UTLA’s 85-member bargaining team resubmitted every single one of our proposals to LAUSD and told them to spend winter break working on real solutions.
On December 8, parents and community members came to the bargaining table to speak to LAUSD on the urgent need to support Special Education, expand Community Schools, and invest in the Black Student Achievement Program.
While LAUSD acknowledges the need for more Special Education support, they have brought no solutions of their own over the last seven months. They have rejected 17 of our 18 proposals to address issues specific to Special Education, including an enforceable cap on class sizes.
“I have two sons who are on the autism spectrum, one in 3rd grade and the other in 5th grade. Last year, one of my boys was in a classroom of sixteen. Then, he participated in the summer program with only eight students in the class, and we got to see him thrive. But now after just this fall, we are back to where we started because he is in a class of sixteen. I came to bargaining today because when I asked who to speak to, everyone pointed me to the district.” – Pearline Granados, Parent
UTLA’s bargaining team asked the district to expand and permanently fund Community Schools. LAUSD rejected these proposals and refuses added support for Community School Coordinators. The 34 currently designated Community Schools have demonstrated how tailored resources and wrap-around services are transforming education.
“My son, a Special Ed scholar at a Community School, has definitely benefitted from the extra resources and community connections. In the community school format, parents and the community have an opportunity to speak and be engaged. It is important for parents and the community not to be muted.” – Alberta Brinson Moore, Parent
LAUSD has rejected our proposals for financial incentives to increase staffing to support Black students and an established decision-making structure for BSAP schools. UTLA is asking for these solutions in the contract so the BSAP initiative doesn’t become another empty promise.
“I’m here today to ensure that BSAP stays within our schools no matter who the superintendent is or who is on the school board. Before 2020, LAUSD had no initiative for Black students. It wasn’t until students and community members said ‘this is what we need’ and did the work for them. We’re finally seeing funds and resources allocated for Black students.” – Kahlila Williams, Students Deserve Leader
For over seven months, UTLA has been trying to work with LAUSD to solve problems, but they are more concerned with keeping their power.
If LAUSD wants a power struggle, they will lose. We beat them on their schedule for Acceleration Days, we organized morning pickets across the entire district in October, and on Monday held some of the largest regional rallies in the history of our union. UTLA is ready to negotiate when we come back to the table in January but we are also prepared to escalate our collective actions to win our demands.
