Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • www.utla.net Volume XLVIII, Number 8, August 16, 2019 OUR NEW DEAL FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS Our Students, Our Movement, Our Future This school year we amplify the power of our Respect Students & Parents historic strike by vigorously enforcing the new » Ensure that all students and families, including immigrant contract and pushing a broad platform—Our families, are free from harassment, surveillance, and New Deal for Public Schools—to reclaim the random searches at school promise of public education. » Support movements for economic, racial, gender, LGBTQ, and social justice Nurture the Whole Child » Expand green space and win free public transportation for students » Expand Community Schools » Use the district’s leverage and unused land to win » Lower class sizes and hire more librarians, counselors, expansion of affordable housing and health and human services professionals » Increase parent and student decision-making on local » Broaden the curriculum and reduce standardized testing councils and beyond » Create safe schools through increased staffing and Fully Fund Public Schools restorative practices » » Increase investments in adult education, early Build the 20 X 20 campaign ($20,000 in per-pupil funding education, multilingual education, and special education by the year 2020) » Close corporate tax loopholes (Schools and Communities Respect Educators First ballot initiative) » Vigorously enforce the contract » Massively expand special education (IDEA) and Title I funding » Pay educators like professionals, with high-quality Stop Privatization healthcare and a secure retirement » » Improve working conditions; principals must support Halt the growth of charter schools and stop co-locations educators » Hold all schools to the same standards of transparency » Empower educators to make decisions about their and accountability work, their instruction, and their school » Fight the corporate charter industry’s influence in politics Contract enforcement strategies Making our victories real Page 6 United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net August 16, 2019 United Teacher President’s perspective PRESIDENT Alex Caputo-Pearl NEA AFFILIATE VP Cecily Myart-Cruz AFT AFFILIATE VP Juan Ramirez A bold New Deal for our movement ELEMENTARY VP Gloria Martinez SECONDARY VP Daniel Barnhart TREASURER Alex Orozco Let’s push it to the next level in 2019-20. SECRETARY Arlene Inouye By Alex Caputo-Pearl the strike was the most important thing reduction program we’ve seen in decades, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Good UTLA President she has done in her career. One of the most unfolding over the next three years, and important things she’s done in her life. paving the way for more. Strikes work. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alex delivered the following State of the At Harry Bridges, elementary teacher We won a 6% permanent retroactive pay NORTH AREA: Karla Griego, Chair (Buchanan ES), Mark Union speech at the 2019 Leadership Confer- and chapter chair Phylis Hoffman, with increase with no cuts to future educators’ Ramos (Contreras LC), Rebecca Solomon (RFK UCLA ence in July. Nataly Santos, Michael Gearin, Luis Mora, healthcare. The district fought for those Comm. School), Julie Van Winkle (LOOC Liason) We will never forget 2018-19. An historic and others, did incredible leadership de- cuts. They wanted at least one concession. SOUTH AREA: Maria Miranda, Chair (Miramonte ES), Aydé Bravo (Maywood ES), L. Cynthia Matthews strike with unprecedented wins. The largest velopment, including scores of people in They got no concessions. Strikes work. (McKinley ES), Karen Ticer-León (Tweedy ES) public sector strike in a single city of the roles on the picket line. On Community Schools, we won EAST AREA: Adrian Tamayo, Chair (Lorena ES), United States in years. The first large strike At South Gate High, chapter chair Vikki almost triple the investment that commu- Ingrid Gunnell (Salary Point Advisor), Yolanda Tamayo since Janus, sending a pro-union message Barkley, and leaders like Fidencio Gal- nity groups had demanded at the school (Lorena ES), Gillian Russom (Roosevelt HS) nationwide. The first Red for Ed strike in a lardo, helped members connect with com- board, only to be rejected, six months WEST AREA: Erika Jones, Chair (CTA Director), Georgia munity so deeply that the hot dog place earlier. Thirty high-needs schools are going Flowers Lee (Saturn ES), Noah Lippe-Klein blue state, challenging Democrats on their (Dorsey HS), Larry Shoham (Hamilton HS) terrible record on funding and privatiza- across the street was a strike headquarters. through the Community School transfor- CENTRAL AREA: Stacie Webster, Chair (West Vernon ES), tion. A strike being studied internationally. While you empowered members, our mation process, engaging parents, broad- Kelly Flores (Hawkins HS), Tomás Flores Sisters and brothers, our strike put us community partners in Reclaim Our ening curriculum, building wraparound (West Vernon ES), Claudia Rodriquez (49th Street) squarely on the national stage: that’s why Schools LA empowered parents and stu- services, and providing a model for the VALLEY EAST AREA: Scott Mandel, Chair (Pacoima we have a candidate for U.S. president at dents. In Central and East Areas, parents rest of the district. Strikes work. Magnet), Victoria Casas (Beachy ES), Mel House (Elementary P.E.), Hector Perez-Roman (Arleta HS) the Leadership Conference: Senator Bernie Maria Osorio, Noemi Galindo, and others A nurse in every school. A librarian in VALLEY WEST AREA: Bruce Newborn, Chair (Hale Sanders. Having Bernie here doesn’t mean canvassed schools in support of the strike. every secondary school. No cuts to library Charter), Melodie Bitter (Lorne ES), Wendi Davis UTLA is endorsing him. If we aide money. A guaranteed stu- (Henry MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS) endorse for U.S. president, we dent-to-counselor ratio. Work HARBOR AREA: Steve Seal, Chair (Eshelman ES), have a democratic process for space for all itinerants and Karen Macias (Del Amo ES), Jennifer McAfee (Dodson MS), Elgin Scott (Taper ES) that. Bernie is here because, HHS workers. A foundation ADULT & OCCUP ED: Matthew Kogan (Evans CAS) frankly, he’s always been from which to fight for more BILINGUAL EDUCATION: Cheryl L. Ortega (Sub Unit) here. Bernie endorsed Steve psychologists and psychiatric EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: Teri Harnik, Cleveland EEC Zimmer and Imelda Padilla social workers, which we’ll do for LAUSD school board. He in our contract reopeners in HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Mallorie Evans (Educational Audiologist) was the first presidential can- January 2020. Strikes work. SPECIAL ED: Lucía Arias (Sub Unit) didate to endorse our strike. I’m proud that we are the col- SUBSTITUTES: Benny Madera His organization put boots lective UTLA leadership that PACE CHAIR: Marco Flores on the ground during the opened the special education UTLA RETIRED: John Perez strike. Bernie’s campaign is article for the first time in 38 based on the same premise years. We won important first AFFILIATIONS as our strike—that we need steps. District norms for case- American Federation of Teachers National Education Association a movement, not a single loads. Guarantees on getting leader. And, Bernie is here caseload information. Release STATE & NATIONAL OFFICERS because his Thurgood Mar- days for educators to do testing. CFT PRESIDENT: Jeffery M. Freitas shall Plan for education most The right to bargain changes in CTA PRESIDENT: E. Toby Boyd CTA DIRECTOR: Erika Jones crystallizes our core beliefs— instructional delivery, including dramatically increase school inclusion. Special education will CFT VICE PRESIDENTS: Arlene Inouye, John Perez, Juan Ramirez Alex and the UTLA officers at the Leadership Conference in July. NEA PRESIDENT: Lily Eskelsen Garcia funding, put a moratorium combine with mental health AFT PRESIDENT: Randi Weingarten on charter growth, and support strikes and RFK student Neelima Hossain and others staffing as one of our contract re-openers AFT VICE PRESIDENT: Alex Caputo-Pearl NEA DIRECTOR: Mel House other actions to get there—and he is driving went to UTLA every day of the strike in January 2020. Strikes work. every other democratic candidate towards to plan nightly actions at the homes of We won commitments to reduce stan- UTLA COMMUNICATIONS these positions. Monica Garcia, Austin Beutner, and others. dardized testing by 50% and to expand EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Alex Caputo-Pearl Sisters and brothers, for the first time in Every movement rises on its ability to ethnic studies. We won working conditions COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Anna Bakalis 40 years, there is progressive momentum in develop new leaders, to have more and and pay victories in early education, adult COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS: Kim Turner, Carolina Barreiro, Tammy Lyn Gann public education. But, it is not a time to get more people willing to take risks. We did education, for ROC/ROP educators, and ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Laura Aldana self-satisfied. It is a time to get bolder. Our that. Strikes work. for substitute educators. Strikes work. New Deal for Public Schools draws from the The second accomplishment in the We won victories on local decision-mak- EDITORIAL INFORMATION New Deal in the 1930s that reconstructed strike is something we’ve talked about ing, winning the right to vote before there UNITED TEACHER the economy. It draws from Alexandria for 20 years. We dominated the media, is a magnet conversion. Winning increased 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Fl., LA, CA 90010 Email: [email protected] Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal. It is a call public relations, air waves, and social rights on local budgets. Winning new UTLA main line: 213-487-5560 to transform public education. There are media. We fundamentally shifted the powers for Local School Leadership Coun- ADVERTISING five clear planks. Nurture the Whole Child. narrative. Read the LA Times. The LA cils in Community Schools. Strikes work. Senders Communications Group Brian Bullen: 818-884-8966, ext. 1108 Respect Educators. Respect Students and privatizers know they’ve lost the narra- We set a new standard for the national Parents. Fully Fund Public Schools.