This morning the teachers and other educators at the nations largest school district, the LA Unified School District, went on strike in an attempt to save the schools they serve from starvation by the predatory practices of the Republican Reich. While Republicans say the teachers are motivated by greed, the district and the union are very close on that issue. Where they are not close are class size, reductions in standardized testing, increased support staff (Most schools lack a librarian, and many don’t even have a school nurse.), and limitations on district creating limits on new and on spending on charter schools.
Tens of thousands of Los Angeles teachers went on strike Monday after contentious contract negotiations failed in the nation’s second-largest school district.
“Students, we are striking for you,” teachers union President Alex Caputo-Pearl told a cheering crowd of teachers marching in pouring rain.
Members of United Teachers Los Angeles voted last year to walk off the job for the first time in three decades if a deal wasn’t reached on issues including higher wages and smaller class sizes.
Months of talks between the union with 35,000 members and the Los Angeles Unified School District ended without a deal. It follows teacher walkouts in other states that emboldened organized labor…
Inserted from <TPM>
The issues are complex, but this video should help clear it up for you.
Several years, I worked part time as a tutor in the computer lab of a community college. My GED kids were pretty squared away, but about a third of the kids that had graduated from public high schools were functionally illiterate. To get them through computer science, I had to help them learn to read. Teachers are trying to change that, so I fully support their strike to get them the tools and support they need.
RESIST!!
12 Responses to “Teachers Fight for Kids”
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I was a teacher before I retired due to disability. Even 20 years ago the class sizes were too big, we were teaching to the standardized tests and there wasn’t enough support staff. It has only gotten worse. I wholeheartedly support these educators.
Go teachers! For far too long they have had to put up with too much pressure, too many demands, not enough support, and not enough pay. You said it, Nita L! Our “education” system is a joke. Teachers are judged by how well their students do on dumbass tests, and I could go on and on and on how that is pure male bovine excrement.
Personally, I’m glad and very proud to see them protesting. I wish them well too.
You’re right, Tom, in that staff have multiple jobs now, with librarians/nurses (sometimes) working at 2 different schools. The teachers (I’ve known) have always paid for their extra supplies, as the the district doesn’t give supplies to last a half term, let alone a full term. Some have jobs after school hours too, to supplement their paychecks. (unless they have a PD/PLC that day, then they can’t get to their 2nd job, which has happened.)
Here in Texas, we aren’t allowed to strike. Unfortunately. https://www.texastribune.org/2018/04/05/texas-public-school-teachers-strike-union-oklahoma/
I can’t even wrap my head around a public school which doesn’t have BOTH a school nurse AND a librarian. And, good heavens, 45 kids in an elementary classroom – with one teacher – is insane. 45 MIGHT work for 3 teachers to team teach. Or for a college lecture class. Not for grade school. “No money”? We are nor broke – we have BEEN ROBBED.
I used to administer GED – proctor and grade. I agree GED students meet and exceed minimum standards, and very well at that.
I got a great education in my public schools, but, you know, kids who qualify for AP don’t get short changed. The ones who get short changed are the ones who need it the most. THAT’s the problem.
RESIST AND PERSIST!
There’s a reason Rethuglicans are against a strong public school system:
[Pardon my nit-picking, but Los Angeles is the second largest school district, behind New York City.]
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-school-districts-in-the-united-states.html.
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!
Ask Rand (Let’s do away with the department of education)Paul.
I know NYC has a pantsload of charter schools (because I “worked for” the district as a computer help desk person for four months.) I don’t know percentages of pupils in them as opposed to non-charter, and i don’t have a clue how Los Angeles stands, so I’m guessing there might be different ways to measure which is bigger. The New York charter schools both are and are not part of the school district, so it’s complicated.
There are, and have been numerous teachers in at least 3 generations within my extended family. They do care about the kids. The GOPIGGIES only care about fetuses, and only because of their hypocritical religious stances.
Lately I’ve seen demonstrations, walk-outs and strikes in Europe, Australia and America, all with the same rationalization: higher wages and smaller class sizes, i.e.better education for all. Funding for education has been cut over decades by mostly right-wing governments with excuses as austerity, “innovation” (let kids sort themselves out with a computer) and less children being born, so less teachers needed. At the same time more and more functionality and bureaucracy was thrown over the school walls and expected to be picked up by teachers.
The similarities between the countries themselves, the cuts and the reaction of teachers who have reached the end of their thither, is striking.
Power to them all. The school system sure isn’t what it use to be like when I went or when I put my son thru school years ago. Seeing and hearing what they are put through nowadays, is insane.
Paying/buying all of the items the kids need for the classes that they teach is insane.
Shameful to read what you pointed out that they don’t have nurses or librarians at a lot of them, is a real shame too. Another thing that they kept mentioning here in San Diego, Ca was the fact that the schools had old pipes that were harmful due to lead poisoning.
Plus that they were lacking air conditioning which causes many kids to become ill during the hot heat spells we were going through. All due to cutbacks in the schooling budgets.
I hope that these teachers are successful with their strike and get what they need and want.
Thanks, Hugas, and Amen to all.
i’m with public school teachers, they are never paid enough!!! ?