Protesters shut down Los Angeles Board of Education meeting
School district officials are busy “reimagining” the nation’s second-largest school system, but what happened Tuesday was not exactly what they had in mind.
A group of at least 50 protesters shut down the Los Angeles Board of Education meeting early — just before a debate that was expected to get a little testy on its own.
These days, two major possibilities color just about everything in Los Angeles Unified — the growing prospect of a teachers strike and Supt. Austin Beutner’s still largely confidential plan for a massive district reorganization.
The major theme of the protest, organized by teachers union allies, was support for the teachers, though student demands also were a part of it.
“The more involved I become, the more I become aware of what is happening and the things that are not happening,” said Ruby Gordillo, who was accompanied by her daughter Alandra, a fifth-grader at 10th Street Elementary in Pico-Union. “Our schools are very misleading in the way they answer questions. They give us answers in a way that makes me believe they don’t have interest in our community.”
District officials and the teachers union have been in negotiations for more than 18 months, and a January strike appears increasingly likely. The two sides are nearly done with fact-finding, the final step of a negotiation process set out under state law.
The draft of a report from a fact-finding panel is expected on Friday. A final version will be made public about 10 days later, if it isn’t leaked sooner. After that, the school district could impose a contract and the union leadership could call a strike.
Friday is the last day of school before winter recess. Classes are scheduled to resume Jan. 7.
The protesters echoed the contention of United Teachers Los Angeles that the district — whose general fund budget this year is about $7.5 billion — is hoarding a massive reserve that could be used to pay teachers more and improve conditions for students. They point to last year’s ending balance of nearly $2 billion.
“I just don’t believe the numbers,” Gordillo said. “Honestly, it’s crazy.”
A senior at King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, who identified herself only as Cheyanne because she said she felt at risk for speaking out, talked of the need for CONTINUE READING: Protesters shut down Los Angeles Board of Education meeting - Los Angeles Times
