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UTLA Committees

Join a special interest group.

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Current UTLA committees include:

Adult Education Committee

The purpose of the UTLA/AEEC formed 50 years ago is to:

    • Keep our members abreast of current trends in Education that affect African American students.
    • Advocate for the rights and Equal Education Advancement for African American teachers.
    • Encourage African Americans to enter the teaching profession.
    • Develop programs and strategies to promote the ongoing needs of minority groups throughout the city, state, and nation.

Our meetings and events information can be found in the UTLA Website Calendar

  • Committee Chair: Joyce L. Randall
  • Email: joyce.randall@utla.net
  • Phone: (424) 276-0269

The Arts Education Committee was established by the UTLA House of Representatives in 2010 to support and protect all Arts Educators (Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts) and arts advocates to ensure equitable access to a comprehensive curriculum that includes a robust arts education in all five arts disciplines, for all students, in every grade PK-12, in all LAUSD schools and arts programs.

  • Committee Chair: Ginger Rose Fox
  • Email: utla.artsed.committee@gmail.com
  • Phone: 657-443-4664

The Asian-Pacifc Education Committee focuses on educating teachers about the various issues related to the various Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities locally and at the state and national level. We also aim to promote understanding and appreciation of the diverse communities in which many of our teachers and students live and thrive.

  • Committee Chair: Anthony F. Lopez

Autonomous Schools

The BEC strives to support the vision of multiliteracy, multicultural competency, and educational equity for all students. We embody our shared values by implementing priorities, initiatives, and services designed to improve UTLA’s capacity to create caring and highly effective learning environments that promote multiliteracy and support Emergent Bilinguals and diverse populations to pursue educational opportunities and be globally prepared to live their lives to their fullest potential.

  • Committee Chair: Esther Calderon
  • Email: esthercd.utla@gmail.com

With our historic win of getting BSAP language into our 2022-25 agreement, we want to build on that momentum by establishing a BSAP Committee. The committee’s primary purpose will be to provide support to the over 100 BSAP educators, to discuss issues, strategize, and make recommendations, enabling them to have a voice while navigating through LAUSD’s  BSAP program.

  • Chair Name: Ebony L. Batiste
  • Email: ebonylbatiste@gmail.com

The Capably Disabled Committee is a support group for educators with any type of disability, including religious or medical. These conditions may be cause for seeking reasonable accommodations (visit LAUSD website for more information).

The organization has guest Zoom lectures by licensed attorneys and doctors to impart knowledge to its members. Lawyers have discussed probate, discrimination, and workers’ compensation. In addition, we review various resources Los Angeles County has to offer to those with disabilities.

We have had organic, vegan in-person socials twice per year, once during winter break and once during summer. Organic and vegan (mainly raw) is a great way to thrive and has been known to help heal all sorts of debilitating ailments. As we are not doctors, this is not medical advice, but we can share our feelings. We also are able to have online classes, from time to time, like stretch classes.

  • Chair Name: Gloria Me
  • Email: gloriame5@aol.com
  • Phone: 714-655-5397

Early Childhood Education

Educational Policies & Curriculum

Elementary Education

Health and Human Services

The Human Rights Committee is the voice of the most progressive elements of United Teachers Los Angeles. We have passed motions in support of the environment, the unhoused, and in solidarity with other union workers here in the US and abroad. The HRC was founded in the 1980s to create a committee that would oppose US intervention in El Salvador. We have supported protests and brought motions against other unjust wars in this hemisphere and overseas. We meet on Monday before the UTLA House of Representatives over Zoom. Please join us!

 



The Library Professionals Committee advocates fair enforcement and improvement of our union contract for Teacher Librarians. We also collaborate and share information and ideas specific to teaching in the library. We are always striving for a Teacher Librarian in every school and a dedicated central budget to continually update our library collections.

 

Music Education

The National Board Certified Teachers Committee was created to preserve the rights of NBC teachers both during the year, and during negotiations.  The highlight of our year is our annual conference the last Saturday in January.

  • Committee Chair: Scott Mandel
  • Email: scottmandel@utla.net

Options/Continuation

Physical Education

The UTLA Pre-Retirement Issues Committee works on issues surrounding the retirement issues of active UTLA members who will become our future retirees. Our mission is the education of UTLA members in the benefits area of pre-retirement and the financial literacy of optional retirement saving plans, (403b, 457b, and Roth 457b).

We are very careful to present facts from CalSTRS (pension system) and about the “What” and “How” of retirement savings plans. We offer nothing for sale. We do not endorse, or offer solutions/advice. We educate our fellow members so they understand how their retirement pension system works and health benefits work, hopefully- before they retire. Planning is the key to teach and retire well. We offer two workshops, fall and spring, on retirement and one financial literacy work in the fall.

  • Chair Name: Leonard Goldberg
  • Email: fab5gold@att.net
  • Phone: 661-414-3454

The Pride Committee was founded in the 1980’s by a handful of UTLA Members seeking to provide a means of professional support for gay and lesbian colleagues. The Pride Committee functions to provide GLBTQ+ teachers, allies and students, with safe schools free of anti-GLBT bias and intolerance, and to provide sound education programs for all students. The Pride Committeeis in the struggle to eliminate institutional discrimination and homophobia. The Pride Committee participates in the development progressive policies and activities and provides resources that fosters better communication among parents, educators, and students.. Under the leadership of Donald Willis, The Pride Committee has had a proactive year of providing support and empowering activities to our members, allies, students, and communities. Many thanks to UTLA Pride members for a resilient year!

 

 

The purpose of the Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee is to foster a professional environment where individuals’ rights and responsibilities are protected, respected, and upheld. Our committee envisions a future where all teachers are treated equitably, given fair opportunities contractually, and know their rights. Through collaboration, advocacy, and discussions, we aim to empower teachers to fulfill their responsibilities while safeguarding their rights, ultimately leading to a harmonious and thriving professional teaching community.

  • Chair Name: Ebony L. Batiste
  • Email: ebonylbatiste@gmail.com

The UTLA Raza Education Committee was formed to protect and advance the human, civil, and educational rights of Raza students, teachers, parents, and our community members. We define the word Raza in the broadest sense of the word, our cultural, ethnic, gender, and racial diversity in all of our community. At times, when fitting, we use the term interchangeably with Chicanx/Latinx, et al. We believe that as Raza educators, we play a strategic role in working with youth, parents, and the community, in fighting for educational justice. We also believe in solidarity and working with all sectors of workers to advance social justice in our community, and in the fundamental right of self-determination, our community will only advance when we organize ourselves and fight for our education. We aim to involve more educators in our committee and encourage Raza educators to be active in our union via this committee and by taking leadership roles in the union. We assist, promote, and monitor the inclusion and recruitment of Raza rank-and-file educators into union leadership beyond the campus level.

Our meetings are currently held virtually the Monday before HoR @ 4pm

  • Chair: Kelly Flores
  • Co-Chair: Aracelia Alvarez
  • Chair phone Number: (323) 286-5244
  • Chair Email: Kcambia@gmail.com
  • Committee Chair: Lorena T. Valenzuela
  • Phone: (323) 481-2565 (text only)

Secondary Education

The purpose of the UTLA School Counselor Standing Committee is to:

  • Keep our members informed of current trends in the school counseling that affects students and secondary school counselors
  • Provide support and resources to secondary school counselors
  • Advocate for the rights, needs and concerns of Secondary School Counselors
  • Advocate for the integrity of the secondary school counselor’s role

Substitutes

UTLA-Represented Charter Schools

The UTLA Women’s Education Standing Committee provides a safety and support network of current and retired UTLA members and activists-leaders and our community partners to uplift public education and educators and to grow union activists-leaders.  The Women’s Education Committee promotes the well-being and advancement of vulnerable populations, including but not limited to children, students, immigrants, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and women and non-binary women.  We sponsor attendance at union conferences and trainings, an annual Women of the Year Event honoring our colleagues, and recently launched an annual tea.  We collaborate, work in  and support other UTLA Standing Committees and representative bodies and welcome new members!

Our meetings and events information can be found in UTLA Website Calendar.

 

  • Chair Name: Laura Escamilla McCutcheon
  • Email: laurainla77@gmail.com
  • Phone: 562-500-8540