Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Educated Guess � Unions plans protests March 4


The Educated Guess  Unions plans protests March 4:

"A protest or demonstration will be coming to a school or college campus near you on Thursday, March 4th.

That’s what the state’s two teachers unions, the California Teachers Assn. and the California Federation of Teachers, are designating their “Day of Action,” in which teachers hope to rouse people’s attention to the impact of current and likely budget cuts. CTA announced it will be running a 1-minute radio ad promoting the day on 84 stations between now and then.


The statewide protest will occur at the same time that school boards are voting on preliminary layoff notices, so there will be plenty of angry teachers and parents. Districts must notify teachers by March 15 if jobs may be eliminated, and, indications are tens of thousands of teachers will be notified. Last year, many got back their jobs when Washington filled in cuts with stimulus dollars. But that won’t likely happen this year. And if their jobs are spared, it may be because unions have agreed to slice five days off the school year; Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ray Cortines is the latest to propose this. .

It’s been hard for school board and teachers to convey to the public the impact of raising kindergarten classes from 20 to 30 students, or eliminating art and music or"