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  • Picketing Educators Sweep Los Angeles
    10.21.22

    • School Site Picketing

    By

    On October 19th, we’re picketing at our schools across Los Angeles before class starts, and we’re standing up for the Beyond Recovery platform. The Beyond Recovery platform is about caring … Continued

    Campaign

    UTLA 2022 SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS

    Read about the winning candidates and measure that were endorsed by UTLA

    LAUSD School Board District 2

    Dr. Rocío Rivas

    Dr. Rocio Rivas is a LAUSD alumna, and parent. She has been a life-long advocate for students, teachers and public education. She has served as the President of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, represents her community as a Democratic Party delegate and worked on the LAUSD Board as Policy Deputy for School Board Member Jackie Goldberg.  

    Dr. Rocio Rivas has the experience and vision to create a bright future for public education alongside parents, teachers, students and the entire community. She is committed to equitable funding for our public schools so we can create green and healthy community schools with small class sizes, fully staffed classrooms, mental health resources and resources for the entire school community.  

    LA School Board District 6

    Kelly Gonez

    Kelly Gonez is a former teacher and Board of Education President representing the families and students of Board District 6 (East San Fernando Valley). Kelly Gonez has been a steadfast voice for the most at need members of our community. Under her leadership, LAUSD has increased services to unhoused students, removed barriers to college for working class students, and invested in early childhood education. 

    Now she is ready to champion universal Pre-school, equity in LAUSD policies and increased college readiness. Kelly Gonez knows that the path to stronger public transportation is through caring for the entire community. 

    LA City Mayor

    Karen Bass

    Karen Bass has fought for Los Angeles her entire life. As a nurse, she provided care for the residents of Los Angeles. She organized in her community to break cycles of substance abuse, poverty and violence. In the State Assembly, she led our state through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, fast-tracking  billions in stimulus to help at-risk Californians. She has continued to fight for Los Angeles in the House of Representatives.  

    As Mayor of Los Angeles, she will bring us all together to build a city where no one goes without healthcare, without housing, where we are all paid a living wage and public education is invested in.  

    State Superintendent

    Tony Thurmond

    Tony Thurmond knows the struggles facing at-need students and families because he has lived them. Tony’s family struggled with poverty and like many students, depended on the Free Lunch Program and food stamps. From his experiences come his passion for ensuring all California students have every resource needed to succeed.  

    Whether on the Richmond City Council, in the State Assembly or now as State Superintendent, from his experiences come his passion for ensuring all California students have every resource needed to succeed. As State Superintendent, he oversaw distribution of 900 million free meals, sourced 1 million computers for districts in need and secured $6 billion to provide free wi-fi to public education students.  

    Montebello School Board

    Carlos Cerdan

    Carlos Cerdan: Carlos is a life-long Montebello resident, MUSD alumni and current educator. He understands that the School Board must lead on uplifting the entire community. That is what Carlos has done with his career: leading a 2019 strike that led to the largest increase in funding in nearly 30 years and championing a living wage for essential workers while on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council.   

    As a School Board Member, he will fight for increased college accessibility, fully funded classrooms, smaller class sizes, strong community schools and dedicated green spaces.

    LA Community College, District 7

    Kelsey Iino

    Kelsey Iino: The LA Community College System educates nearly 230,000 students a year, a majority from working class Black and Latine backgrounds.  Investment in the LA Community College System means for economic stability and upward mobility for hundreds of thousands of students.  

    Kelsey Iino has been a pioneer in fighting for increased funding for LACC, a housing program for at-risk students, and increased care programs for students on campus. She is a life-long Angeleno, a graduate of the community college system and a 15-year counselor at El Camino Community College and as an LACC Board of Trustee member

    LA Community College, District 2

    Steve Veres

    Steven Veres has been a bold advocate for students, parents and teachers on the LA Community College Board of Trustees since 2011. As the most recent President, he led the LACC through the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of simply transitioning to remote learning, he also worked to ensure that students’ basic needs like food, housing and wifi were cared for.  

    He has also been a leader in climate justice, investing nearly $4 billion to modernize buildings across all 9 campuses. In this new term, Steven will continue to advocate for the needs of educators and students.  

    LA County Supervisor, District 3

    Lindsey Horvath

     From affordable housing to climate action to LGBTQ+ rights, the LA County Board of Supervisors has a lot of power over our day-to-day lives.  

    Lindsey Horvath has always put people before profits and centered those closest to the harm. From her work as a small business owner to a member of the West Hollywood City Council, she is deeply connected to what our communities are experiencing. She is an unstoppable advocate for teachers and working people on the Board of Supervisors.

    Housing

    YES on ULA

    3 out of 4 LA residents pay more than 30% of their salary in rent. Nearly 70,000 of our neighbors are unhoused.  The only way forward is by enacting a bold Housing for All agenda that makes real the promise of housing as a human right.  

    This tax on billionaire real estate transactions over $5 million, United to House LA is projected to raise nearly $1 billion a year to eliminate homelessness, make housing more affordable, and prevent more people from losing their homes. 

    Enshrine Right to Abortion

    YES on Prop 1

    Access to abortion and reproductive healthcare is a human right. For decades, anti-choice politicians have been trying to attack the right of millions to make decisions over their own body. With the most recent decision overturning Roe, we have far too much at stake. We will not allow anti-choice leaders to attack the reproductive rights of Californians.

    Proposition 1 enshrines the right to an abortion in the California State Constitution, protecting this fundamental right for all Californians. 

    Music and Arts in K-12

    YES on Prop 28

    Arts and music in K-12 is crucial in the development of students. Research suggests a vibrant arts education supports cognitive development, academic success and mental wellbeing. Yet, only 1 in 5 CA schools have a full time arts teacher. Prop 28 willcommit $1 billion a year (the largest investment in the country) to arts education, with a focus on ensuring our most at-need schools are getting the support they need. 

    Corporate Sports Gambling

    NO on Prop 27

    The only reason out of state corporations have spent over $400 million to pass Proposition 27 is to make more money off of Californians. Ignore the countless ads, follow the money: Proposition 27 legalized online sports gambling at a time when we face affordability and housing crises.  

    Prop 27 wouldn’t have raised a single dollar in dedicated funding to end homelessness, it would have only made a profit for out of state corporations that don’t care about your wellbeing.  
  • Picketing Educators Sweep Los Angeles
    10.21.22
  • Picketing Educators Sweep Los Angeles
    10.21.22

    • Community Schools

    By

    Community School Interest Form Join the Growing Movement to Invest in Public Schools  Reclaim Our Schools Los Angeles (ROSLA) and the UTLA 2019 Educators Strike were crucial in winning an … Continued

    Campaign

    Beyond Recovery

    A collective fight to transform public education

    Contract 2022-25 Information

    The Campaign

     

    The Beyond Recovery platform, developed by UTLA members, parents, and community allies over months of meetings and dialogue, addresses the urgent needs of our students at a time when historic levels of funding are coming to school districts. It is a comprehensive plan for pandemic recovery and beyond – especially within schools and communities that have been historically underfunded and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. 

    The district projections of nearly $5 billion dollars in reserves by the end of the 2022-2023 school year opened a rare and crucial opportunity to win significant improvements that ensure our neighborhood public schools meet the unique needs of students, families, and educators in each community.

    In Spring 2022, LA educators brought the Beyond Recovery platform into negotiations with the school district. This is a pivotal time when educators, allied with parents and the community, can collectively fight to transform public education in LA. After almost a year at the bargaining table and our collective actions in the streets, the expanded 85-member UTLA bargaining team reached a ground-breaking tentative agreement on April 18. 2023 that goes beyond the traditional scope of bargaining This agreement is the result of all of us standing up for students who need the most support from our morning pickets and regional rallies to the joint March 15 Rally leading up to our historic Solidarity Strike, every win in this tentative agreement is a direct result of our collective power in the streets. This agreement builds on what we won since 2019 and reflects the expansion of the bargaining team to 85 members who represent every corner of UTLA at the table.

    Endorsements

    The Platform

    • Salary increases for all educators and accelerated advancement to their highest salary

    • Salaries for school nurses that are competitive with private sector positions and will allow LAUSD to meet its current contractual obligation to provide a nurse in every school 5 days per week

    • Greater pay equity and better working conditions for Adult Education, CTE, Early Education, State Preschool, and Substitute educators

    • Expanded compensation for extra duty work

    • Expanded and increased differentials for advanced degrees, Special Education educators, bilingual and dual language educators, CSPP educators, coordinators, counselors, and coaches

    • Expanded access to salary points to incentivize  individualized professional development

    • Premium-free high-quality healthcare for all employees

    • Paid planning and preparation time for elementary and early education program educators

    • Structural support for members responsible for dependent care

    • Targeted investment in the recruitment and retention of BIPOC educators and service providers

    Class Size and Staffing

    An essential victory from the 2019 UTLA strike was the elimination of Section 1.5 from the contract, which had allowed the district to unilaterally ignore class size averages and caps. The win created enforceable limits for the first time in decades as the initial steps in a multi-year struggle to dramatically reduce class sizes. Our contract demands must continue that work.

    • Class size reduction across all grades and school types
    • Caseload reduction for Special Education teachers, DIS providers, and HHS staff
    • Increased hiring of HHS and DIS staff
    • More classroom paraprofessionals, climate coaches, campus aides, and supervision aides
    • More Counselors, School Psychologists, PSAs and PSWs, certificated Visual Art, Music, Dance and Theater teachers, and full-time PE teachers in elementary schools
    • Greater limits on the displacement of teachers
    • Elimination of combination classes

    Special Education

    Special Education in LAUSD is underfunded by nearly $1 billion, which negatively impacts all students. The federal government made a commitment over 40 years ago to fund 40% of the Special Education costs for public schools but has never fulfilled that promise. Special Education educators and students have also struggled within a system made worse by LAUSD’s own lack of effective support. An essential victory from the 2019 UTLA strike was the creation of a new article in our contract that specifically addresses Special Education issues, and we need our new contract demands to build on that work.

    • Increased support for the management of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and IEP related Assessments
    • Reduced grade-level spans
    • Enforceable class size caps
    • Caseload reduction
    • Program-specific budgets
    • Assignment protection for baseline assistants
    • Accelerated expansion of inclusion programs with greater stakeholder input
    • Public support from LAUSD for the Fulfill the Promise national campaign to hold the federal government accountable to finally meeting its legal obligation under IDEA to pay 40% of Special Education costs for school districts

    Curriculum & Access

    • Elimination or dramatic reduction of standardized tests not required by the state or federal government
    • Expanded access to dual-language programs and multilingual education
    • Increased access to Ethnic Studies and culturally relevant curriculum
    • Community-connected/project-based/advocacy-based curriculum with financial literacy, vocational, culinary, nutrition, and racial justice infused teaching across all subject areas.
    • Increased opportunities for tutoring, field trips, campus clubs, student programs, and enrichment activities
    • Increased access to electives in secondary schools and expansion of electives to elementary schools
    • Enhanced library services and resources for all elementary schools
    • Greater educator input in curriculum development
    • Systematic inclusion of social-emotional learning in all curricula

    • Provide updated technology for all students and staff

    • Increased access to reliable internet service and support for all students

    • LAUSD to provide (where possible) and publicly advocate for (where necessary) free WiFi for all students and families

    • Implement a freeze on school closures

    • End the over-policing and criminalization of students in schools

    • Professional development for educators on “de-escalation” techniques

    • Professional development for educators on trauma-informed teaching

    • Targeted investment in programs that provide healthy extracurricular options for at-risk students

    • Increase and strengthen educator, student, and parent voices in school decision making

    • Consistent enforcement of LAUSD policies, including COVID-19 health and safety protocols, at co-located schools

    • Maximization of protected space for LAUSD students at co-located schools

    • Increased hiring of maintenance staff to clean and maintain facilities

    • Appropriate workspaces for all HHS and itinerant staff

    LAUSD owns and operates 6,400 acres of property. Proactive climate justice and mitigation practices implemented in buildings and grounds covering that much space in Los Angeles can have a meaningful impact on our communities as we face the increasing impacts of climate change.

    • Create strategic plan for a Green, Clean, Free, and Healthy LAUSD, including but not limited to: conversion of buses, installation of solar panels, use of school land for collection of clean water, creation of schools as cooling zones, creation of schools as climate change/grid shut-down resiliency centers, and increased healthier food options

    • Provide support for school/community gardens to feed students and families

    • Shaded and appropriate play areas for all students

    • Support of local struggles for environmental justice and equity

    • Increase healthy food options for students and families that address food insecurity, nutrition, culture, and support of environmentally sustainable and worker-friendly food sources

    • Expand green spaces and tree planting at schools

    • An LAUSD audit on green practices, including energy use, carbon emissions, air quality, and water use

    • Provide funding and develop the necessary organizational structures to greatly expand the number of Community Schools – schools with resources for expanded family/community/youth engagement, broadened curriculum, shared decision-making, and wrap-around services

    • Provide funding and organizational structures to support existing Community Schools

    • Support development of Community School pillars and mechanisms in all schools

    • Increased funding and expansion of the Black Student Achievement Program by providing schools with the highest Black student populations with additional resources focused on social/emotional health, culturally relevant curriculum, and needs-based community relationships

    • Support for immigrant students and families with and without documentation

    • Support for anti-poverty programs in Los Angeles

    • Targeted academic support for unhoused students, foster care students, working students, and parenting students

    • Push for targeted Section 8 housing vouchers to support LAUSD families

    • Convert vacant LAUSD property into housing for low-income families

    • Increased staffing focused on mental health support for students and their families

    • Ongoing LAUSD support for families dealing with COVID-related academic, economic, health, and racial inequity impacts, in addition to the long-standing, systemic inequities impacting Black and Brown students

    • Create a transparent system of equitable school funding in LAUSD that supports schools, neighborhoods, and stability and that strengthens the Black Student Achievement Plan and similar initiatives

    • Formal commitment by LAUSD to not proceed with its “Student-Centered Funding” scheme or other programs to create a marketplace of students for whom schools would compete

    • For LAUSD to publicly call for and take action to support federal COVID relief monies becoming permanent as of 2024, and publicly call for and, in coalition, take action to support state initiatives in 2024 to permanently increase state school funding

    • Strengthen limits and regulation of charter schools

    Beyond Recovery Sign on Form See All resources
    Beyond Recovery Platform Sign on Form
    resources

    Resources

     

     

    Downloadable PDFs

    Beyond Recovery Platform (Full)
    PDF
    07.22.2022
    Beyond Recovery Flyer
    PDF
    07.22.2022