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California teachers and other school employees may soon be able to take at least six weeks of fully paid maternity leave.
After the Assembly approved Assembly Bill 500, it was approved by the Senate Wednesday and is on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, awaiting his approval.
Currently, teachers can take unpaid maternity leave, but most use vacation and sick leave in order to get paid. After their sick leave is used up they can earn differential pay — the remainder of their salary after the district pays for a substitute for their class — for up to five months while on maternity leave.
The bill would require all school districts, charter schools and community colleges to provide at least six weeks of paid leave for teachers, other academic employees and classified employees for pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth and recovery. The length of the leave is to be determined by the woman’s physician.
The bill would create significant costs for school districts and community colleges, according to a Department of Finance analysis. If 1 percent of teachers took the paid leave it would cost between $20 million and $48 million annually. The cost of substitutes could be an additional $13 million to $24 million. The actual cost will depend on the number of employees who take the leave and their salaries.
“Obviously the goal is laudable,” said Troy Flint, senior director of communications for the California School Boards Association. “CSBA opposition stems from the vehicle and the impact it would have on school districts’ ability to provide resources for students.”
The California school system is already overburdened and under-resourced, Flint said. Instead of the state mandating the benefit, school districts could consider it as part of collective bargaining agreements with employees, he said.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill last year saying that leave policies for school employees are best resolved through the collective bargaining process at the local level. It’s not clear where Newsom stands on the bill.
Supporters of the bill, including employee unions, have said that the lack of this benefit is one reason that the state’s school districts are having trouble recruiting teachers.
The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, said unpaid leave means some women aren’t able to take the necessary time off during their pregnancies and after childbirth for recovery.
“The hardworking employees who help our students thrive should not have to shoulder the burden of choosing between having children and paying the bills,” she said in a statement included in a Senate analysis. “Paid leave benefits have been shown to help increase worker retention and reduce turnover, particularly for women. Moreover, being able to take necessary time off before and after a pregnancy is crucial for the health of both the mother and the child, evidenced by positive outcomes such as healthier birth weights, decreased premature births and decreased infant mortality rates.”
The system has enrolled more in-state residents, but not enough to meet targets set by the state.
Two prominent organizations say the proposal would dismantle progress made to improve reading instruction for those students.
Fresno City College professor Tom Boroujeni is unable to fulfill his duties as academic senate president while on leave, the latest update reads.
This is a continuing EdSource series on proven innovations in higher education that relate to the problems facing California’s higher education systems.
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Ken Johnson 4 years ago4 years ago
I teach to educate so let’s start educating. California teachers aren’t allowed to pay into SDI because we are not allowed to pay into Social Security. The two are linked. You have SDI and if it develops into a lifetime disability then Social Security kicks. We are not allowed to pay into or receive Social Security benefits because...wait for it...our pension is considered enough for us to retire on. I’ve fully paid into SS … Read More
I teach to educate so let’s start educating. California teachers aren’t allowed to pay into SDI because we are not allowed to pay into Social Security. The two are linked. You have SDI and if it develops into a lifetime disability then Social Security kicks. We are not allowed to pay into or receive Social Security benefits because…wait for it…our pension is considered enough for us to retire on. I’ve fully paid into SS based on summer jobs and work before entering CalSTRS and will receive $200 a month in SS. My wife and kids would not receive a widows’ or survivor benefits if I passed before I retired.
Todd Maddison 5 years ago5 years ago
"Supporters of the bill, including employee unions, have said that the lack of this benefit is one reason that the state’s school districts are having trouble recruiting teachers." Where are they going that provides this as a benefit? Almost no private company I know of does. As Paul notes below, why don't we just have education employees be part of SDI, or do they really need additional benefits beyond the current $80,068/year average pay (per CDE … Read More
“Supporters of the bill, including employee unions, have said that the lack of this benefit is one reason that the state’s school districts are having trouble recruiting teachers.”
Where are they going that provides this as a benefit? Almost no private company I know of does.
As Paul notes below, why don’t we just have education employees be part of SDI, or do they really need additional benefits beyond the current $80,068/year average pay (per CDE J90 2018) plus other benefits usually adding up to 30% or more?
Paul 5 years ago5 years ago
Note that public school teachers are one of the few groups excluded from California State Disability Insurance. CA SDI provides paid leave to women before and after they give birth. All private-sector workers participate in CA SDI. It is funded by workers themselves, through a 1% payroll deduction. Teachers would like to participate, but are forbidden from doing so.
Special leave provisions are necessary in the Education Code because it’s uncommon for school districts to contract with private disability insurers.
Replies
Todd Maddison 5 years ago5 years ago
Making teachers part of the CA SDI system would be an obvious solution, and one that is deemed good enough for the rest of us…
But there are no political points to be gained by that.