LAKE COUNTY
CalRTA celebrates retired teachers’ contributions
This year, Retired Teachers Week is November 6 through 12, 2022. Each year California Retired Teacher Association (CalRTA) highlights retired teachers’ contributions to schools and the community by celebrating Retired Teachers Week.
In 2021, California valued volunteer time at $35.56 per hour. The CalRTA members submitted their totals of volunteer hours which resulted in nearly $69 million worth of volunteer time. In addition last year, CalRTA and its members provided grants, scholarships and donations to schools and teachers. This giving is continuing in 2022. This is definitely a reason to celebrate!
CalRTA Division 35 of Lake County will be celebrating retired teachers by holding its scheduled meeting/luncheon at the Riviera Restaurant on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. If you are interested in joining CalRTA (Teachers do not have to be retired to join.) and want more information about this organization, please go to the website www.div35.calrta.org or call Judy Fletcher, Division 35 President at 707-263-6317.
—Submitted
Federal student loan forgiveness application now open
The Biden administration on Monday formally launched the application for student loan forgiveness for millions of Americans.
The application can be accessed at student aid.gov, where applicants will fill out their name, Social Security number, date of birth and contact information to see if they qualify for up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt relief or up to $20,000 if they received a Pell Grant and earn less than $125,000 a year.
The application window closes Dec. 31, 2023.
“This is a gamechanger for millions of Americans,” Biden said at a White House press conference Monday. “We’re getting moving, and it took an incredible amount of effort to get this website done in such a short time.”
Despite the launch of the application, several lawsuits have been filed against the Department of Education challenging the student loan forgiveness program. A US district judge could soon decide whether to temporarily block the program after hearing a motion for a preliminary injunction last week, CNN reported. That could put the forgiveness program on hold until a final ruling is made in the case.
—Ali Tadayon
VENTURA COUNTY
Man arrested for threatening to shoot Conejo Valley Unified superintendent
Thousand Oaks police arrested a Goleta man Saturday on suspicion of calling the Conejo Valley Unified school district and threatening to “put a bullet” through the skull of superintendent Mark McLaughlin, the Ventura County Star reported.
The threat appears to stem from uncomfirmed claims by a parent at a Sept. 20 school board meeting that her daughter witnessed another student masturbate in class, the superintendent told the Ventura County Star. The claim has been published by right-leaning websites, though no one else from the class has corroborated that claim, the Star reported. The websites accuse McLaughlin of brushing off the incident as normal, and he is pursuing legal action.
Conservative activists, incited by national right-wing groups, have been protesting at Conejo Valley Unified board meetings for months about the district’s handling of transgender issues in the classroom, according to the Star. Conservative organization Turning Point USA added Conejo Valley Unified to a “Watchlist” of “radical” school boards, publishing the district’s office phone number and contact information for the five board members.
—Ali Tadayon
