Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • www.utla.net Volume XLIV, Number 10, July 17, 2015 Layoff fight gets results More than 250 RIF notices rescinded, and most remaining positions at risk are expected to be saved after the start of the new school year. The layoff fight heated up over the summer as parents, educators, and stu- dents massed at a series of LAUSD School Board meetings to urge Board members to rescind reduction-in-force notices and restore programs for the 2015-16 school year. Large groups packed the Board on June 9, testified at a June 16 public hearing, and were back on June 23. More than 250 layoff notices had been rescinded by the time the School Board ap- proved its 2015-16 budget on June 23, and it is expected that nearly all people on the 2014-15 RIF list will be rehired as a result of additional adult education funding and start-of-school-year vacancies. UTLA will keep organizing and building pressure to bring back all of our colleagues for the benefit of our students. The adult education program has the most positions still hanging in the balance: 241 educators, including 89 ESL instructors. In June UTLA and LAUSD sent a joint letter to state officials requesting additional adult education funding, citing the high level of need in Los Angeles as indicated by the 12,000-plus people on the wait list for ESL, career and technical education, and other classes. LAUSD is in line to receive additional money because of a change in state funding for adult education programs, and LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines has commit- ted publicly to using it to restore positions. The LAUSD Board meetings saw an outpouring of support by parents and Pushing for long-term solutions Every LAUSD School Board meeting in June had protesters fighting the District’s proposed layoffs and program cuts for the 2015-16 school year. the community for the well-regarded UTLA will keep facing tough budget School Readiness Language Development battles against layoffs and program cuts as Program, which the LAUSD School Board long as the low level of education funding has decided to close at some sites in favor in California persists. Even with the tempo- of expanding Transitional Kindergarten. rary infusion of money from Proposition 30, UTLA and the SRLDP community have a the state still ranks near the bottom nation- seat at the table during this transition and wide in per-pupil funding. UTLA, our affili- are calling for maintenance of the number of ates, and our community and labor partners spots for early education students, creden- are aggressively pursuing solutions, such tialed educators for every classroom, the in- as the Make It Fair California Campaign volvement of educators in any changes that to close the corporate tax loopholes that are proposed, and a responsible amount are allowing major corporations to avoid of time taken to implement any changes. paying their fair share of taxes to support With the exception of two positions that schools and other services (read more on are expected to be funded by local sites page 6). Since the passage of Proposition when the school year begins, all current 13 in 1978, the tax burden has been shifting health and human services professionals away from corporations and commercial will have a position in 2015-16, includ- property owners to middle-class homeown- ing nurses, pupil services and attendance ers and renters. Make It Fair will reverse counselors, and psychiatric social workers. (continued on page 6) Platinum Apple award winners UTLA members recognized for excellence in education Page 8 United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net July 17, 2015 holding Deasy accountable and in framing the debate, within the Schools L.A. Students United Teacher President’s perspective Deserve platform, on how his actions (such as the MiSiS crisis and iPad fiasco) were PRESIDENT Alex Caputo-Pearl hurting students. NEA AFFILIATE VP Cecily Myart-Cruz Our challenge: Shaping the search for AFT AFFILIATE VP Betty Forrester Taking stock and making plans ELEMENTARY VP Juan Ramirez LAUSD superintendent. There are many SECONDARY VP Colleen Schwab Building on our 2014-15 gains. lessons to be learned from the Deasy years, TREASURER Arlene Inouye including not to hire anyone from the Broad SECRETARY Daniel Barnhart Academy, the breeding ground for cor- By Alex Caputo-Pearl must be notified of the reasons for reassign- porate reformers. We need an educator EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Good UTLA President ment within three days, and investigations with a history of collaboration, and the shall be completed as quickly as possible, hiring process must be transparent and BOARD OF DIRECTORS Summer at UTLA has been about taking with a 90-day goal. Recent cases make it inclusive of educators and the community. stock: analyzing the victories of the past pretty clear that this new language is not Let’s remember that Deasy was promoted NORTH AREA: Kirk Thomas, Chair (Eagle Rock ES), Rebecca Solomon (RFK UCLA Comm. school year and developing a strategic plan being followed, and UTLA is pressuring to superintendent without so much as a School), Julie Van Winkle (Logan Span School) to build on them. LAUSD officials to abide by the protocols job interview. Let’s also remember that the SOUTH AREA: Ingrid Villeda, Chair (93rd Street ES), Recent news has underscored the challeng- they agreed to. LAUSD superintendent has an impact on Ayde Bravo (Maywood ES), Ayesha Brooks (Markham MS), Maria Miranda (Miramonte ES) es facing unions. In June, the Supreme Court On the contract front, there will be re- how accountable charter management or- announced that it would hear the anti-union openers with both LAUSD and numerous ganizations are. EAST AREA: Gillian Russom, Chair (ESP Academy), Ingrid Gunnell (Lane ES), Gloria Martinez (Rowan ES), Friedrichs v. CTA case in its next session. The charter schools in 2015-16, and UTLA will Adrian Tamayo (Lorena ES) suit seeks to eliminate the collection of “fair be prepping for our full contract renewal Supporting charter WEST AREA: Erika Jones Crawford, Chair (Angeles share” representation fees from individuals with LAUSD in June 2017. Mesa), Noah Lippe-Klein (Dorsey HS), Rodney Lusain school organizing (Los Angeles HS), Jennifer Villaryo (Grand View ES) who do not wish to become union members This year, educators began a historic CENTRAL AREA: José Lara, Chair (Santee EC), but nevertheless benefit from union repre- Success fighting layoffs organizing effort at Alliance College Ready Kelly Flores (Maya Angelou), Paul Ngwoke (Bethune sentation. You can read more about the case Since UTLA’s fight against the layoffs MS), Zulma Tobar (Harmony ES) Public Schools, one of the largest charter on pages 6 and 12, but suffice it to say, it is began in March, more than 250 RIF notices chains in the nation. UTLA has been active- VALLEY EAST AREA: Scott Mandel, Chair (Pacoima Magnet), Victoria (Martha) Casas (Beachy ES), another attempt by well-fund- ly supporting these educators as Alex (David) Orozco (Madison MS) ed business interests to attack they fight to unionize for a greater VALLEY WEST AREA: Bruce Newborn, Chair, unions. One reporter called this voice in their workplace. UTLA Melodie Bitter (Lorne ES), Wendi Davis an existential battle for union sur- (Henry MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS) now represents more than 1,000 vival—but it is really much larger members at independent charter HARBOR AREA: Aaron Bruhnke, Chair (San Pedro HS), Elgin Scott (Avalon Gardens ES), Steve Seal than that. In this time of obscene schools across the city. (Eshelman ES), Mary Tello (De La Torre Jr. ES) income inequality, when middle Our challenge: Continuing to ADULT & OCCUP ED: Ernest Kettenring (Roosevelt CAS) and working class families are help Alliance educators with- BILINGUAL EDUCATION: Cheryl L. Ortega (Sub Unit) falling further and further behind, stand the major anti-union offen- unions are one of the last forces HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Linda Gordon sive from Alliance management. holding the line on wages and The Public Employment Relations SPECIAL ED: Darrell Jones (Byrd MS) benefits. Labor partners across the Board’s recent unfair labor com- SUBSTITUTES: Fredrick Bertz country are joining forces for this plaint against Alliance confirms PACE CHAIR: Marco Flores crucial battle; you will be reading the outrageous campaign Alliance UTLA RETIRED: John Perez more about it when the Supreme is waging against its own educa- Court begins its next session in tors (read more on page 4). October. AFFILIATIONS Alex with SRLDP students who had just performed a song, led by Building new American Federation of Teachers teacher Silvia Leon, for the School Board members as part of the protest National Education Association Major gains in 2014-15 relationships citywide against program cuts on June 9. 2014-15 was a year of great As part of our organizing STATE & NATIONAL OFFICERS change for UTLA, and we should around the Schools L.A. Stu- NEA DIRECTOR: Sue Cirillo CFT PRESIDENT: Joshua Pechthalt all be proud of what we accomplished to- from different employment categories have dents Deserve, we have opened up new CTA PRESIDENT: Dean Vogel gether. Following the vision of the Schools L.A. been rescinded, and most remaining posi- approaches to connecting with parents, the CTA DIRECTOR: David Goldberg Students Deserve, we organized our members, tions on the RIF list are expected to be saved community, and other labor unions around CFT VICE PRESIDENT: Betty Forrester organized with parents and community, or- after the start of the new school year. This educational and social justice issues. We NEA PRESDIENT: Lily Eskelsen Garcia is a huge victory. The greatest number of AFT PRESIDENT: Randi Weingarten ganized political action, and used escalating now have CPALs (Chapter Political Action actions to win significant gains.