SACRAMENTO, JANUARY 13, 2021 – California State PTA has released the following statement in response to the Governor’s budget plan for 2021-2022:

“This has been an unprecedented time for students and families,” said Celia Jaffe, President of California State PTA. “The global pandemic and civil unrest has rocked the foundation of our public school system. The state and federal budget investments we make this year are critical to restoring the health, safety, social, emotional and academic support needed for all children and families.”

“In the view of California State PTA, the Governor’s proposed budget holds promise. The $6.7 billion to mitigate the COVID pandemic impact on schools will support students and staff. We must keep the health and safety of our students, staff and families first in any early action plan. Addressing learning loss and ensuring equity are crucial.”

“PTA is also pleased to see investments in student mental health, early childhood education, extended education, and the cradle-to-career data system as well as the ongoing commitment to professional development for educators. Use of one-time funds to spend down funding deferrals owed to K-12 education and to defray costs of employee pensions makes sense.”

“We appreciate the focus on investments in special education, but a greater financial commitment will continue to be necessary to fully fund the costs for our most vulnerable students.”

“PTA believes that prioritizing the needs of vulnerable families is more critical now than ever, and we look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor as the proposed 2021-2022 budget moves through process during this unique and challenging time.”

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About California State PTA: California State PTA connects families, schools and communities. We are part of the foundation of our public education system and a trusted messenger to millions of members, parents, families, educators and allied agencies throughout the state. PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer-led child-advocacy association working to drive improvements in the education, health and well-being of all children and families. For more information, visit www.capta.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Heather Ippolito
Vice President for Communications
communications@capta.org

Ignacio Barragan
Assistant Executive Director
ibarragan@capta.org
916.440.1985

SACRAMENTO, JANUARY 11, 2021 – California State PTA has released the following statement in response to the riots at the U.S. Capitol, which shook the nation.

“We at California State PTA denounce last week’s attack on our Capitol,” said Celia Jaffe, President of California State PTA. “This assault on our government was shocking and intolerable. As a nonpartisan organization, PTA supports full participation in, and respect for, the democratic process, affirming that free and fair elections and an orderly transfer of power are cornerstones of our democracy that must not be compromised.”

“Our body of dedicated parents and teachers has a long history of empowering children and families by fostering civic engagement in our communities. We concur with National PTA that the divisive actions of Wednesday provide parents, as first educators, an opportunity to have open and critical discussion about how democracy and civics work in our country.”

“We should also remind our children that the uncivil actions of a few cannot thwart the positive impacts of the many that are committed to the advancement of greater diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools and communities.”

California State PTA encourages the review of our resolutions on civics education (Support for the Civic Mission of Schools (2006) and Citizenship Education (1989)) and information on how civics create educated citizens.

Supporting children as they witness upsetting news stories is crucial. Here is a PTA resource:  https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/health/Emotional-Health/Discussing-Difficult-Situations-With-Your-Children

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About California State PTA: California State PTA connects families, schools and communities. We are part of the foundation of our public education system and a trusted messenger to millions of members, parents, families, educators and allied agencies throughout the state. PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer-led child-advocacy association working to drive improvements in the education, health and well-being of all children and families. For more information visit www.capta.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Heather Ippolito
Vice President for Communications
communications@capta.org

Ignacio Barragan
Assistant Executive Director
ibarragan@capta.org
916.440.1985

Para leer este mensaje en español, desplácese hacia abajo en la página.

California State PTA is excited to announce that capta.org now offers English-to-Spanish translation*, using the Google Translate plug-in tool.

How to use it: Simply navigate to the page you want to translate, then click the “Translate” icon in the upper right corner and select “Spanish.” When the page automatically reloads, it will be all Spanish! No need to do this on every page you navigate to, but you can always toggle back to English if you’d like, using the same procedure.

We think this tool will make our website more accessible to the thousands of PTA members who primarily communicate in Spanish. Of course, Google Translate is not 100% perfect, but it comes pretty close!

Make sure you use the right web browser: The translation feature is only visible by navigating to capta.org using one of the following web browser versions:

1. Microsoft Edge, Version 84.0.522.40
2. Google Chrome, Version 84.0.4147.89
3. Firefox, Version 7.8.0.2

* PDF documents on the website are not translated by this tool

Nueva función de traducción del inglés al español en el sitio web

La PTA del Estado de California se complace en anunciar que capta.org ahora ofrece traducción del inglés al español *, utilizando un sistema de Google Translate.

Cómo se usa: simplemente navega hasta la página que deseas traducir, luego haz clic en el ícono “Translate” en la esquina superior derecha y selecciona “Spanish”. Cuando la página se recargue automáticamente, ¡todo estará en español! No es necesario hacer esto en cada página a la que navega, pero siempre puede volver al inglés si lo desea, utilizando el mismo procedimiento.

Creemos que esta función hará que nuestro sitio web sea más accesible para aquellos de ustedes que se comunican principalmente en español. Por supuesto, Google Translate no es 100% perfecto, ¡pero se acerca bastante!

Asegúrese de usar el navegador web correcto: La función de traducción solo es visible al navegar a capta.org usando una de las siguientes versiones del navegador web:

1. Microsoft Edge, versión 84.0.522.40
2. Google Chrome, versión 84.0.4147.89
3. Firefox, versión 7.8.0.2

* Esta funcion no traduce los documentos PDF del sitio web

SACRAMENTO – November 5, 2020 – California State PTA announces its disappointment over the defeat of Proposition 16 in the general election on November 3^rd. The passage of this initiative would have changed how factors like race, gender and ethnicity can be considered in state hiring, contracting, and education admissions decisions, and would have restored equal opportunity in California.

“We are disappointed that Proposition 16 did not pass, as it would have allowed for greater equity in every aspect of life for the children and youth of California,” said Celia Jaffe, President of California State PTA. “However, California State PTA will continue to advocate for legislation and ballot measures that attempt to address the legacy of unequal treatment of underserved communities.”

Proposition 16 was intended to repeal 1996’s Proposition 209, which banned consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting. It would have permanently altered California’s constitution, and put our state in line with federal law and most other states.

“Governance systems and practices that are rooted in social justice are essential to serving the needs of children, youth and families,” said Shereen Walter, California State PTA’s Director of Legislation. “This initiative would have promoted fairness, and advanced upward mobility, pay equity, and racial wealth gap reduction among people who face inequality.”

Proposition 16, which would have restored affirmative action in California, was in alignment with PTA’s mission to advocate for equal opportunity in education and in every aspect of life for all children and youth. California State PTA recognizes that everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed – regardless of their gender, what they look like, or where they were born.

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About California State PTA: California State PTA connects families, schools and communities. We are part of the foundation of our public education system and a trusted messenger to millions of members, parents, families, educators and allied agencies throughout the state. PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer-led child advocacy association working to drive improvements in the education, health and well-being of all children and families. For more information, visit www.capta.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Heather Ippolito
Vice President for Communications
communications@capta.org

Ignacio Barragan
Assistant Executive Director
ibarragan@capta.org
916.440.1985