiations .

Keynote Speakers

Jim Pruitt

Vice President , Labor Management Partnership , Kaiser Permanente

John Gray

President , School Services of California

Ryan Smith

Executive Director , Education Trust-West

District teams : Instruction , Ed Technology , HR , Business , Public Information and Superintendents .

Build a plan to align your strategic plan / LCAP , communications and negotiations

■ Study and Prepare for Negotiations Trends and Issues – Budget forecasting ; Community Engagement

■ Hot Topics : What To Do ? – November ’ s Elections , Teacher Shortage , Vergara , Bond Campaign

■ Legal Teams To Help With Contract Review

■ Steps To Prepare The Board of Education

■ Strategies to Leverage Community Engagement / Communication To Set The Stage For Negotiations

■ Communication Tips While At The Table – Build a Communications Plan

■ Anticipating and Weathering Concerted Activities

Finally , they described my recovery and , in particular , the depression and suicidal thoughts that are common after major surgery . They were even kind enough to show me a video demonstrating everything they had described , and they did so without the luxury of popcorn or anti-anxiety medication .

My heart did start , and I began my recovery . Soon my hospital room was flooded with flowers , calls and messages . My wife , who confiscated my cell phone , spent hours each day responding to emails and texts sending love , support , prayers and well-wishes . This is precisely why I never felt even slightly depressed . I felt loved , supported and valued . I was filled with joy and a commitment to doing everything I needed to do to come back stronger than ever .