Some teachers feel frustrated, devalued by LA Unified | 89.3 KPCC

Some teachers feel frustrated, devalued by LA Unified | 89.3 KPCC:

Teacher: Cuts to arts education are a 'great tragedy'

Pass / Fail - 8 hours ago

At Peary Middle School in Gardena, visual arts teacher Valerie Davidson teaches drawing and painting to about 175 students. She is the only arts teacher in a school of nearly 2,000 students. "Less than 30 percent of the kids in school have access to the arts," Davidson said Monday at the RIF notice hearings at California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles. She said such scenarios have become more common as the district has cut arts over the last five years. "The tragedy is I’m the only art teacher for these kids, these 2,000 kids," Davidson said. And if cuts continue, "I may be... more »

Some teachers feel frustrated, devalued by LA Unified

Pass / Fail - 8 hours ago

On Monday morning, Octavio Garcia, a sixth grade math and science teacher at Los Angeles Academy Middle School in South Los Angeles sat with his fellow teacher Gregory Meili, a sixth grade English and ancient civilizations teacher, listening to district and union officials talk. They weren't in the classroom. Both teachers were taking personal days to be downtown on the 13th floor of the California Market Center for the first day of L.A. Unified's teacher layoff hearings. About 300 teachers dotted the 2,000 white folding chairs set out in the cavernous top floor of the center, kno... more »

Cal State faculty starts voting on strike plans; Faculty president: There's 'overwhelming support'

Pass / Fail - 8 hours ago

The governing board for Cal State’s faculty association is preparing for the worst. That’s why it started a two-week vote on Monday to determine whether or not faculty will strike at all 23 campuses. At Cal State Dominguez Hills, instructors formed a steady stream as they made their way in and out of the voting booths. David Bradfield, president of the faculty association’s chapter at the campus, said there’s "overwhelming support to authorize the two-day rolling strikes. That’s the buzz. That’s what I’m hearing." The system's 23,000 employees have two weeks to vote on the strike,... more »

Union prez: LA Unified is 'asking the recession to last a year longer in LA'

Pass / Fail - 8 hours ago

L.A. Unified has overreacted to its budget problems and has been "excessive" in issuing 9,500 preliminary pink slips to teachers, librarians, nurses, and school counselors, said UTLA President Warren Fletcher today. Fletcher, who made an appearance at the California Market Center downtown today for the start of the first day of "RIF hearings," criticized the district for its cuts to arts, adult and early education. He said many of the teachers at the hearing were ones who taught those subjects. He called the process "stressful and sometimes humiliating" and unfair to teachers, wh... more »

LA Unified teacher layoff hearings begin today

Pass / Fail - 8 hours ago

Open hearings began today for 9,500 teachers, librarians, counselors and nurses, who were sent preliminary pink slips by L.A. Unified and may lose their jobs at the end of this school year. In what has become a dark ritual, the district and teachers now engage in the RIF dance, as some call it: Notices are sent, hearings are held at the cost of millions to the district, some notices are rescinded before the school year ends, and other teachers are hired back as budgets become more clear. By law the district must inform educators of their possible termination by March 15, forcing t... more »

Cal State faculty starts strike plan vote

Pass / Fail - 22 hours ago

After 22 months of discussions and mediation between California State University and its faculty association, negotiations have stopped. That could lead to the largest university strike in state history. Starting Monday, faculty at all 23 Cal State campuses will start a two-week vote to decide whether their union should launch a statewide strike. If the yes votes win, instructors would launch a series of two-day “rolling strikes,” with faculty at each CSU campus walking out on different days. Bargaining committee chair Andy Merrifield, who teaches political science at Sonoma State... more »

LA Unified's parcel tax math

Pass / Fail - 4 days ago

L.A. Unified is hoping voters will pass a $298 parcel tax in November to help raise about $255 million annually for schools from property owners within district boundaries and improve future budget forecasts. The district currently faces a $390 million budget shortfall. The school board approved putting the annual tax before voters for the November ballotlast month. "Sacramento cannot take this money away," said Superintendent John Deasy in his presentation to the board. "They cannot cut this fund; this fund goes directly to our schools." Here's how the parcel tax math would work ... more »

National Endowment for the Arts wants LA arts official to lead education initiatives

Pass / Fail - 4 days ago

The National Endowment for the Arts has hired a Los Angeles County arts official to lead its education initiatives. For more than a decade, Ayanna Hudson has led the L.A. County Arts Commission’s "Arts For All" campaign. When she started, she said, only one school district in the county had a policy and plan to improve arts education. "We now have 50 districts in the county that are committed to implementing arts education," said Hudson. "We've worked with them to develop a policy. [...] That's about 62 percent of school districts across the county." Hudson’s been selected to le... more »