UTLA’s 85-member Expanded Bargaining Team had another session with LAUSD yesterday.
UTLA made counterproposals to establish Article XXX committees for Arts Education Itinerants, the California State Preschool Program, and Charter Colocation Schools and to allow employees facing catastrophic illness to receive donated leave days. LAUSD made weak counterproposals on professional development and the Black Student Achievement Plan.
Our team also walked though our previous proposals for Class Size, Master Plan, Immigrant Student & Family Support, and Equity, pressing on the district to explain why they are unwilling to agree to our demands on these topics. The district admitted that students need lower class sizes and more counselors, PSWs, PSAs, and psychologists — but they refuse to take action, despite having $3.4 billion in reserves.
It’s clear that LAUSD is trying to narrow negotiations and be in control of everything: money, policies, our profession. We refuse to narrow our demands. Each of the elements of our Beyond Recovery platform supports the other. We will not accept piecemeal proposals that move the needle imperceptibly, that boost pay only modestly, that help only a limited number of students, and that ignore the community needs that impact student learning.
