award-winning newspaper of united teachers los angeles • … · 2020-01-06 · beutner hired to...

Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • www.utla.net Volume XLVIII, Number 2, October 29, 2018

Determination risingEducators and the community double-down on demands to reinvest in our schools.

Thousands of educators, parents, and students were out in the streets this month, amplifying our contract demands and asking the community to join us in our fight to give students the public schools they deserve.

In the South Area, members formed a gauntlet on Firestone Boulevard, with sign-wavers stationed along the busy street, from South Gate High to the 110 Freeway. In the Valley East and Valley West Areas, flash mobs in Pacoima, Studio City, and North-ridge took over drive-time at three critical intersections, waving signs and handing out flyers to motorists. In the East Area, a lively crowd marched from Ma-riachi Plaza to Council-man José Huizar’s office to call out his support for building a mega-KIPP charter school on a spot where the community has been asking for affordable housing. The North Area and Reclaim Our Schools LA organized a news conference and rally at the school board, taking over the LAUSD lobby to deliver a letter to Austin Beutner (he refused to come down and accept it). The West Area action targeted a Pacific Palisades fundraiser where Austin Beutner was the keynote speaker. Outside the event educators leaf-leted people as they arrived, while inside students with Students Deserve called on Beutner to fully fund our schools.

Beutner and pro-privatization LAUSD School Board members are on a PR cam-paign to denigrate our contract demands and push for downsizing the district, but their claims of poverty are an even tougher sell now that the LA Times and other corpo-rate media outlets are confirming that the district has a healthy $1.86 billion reserve. As our contract fight intensifies, Beutner and his allies are being confronted by edu-cators, parents, and students intent on disrupting the narrative that LAUSD can’t

afford to reinvest in our schools.At a Woodland Hills Neighborhood

Council meeting with School Board member Nick Melvoin on October 11, Blythe Elementary fifth-grade teacher Cit-lally Chavez-Perez pointed to the reserve and laid out the real-world impact on stu-dents of not using it now.

“My question is really about the truth, and the truth is that LAUSD has a record-breaking $1.86 billion in reserves, and our kids need the money now,” Chavez-Perez said. “For example, my student with dia-betes may go into diabetic shock because

he eats the wrong thing at lunch, and there’s no nurse that day to take care of him. My question to you: Why do our kids have to wait? Why can’t we use these resources now for school nurses, counselors, psychologists? Our school went an entire year without a librarian. How am I supposed to promote the daily reading that I know will help my students achieve academic scores when I don’t even have a librarian to send them to?”

After being confronted by protests at RFK Com-

munity Schools and other sites, Beutner must have thought he landed in a safe room at the fundraiser in the Pacific Palisades—until students from Students Deserve stood up and called on him to end so-called random searches of students, to fund Community Schools, to lower class sizes, and to hire more nurses, counselors, psychologists, and librarians.

“I know you would never allow your children to go to a school that looks like ours, with 42 students in one class,” Dorsey High senior Saisha Smith said. “We are tired of either being bused out to go to a school that is fully funded or staying at our school,” which isn’t fully funded.

For third-grade teacher Amy Owen, the

Beutner’s new contract offer would increase class sizes

Page 4

WhyI am

ASKME i.READY TOSTRIKE

1. Has all of your staff signed the “We Will Strike If We Have To” commitment form? We build on the power of our 98% strike vote by having all of us sign the commitment form. See your chapter chair if you haven’t signed.

2. Are you and your colleagues wearing “Ask Me Why I Am Ready to Strike” buttons every day? Spark conversations with parents and let them know what we’re fighting for and how our contract proposals will create a better educational future for their children. Wear them the entire school day, every day. You have the legal right to wear the buttons at school during instructional time.

3. Are you signing people on to the Parent Support list?Parents who sign the Parent Support Form will get updates, invites to local meetings, and calls to action.

4. Is your school holding community walks to pass out “We Stand With LA Teachers” and “We Stand With LA Educators” signs? Pick a day (or two or three) to hit the streets and pass out signs, buttons, and bumper stickers to neighbors and local business owners. Give signs to supportive parents, and ask high-profile businesses and organizations to place them in their windows.

5. Have you talked to institutions you belong to about supporting our fight?It could be a church, synagogue, mosque, community center ... ask them to sign on to the campaign and take a stand with UTLA for better schools. The organization sign-on form is available at Area meetings and posted at utla.net.

Five questions: Is your school strike ready?

(continued on page 5)

SAVE THE

DATESaturdayDecember 15March for Public Education

SAVE THE

DATE

Flash mobs of UTLA members descended on three busy intersections in the Valley on October 25. See photos of other area actions on page 5.

United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net October 29, 2018

2

President’s perspective

Competing visions for public educationBy Alex Caputo-Pearl UTLA President

I am so proud to be a member of UTLA and very fortunate to be visiting so many schools every week, talking with hun-dreds of our members and parent leaders connected to them. As we fight for the Schools Our Students Deserve and to Give Our Kids a Chance, I have never seen and felt this kind of positive energy or resolve among our members.

Natalia Ulmer at Marquez Learn-ing Complex is leading a group of new chapter chairs at the small schools on that campus, with a powerful across-the-whole-building collectivity. Yesenia Hernandez, recently having transferred from the Eastside to Nava Business and Technology Middle School in Central Area, immediately stepped up to help the chapter chair, Michael West, at Nava. Tom Van Sciver, Shea Shanks, and their co-workers at Sharp Elementary in the Valley are doing weekly actions, some-times neighborhood walks, sometimes going to nearby schools to connect with other UTLA members, sometimes going to forums to confront School Board members, other times making homemade billboards outside their school. Adelaida Alcantar, Claudia Garcia, and their co-workers at Lawson Elementary organized an early-morning site visit with me that included fantastic parent leaders who are getting more and more involved in the campaign.

Our members and parents are leading powerfully. These leaders, and all of us, are focusing on six essential tasks as we continue to seek an agreement with the district, but prepare to strike if necessary:

1. Save Saturday, December 15 for a major historic march for public edu-cation. More information below.

2. Sign the “We Will Strike If We Have To” strike commit forms and help your chapter chair ensure that you have 100% sign-on at your school or work site.

3. Wear your “Ask Me Why I Am Ready to Strike” button to school every day.

4. Build your Parent Support List at your school, get it to UTLA, and also use it at your school to set up small group meetings with parents.

5. Go on neighborhood walks with your co-workers and parents to distribute “I Stand With LA Educators” window signs.

6. Get three to five neighborhood in-stitutions around your school to sign the organizational support form for the Give Our Kids a Chance campaign.

Beutner hired to accelerate downsizing

Our members understand that we will continue making every attempt to reach an agreement. But, we also understand that we are in a battle between Austin Beutner’s vision to downsize the public school district and our vision to reinvest in the public school district—commonsense reinvest-ment using LAUSD’s historically large $1.86 billion reserve, the books and supplies slush fund, respect for educators on working condition issues, and state action for more

support for public education.Our members understand that Beutner

is attempting to accelerate trends that have been aggressively chipping away at public schools and our profession for many years, and we’re sick and tired of it. He’s attempting to accelerate corporate charter growth and its race to the bottom in learning and working conditions, accelerate the driving down of real wages, and accelerate the craziness of trying to learn and teach in environments with less and less staff and more and more students in classrooms and on caseloads.

The charter industry that bought the LAUSD School Board in the most expen-sive school board race in U.S. history sees this as their crystallized moment of oppor-tunity to have an investment banker, with a charter majority on the board, starve our students, attack our jobs and healthcare, break our union, and privatize our schools.

Our members understand that now is the time to say “enough is enough”—or Beutner and the board will keep on coming back for another pound of flesh every year in a downsizing plan that includes layoffs, school closures, cuts to services, and healthcare cuts.

Despite these challenges, our members are profoundly optimistic. I am so moved by this every day. There is a resolve and a seriousness, for sure—combined with an absolutely inspiring optimism. Our bargaining proposals represent a vision of what our students and public educa-tion system need not only to survive, but to thrive: to attract families and increase enrollment, to attract and retain educators, to have schools as vibrant centers in the community, to foundationally improve life in Los Angeles. It is inspiring to fight for what is right, and our members feel it.

The facts behind fact-findingOver three lengthy mediation sessions

in late September and October, the district offered virtually nothing new in writing, after 18 months of largely not responding to our proposals at all. At that point, the state mediators decided that we were still at a deadlock and sent us to fact-finding. We will likely receive the fact-finding report in early December. Over that period,

between now and into December, we can and will continue to attempt to reach an agreement, with our broad-based, mem-ber-led bargaining team of classroom- and school-based educators in the lead.

We should be clear, though. The fact-finding panel is not finding new facts—truthfully, the name of the panel is a bit of a misnomer. The panel will have a UTLA appointee, a district appointee, and a state-appointed “neutral” member. They will hold a hearing to listen to our side and the district’s side and will prepare a report and recommended settlement. State-appointed “neutrals” are often traditional and bu-reaucratic in their views, so we should have no illusions that we will get an af-firmation of everything we’re saying, or an out-of-the-box, visionary proposal to come to an agreement. We will hope for that, but we will have no illusions.

If we are not able to reach an agreement based on the fact-finding panel’s recom-mended settlement, the district can impose its last, best, and final offer, and we can strike.

Growing power: The plan for November and December

Beutner’s unconscionable 56-day delay in mediation over August and September was meant to disorient and slow us. It did neither. We used the delay to build power—and we will do the same as we go through the approximately 30-day fact-finding process. Whether we like it or not, and whether we believe U.S. labor law was set up to help unions or not (I don’t believe it was), it is important that we continue to follow the legal bargaining process.

We are using the time to build power through our narrative. While the corporate media will never be our friend—especially since Beutner was publisher of the LA Times before being superintendent—we have made huge progress in that very corporate media. The $1.86 billion reserve is regularly mentioned in the LA Times and other major outlets now, our full demands (beyond just salary) are regularly mentioned, and in one week alone in October, we had the equivalent of $2 million in publicity for free because we

(continued on next page)

Alex at the LA County Fed meeting where leaders of more than 300 unions voted unanimously to sanction a possible UTLA strike. Just behind him are SEIU Local 99 President Max Arias and LA County Fed President Rusty Hicks. See page 6 for more.

United Teacher PRESIDENT Alex Caputo-Pearl NEA AFFILIATE VP Cecily Myart-Cruz AFT AFFILIATE VP Juan Ramirez ELEMENTARY VP Gloria Martinez SECONDARY VP Daniel Barnhart TREASURER Alex Orozco SECRETARY Arlene Inouye

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Good

BOARD OF DIRECTORSNORTH AREA: Karla Griego, Chair (Buchanan ES), Mark Ramos (Contreras LC), Rebecca Solomon (RFK UCLA

Comm. School), Julie Van Winkle (LOOC Liason)

SOUTH AREA: Maria Miranda, Chair (Miramonte ES), Aydé Bravo (Maywood ES), L. Cynthia Matthews

(McKinley ES), Karen Ticer-León (Tweedy ES)

EAST AREA: Adrian Tamayo, Chair (Lorena ES), Ingrid Gunnell (Salary Point Advisor), Yolanda Tamayo

(Lorena ES), Gillian Russom (Roosevelt HS)

WEST AREA: Erika Jones, Chair (CTA Director), Georgia Flowers Lee (Saturn ES), Noah Lippe-Klein (Dorsey HS), Larry Shoham (Hamilton HS)

CENTRAL AREA: Stacie Webster, Chair (West Vernon ES), Kelly Flores (Hawkins HS), Tomás Flores

(West Vernon ES), Claudia Rodriquez (49th Street)

VALLEY EAST AREA: Scott Mandel, Chair (Pacoima Magnet), Victoria Casas (Beachy ES), Mel House (Elementary P.E.), Hector Perez-Roman (Arleta HS)

VALLEY WEST AREA: Bruce Newborn, Chair (Hale Charter), Melodie Bitter (Lorne ES), Wendi Davis

(Henry MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS)

HARBOR AREA: Steve Seal, Chair (Eshelman ES), Karen Macias (Del Amo ES), Jennifer McAfee

(Dodson MS), Elgin Scott (Taper ES)

ADULT & OCCUP ED: Matthew Kogan (Evans CAS)

BILINGUAL EDUCATION: Cheryl L. Ortega (Sub Unit)

EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: Open seat

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Mallorie Evans (Educational Audiologist)

SPECIAL ED: Lucía Arias (Sub Unit)

SUBSTITUTES: Benny Madera

PACE CHAIR: Marco Flores

UTLA RETIRED: John Perez

AFFILIATIONS American Federation of Teachers National Education Association

STATE & NATIONAL OFFICERSCFT PRESIDENT: Joshua Pechthalt

CTA PRESIDENT: Eric Heins CTA DIRECTOR: Erika Jones

CFT VICE PRESIDENTS: Arlene Inouye, John Perez, Juan Ramirez NEA PRESIDENT: Lily Eskelsen Garcia AFT PRESIDENT: Randi Weingarten

AFT VICE PRESIDENT: Alex Caputo-PearlNEA DIRECTOR: Mel House

UTLA COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Alex Caputo-Pearl

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Anna BakalisCOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS: Kim Turner,

Carolina Barreiro, Tammy Lyn Gann, Pablo SerranoADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Laura Aldana

EDITORIAL INFORMATIONUNITED TEACHER

3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Fl., LA, CA 90010Email: [email protected] main line: 213-487-5560

ADVERTISINGSenders Communications Group

Brian Bullen: 818-884-8966, ext. 1108

UNITED TEACHER accepts paid advertisements from outside companies and organizations, including UTLA sponsors and vendors with no relationship with UTLA. Only approved vendors can use the UTLA logo in their ads. The content of an advertisement is the responsibility of the advertiser alone, and UTLA cannot be held responsible for its accuracy, veracity, or reliability. Appearance of an advertisement should not be viewed as an endorsement or recommendation by United Teachers Los Angeles.

United Teacher (ISSN # 0745-4163) is published nine times a year (monthly except for February, June, and July) by United Teachers Los Angeles, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Subscrip-tions: $20.00 per year. (Price included in dues/agency fee of UTLA bargaining unit members.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, California. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to United Teacher, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Telephone 213-487-5560.


3

Get connected to UTLA Facebook: facebook.com/UTLAnow

Twitter: @utlanow

YouTube: youtube.com/UTLAnow

4 Deconstructing the district’s offer How Beutner’s proposal would hurt our schools.

4 Facts behind LAUSD’s disinvestment in our schools Nurse shortages, too-high class sizes, and more.

6 This is why I will strike If we walk the line, it will be for the very soul of our profession.

7 November 6 election endorsements Support candidates who support public education.

Signs of support: Businesses all over LA are declaring that they stand with LA educators. Above: Barber Beauty Cualtzi’s in Pacoima.

In this issue

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE (continued from previous page)

earned stories in the LA Times, NY Times, the international Guardian, KPCC, KCRW, and more. And, in an incredible moment, every TV camera in the city was at the UTLA building for the unveiling of Beutner’s cal-endar, showing him more likely to be eating at exceedingly expensive restaurants and exclusive clubs than to be visiting schools.

We see our growing power in the media and we will increase that even more during the next weeks of the fact-finding timeline.

We are using the time to build power through member organizing. Members across the city are wearing their strike buttons and signing the “We Will Strike If We Have To” strike commits. A strike is a public act, and we must publicly commit to our co-workers to be on the picket line if we need to. More-over, we need to sign to publicly commit to our colleagues at every other school across the district to be on the picket line in the event of a strike, because a strike is the ul-timate act of solidarity, and we must have no weak links and no weak schools.

This past week, we had vibrant member actions involving hundreds of members:

• At the LAUSD School Board with Reclaim Our Schools LA, a determined crowd of parents and educators attempted to press into the building to hand Beutner an oversized letter with our proposals on it.

• A miles-long gauntlet of members along Firestone Boulevard in South and Southeast LA gained thousands of sup-portive honks.

• Flash mobs of members in three loca-tions in the Valley took over drive-time in three critical intersections, spreading our message with signs and flyers.

• Alongside parents in East LA, edu-cators called out elected officials who support the building of a mega-KIPP charter school amidst a dense set of exist-ing schools and on land that community members have been asking to be used for affordable housing.

Additionally, we see organic actions by our members everywhere: challeng-ing School Board members publicly at forums, picketing Beutner’s “Reimagine LAUSD” meetings, taking to social media with creative raps, and more.

We see our growing power among our members, and we will increase that even more during the next weeks of the fact-finding timeline.

We are using the time to build power and con-nection with parents and community. We are seeing parent organizing and connections blossom everywhere, from large parent forums at many schools across the city (such as Los Angeles Elementary and Miles El-ementary) to neighborhood walks with parents to give out window signs (including Banning High in Wilmington and schools in Pacoima and Arleta) to parents in East LA directly confronting Monica Garcia and in mid-Wilshire confronting Beutner. Com-munity allies in Reclaim Our Schools LA, meanwhile, are canvassing and flyering 50 school neighborhoods every two weeks, in a massive coordinated outreach effort that moves progressively across the city. All the while, our members are doing the quiet but absolutely essential work of building the Parent Support Lists, gathering parent contact information, and getting that info to UTLA while also using it to build small group parent meetings at their schools.

We see our growing power among parents, and we will increase that even more during

6 300 unions sanction possible UTLA strike

8 Charter educators: “We rise up with you”

10 Closer look: Tuck v. Thurmond

13 Passings

16 Involvement opportunity: CTA State Council

17 Involvement opportunity: CFT Convention

18 UTLA-Retired

19 Committee events

21 Bilingual education

23 Grapevines

the next weeks of the fact-finding timeline. We are using the time to build power in our

relationships with elected officials and political campaigns. Our members are campaigning vigorously through texting, calling, and school-site organizing for Tony Thurmond for state superintendent and against the $24 million dumped behind Marshall Tuck, from the same people who back Beutner’s agenda. Our members and parents, through promoting the issues and actions central to our contract campaign, are shaping the LAUSD School Board District 5 race that will be upon us in March and May. And, we got the fantastic news that the Schools and Communities First initiative, of which UTLA is a key steering committee member, has officially qualified for the November 2020 ballot. It succeeded earlier than expected because the validity rate among the 870,000 signatures that we submitted was so high—a credit to the grassroots community groups and unions leading the effort. This will be the first challenge to the corporate loophole in Proposition 13 in 40 years and would bring $11 billion in new revenue to the state budget.

We see our growing power among elected officials and in political campaigns and we will increase that even more during the next weeks of the fact-finding timeline.

And we are using the time to build power as we organize to a major march for public education in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Decem-ber 15. This will either be a celebration and consolidation of an agreement that we can be proud of, or it will be an essential, massive demonstration of our power in the final days available to the district to make an agreement with us before we strike. It will be a march that builds our power no matter what—that fundamentally lifts us in the media narrative, brings us together with parents and com-munity who will march beside us, brings the palpable energy of thousands of educators

together with one purpose, and brings us into the history books with a massive turnout in support of public education at this critical moment. Save Saturday, December 15.

Sisters and brothers, we are in this fight for our students, schools, jobs, and profes-sion together, and we are doing incredible organizing work. We are led by people like you, and people like Natalia, Michael, Yesenia, Tom, Shea, Adelaida, and Claudia. Keep up your incredible work with students every day, your incredible work building our power step by step, and we will win this fight together! I am honored to be by your side.

School visit with Marquez High

School visit with Crenshaw High


4

District spends too much on testing and not nearly enough on low class sizes and staffing.

FACT: LAUSD spends $8.6 million a year on tests not required by the state or federal government.

LAUSD mandates that these assess-ments be used by teachers, who often don’t find them connected to our curriculum or informative of student needs. One of UTLA’s contract demands is to give teach-ers complete discretion over when and what standardized assessments are used in our own classrooms, beyond those re-quired by the state or federal government.

FACT: LAUSD spends millions of public dollars on for-profit companies—like the $23 million the district has sunk into the DIBELS contract with Amplify Ed., Inc.

Amplify is part of a new breed of politically connected ed tech companies that seek to profit off public education. Amplify was created by Rupert Mur-doch’s News Corp, and the Fox News media mogul made his motives clear when he said, “When it comes to K through 12 education, we see a $500 billion sector in the U.S. alone….” These Wall Street-financed ventures are con-nected to the corporate reform agenda, pushing “data” and “accountability” products that aren’t proven to advance student learning or drive in-struction but that do improve

The revised contract offer from LAUSD once again falls desperately short of meeting student needs and demonstrates Austin Beutner’s desire to downsize the district rather than be a partner in reinvesting in our public school system.

Beutner is trying to buy us off with a raise while si-multaneously increasing class sizes, reducing retiree healthcare for new employees, and underfunding our schools. Focusing on salary while doing nothing to improve schools and attract parents and students will lead to the loss of jobs, school closures, and ultimately the ruin of the district.

Beutner’s offensive offer includes removal of Section 1.5—the section that allows LAUSD to in-crease class size unilaterally—but he wants to replace it with triggers that are actually worse. His proposal would pit teachers against students and even students against students, tying class sizes to our healthcare, retirement, and special education funding and en-suring there will be no class-size reduction as long as there is unregulated charter school expansion.

What’s NOT in the Beutner proposal?

The proposal does nothing to meet parent, student, and educator demands for:

• Meaningful class-size reduction.• More nurses, counselors, and teacher-librar-

ians to make schools safer, more enriching places to learn.

• Relief from overtesting that crowds out arts, music, science, and ethnic studies.

• Steps to address co-location, privatization threats, and the $600 million drained every year by unregulated charters.

• Investment in the Community Schools model.• Support for early ed, adult ed, special ed,

and bilingual ed.

the balance sheets of their companies and push public education toward privatization.

FACT: LAUSD has not conducted a single analysis of instructional time lost to testing.

By the time an LAUSD student is 11 years old, she will have taken more than 100 stan-dardized tests, compromising a huge chunk of student learning time—but how much time? The “data-driven” LAUSD has never tried to quantify the instructional hours lost to testing. This is disrespectful to valu-able learning time and

disrespectful to parents, who trust that the district is looking out for their child’s learning.

FACT: More than 200 elementary classes violate the district’s own internal maximums

LAUSD has some of the highest class sizes in the nation, yet the district refuses to elimi-nate Section 1.5, the contractual provision that allows LAUSD to unilaterally ignore our class-size protections and caps. Because of Section 1.5, the district ignores contract

language and even its own staffing guidelines because

there is no enforcement mechanism. Even

after norm

day, LAUSD still has more than 200 elemen-tary classes that violate even their own inter-nal guidelines (27 students for grades TK-3; 34 students for grades 4-6).

FACT: Nearly 40% of LAUSD schools have a nurse for only one day a week

LAUSD is falling woefully short of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation for a minimum of one full-time registered nurse in every school—a wrong that UTLA is trying to right with our contract proposals to give our kids the social-emotional supports they deserve. Like the nursing staffing levels, our schools struggle with the un-derstaffing of counselors, psychologists, and teacher-librarians.

To note: The $8.6 million testing amount is for the 2017-18 school year and is a con-servative figure. LAUSD did not provide

comprehensive test information, continuing a pattern of delaying and denying UTLA

information requests. The Amplify con-tract covers 2014 to 2019. UTLA con-tinues to press for documentation on other contracts, such as with Pearson Education. The nurse staffing figure is according to data provided by LAUSD, adjusted for inconsisten-cies in information. Calculation ex-cludes programs that were presented inconsistently across local districts.

Facts behind LAUSD’s disinvestment in our schools

Beutner’s latest offer would increase class sizes

Stages of bargaining

SUN

SHIN

ING

NEG

OTI

ATIONS

IMPASSE MEDIATION

FACT-FINDING

UTLA and LAUSD present the topics they intend to bargain.

If no agreement is reached, LAUSD can

legally and unilaterally impose its last, best, and final

proposals. UTLA can legally hold a job action, including a strike.

Both sides sit down, with a legal obligation to bargain in good faith

to attempt to reach an agreement.

A fact-finding panel will issue a report

with recommended terms of settlement,

but the parties do not have to agree to it.

Either side can declare that talks are deadlocked,

which leads to mediation.

A state-appointed mediator tries to move the two sides to a bargaining agreement. If not successful, the mediator will send the parties to fact-finding.

DISTRICT CAN IM

POSE

UTLA

CA

N STR

IKE

We are here

A tentative agreement can be reached at any time in the process.

Raise contingent on extra work: Beutner has adjusted his salary proposal to 6% ongoing but he still ties it to extra hours to earn the pay raise we already deserve.

Opening attack on healthcare: Making it harder for new employees to qualify for retiree healthcare is the first step in rolling back our coverage, which the Beutner “Hard Choices” report claims costs 44% too much. (The Rule of 87 means that an employee’s age + 30 years of service must equal 87 to qualify for healthcare in retirement.)

Bad faith bargaining: The proposal inappropriately includes topics (except for salary and class size) that have not been part of bargaining for the past 18 months, which is more evidence of LAUSD’s bad faith bargaining.

Class sizes would go up: Beutner offers to remove Section 1.5—the section that allows LAUSD to increase class size unilaterally—but he is replacing it with triggers that are actually worse. His offer would permanently increase class-size caps and averages, and the triggers would make it even easier to violate those newly increased caps and averages.

Lip service to parents: Beutner claims to be looking out for parents, but he continues to reject UTLA’s proposals to give educators and parents a greater voice in critical school decisions—not to mention his rejection of our broader demands for the schools parents want, with lower class sizes, more support staffing, and an end to overtesting.

Harder to earn pay increases: These “adjustments” would make it harder to advance on the salary schedule and educators could take salary point classes only in a limited number of subjects, controlled by LAUSD.

Los Angeles Unified School DistrictOFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL OFFICE OF LABOR RELATIONS 333 S. Beaudry Avenue, 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017 TELEPHONE (213) 241-8322; FACSIMILE (213) 241-8401

AUSTIN BEUTNER Superintendent of Schools DAVID HOLMQUIST General Counsel

ROBERT SAMPLES Interim Director

Los Angeles Unified School District– Revised Offer To UTLA October 30, 2018

Salary

6% on-schedule raise, including 3% retroactive for 2017-18, plus 3% raise for 2018-19 (contingency removed). Proposal includes 12 hours per year of additional professional development activity for unit members. Rule of 87 to apply prospectively only – no existing UTLA unit member to be subject to Rule of 87.

Class Size Delete Article XVIII, Section 1.5 Revise class-size averages/maximums to figures set forth in 8.22.17 Memorandum of Understanding previously entered into between LAUSD and UTLA (the “MOU”). LAUSD/UTLA to form working group to meet and confer on criteria and procedures for deviation from MOU averages and maximums. Until outcome of working group, LAUSD may adjust class size averages/maximums if one or more of the following circumstances exists and District provides notice by March 1 for the upcoming school year: (1) anticipated year-over-year (YOY) increase greater than 2% in health benefits costs; (2) anticipated YOY increase greater than 2% in pension costs; (3) anticipated YOY student-enrollment decline greater than 1%; (4) anticipated shortage of teachers as reflected in the Nationwide Teacher Shortage Areas Listing or similar California listing/compilation; (5) District deficit spending projected at pace greater than $100 million for upcoming school (fiscal) year before implementation of a Fiscal Stabilization Plan; (6) Special Education encroachment into the unrestricted general fund greater than 10%; (7) anticipated YOY increase in OPEB liability of greater than 3%; (8) fiscal stabilization plan required by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) to meet mandatory reserve levels; (9) qualified or negative budget certification issued by LACOE. Make corresponding ministerial changes throughout Article XVIII and remainder of the CBA to the extent impacted by or cross-referenced to revisions described above.

Plain Language Summary document that provides clear outline of contract for families and the public.

Coursework Credit

Adjustment of Teacher Professional Development to student learning needs so that structure for earning points towards salary steps better aligned with competencies and District priorities such as Science, Arts, Foreign Language and Technical Education.

Miscellaneous Remaining items: proposals as reflected in District’s prior pending proposals.


5

class sizes, reducing retiree healthcare for new employees, and underfunding our schools (read more on page 4).

As we go through fact-finding, we will use the time to build our strike readiness and our connections with parents and the community. Those connections are essen-tial to winning a good contract without a strike—or to winning a good contract if we do have to strike.

The next phase of our escalation builds to a major community march in downtown LA on Saturday, December 15, when we’ll either be celebrating a great bargaining victory if district officials meet our demands between now and then, or sending an ir-refutably powerful message that a strike is going to happen if they don’t.

“Now is the time to say ‘enough is enough,’ or Beutner and the board will keep on coming back for another pound of flesh every year in a downsizing plan that includes layoffs, school closures, cuts to

impetus to speak truth to power came after receiving Beutner’s “A Reminder of Why We Do the Work” video in her email. Her impassioned open letter to Beutner spread like fire on social media, reaching 35,000 people on UTLA’s Facebook page alone (read the letter in its entirety at utla.net).

“Do not think I ever need to be reminded of why I’m a teacher,” Owen wrote. “I am here because I love my students. I am here because I believe in social justice. Despite all the slings and arrows, the insults and attacks, the overwhelming challenges and obstacles, I am still here. And I am not going anywhere, except possibly on strike to fight for my kids and myself.”

Levels of frustration—and determina-tion—are rising after LAUSD failed to make any significant proposals during the three lengthy mediation sessions in late September and October, just as the district had neglected to do over the 18 months we have been in bargaining. Bargaining is now in the fact-finding stage, during which a three-person panel will examine the position of both sides and issue a non-binding report, which will essentially be a recommended settlement.

Until the fact-finding report is issued, we will continue making every attempt to reach an agreement. If we are not able to reach an agreement based on the fact-finding panel’s recommended settlement, the district can impose its last, best, and final offer, and we can strike.

Beutner’s latest contract proposal—emailed to UTLA on October 30—falls desperately short of meeting student needs. Beutner is trying to buy us off with a raise while simultaneously increasing

DETERMINATION RISING (continued from the cover)

student services, and cuts to healthcare,” UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said. “Our bargaining proposals represent a vision of what public education needs not only to survive, but to thrive: to attract

families and increase enrollment, to attract and retain educators, to have schools as vibrant centers in the community, to foun-dationally improve life in Los Angeles. It is inspiring to fight for what is right.”

North Area/ROSLA School Board action

West Area Beutner action

South Area gauntlet down Firestone

Valley East & West flash mobs

East Area march against privatization

Signs of Community Support

“We don’t think it’s an accident that as the population of black and Latino students has gone up, funding has gone down,” Fries Avenue parent Alicia Hill (above, left photo) said at a rally at the school board on October 23. Wearing Halloween costumes and waving signs, parents, educators, and students warned that “the future of LAUSD looks scary” if the school board doesn’t make an immediate investment in public education.

South Area educators lined the miles-long blocks between South Gate High and the 110 Freeway on October 24.

Educators rally outside a Pacific Palisades fundraiser on October 27 where Beutner was giving the keynote address. Inside, students from Students Deserve stood up during the event and called on Beutner to end so-called random searches and to fully fund our schools.

Parent Eloisa Galindo rallies the crowd on October 25 outside Councilmember José Huizar’s office to protest support for a mega-charter for KIPP in Boyle Heights, against the community’s wishes.

Thousands of educators rallied at three key locations in the Valley on October 25.UTLA members are walking neighborhoods after school and on weekends, reaching out to local families and businesses about our contract fight. Above left: Harbor Area members and family at Andy’s Hip Hop Shop in Wilmington.


6

In a unanimous vote, leaders represent-ing more than 300 unions affiliated with the LA County Federation of Labor pledged this month to stand with educators and support our strike, if we need to walk to win a good contract.

“Our future as a city has always de-pended on our teachers having the support they need and the respect they’re owed,” said Rusty Hicks, LA County Fed presi-dent. “And today the Los Angeles labor movement is speaking that truth in one united voice.”

The sanction vote means that sister unions representing 800,000 members—nurses, car wash workers, homecare workers, janitors, construction workers, entertainment workers, county employees, and more—support our potential strike.

“Nurses get the same message as teach-ers when they demand better conditions—they tell us our work is too important to

let us strike,” said Jazmin Ochoa of the California Nurses Association. “If our work is so important, it’s time to treat us with the respect we deserve before it comes to a strike. And if they let it get this far, know this: we stand with our sisters and brothers.”

Many of the workers represented by the LA County Fed are parents of our students, and they endorse our fight for lower class size and more nurses, coun-selors, psychologists, and librarians. “Last year, my daughter fell and cut herself on a day there was no nurse on campus,” said Sonny Martinez, an LAUSD parent. “We had to come to the school to take her to urgent care. Parents can’t tell our kids, ‘Only get hurt on Tuesdays and Thursdays.’ Is it so much to ask that we be able to drop our kids off at school and know there will be a qualified adult around if they fall on the playground?”

state to fully fund our public schools. It will be a passionate and determined cry for help from those of us who are on the front lines, battling to educate the future of our country. And we can no longer do it alone.

Student names and some identifying character-istics have been changed to protect their privacy.

If we walk the line, it will be for the very soul of our profession.

By Lisa FalcoLAUSD Instructional Coach & Intervention Teacher

There is a fallacy in this country that our public schools are failing. They are in trouble, yes. But our schools and teachers are not the cause of this distress. The current state of our schools is merely the effect of the rapidly multiplying failures of our society.

We live in a country that allows 20 percent of its children to languish in poverty, does not fully fund public education, does not provide free preschool or quality daycare or healthcare. Many families are not paid a living wage for a full day’s work. And teachers are expected to fill in the yawning gaps created by this broken social contract because children can’t learn if they are hungry, sick, or traumatized.

Here are just a few real-life examples from my own school (names have been changed).

Carlos is six years old and believes he does not deserve to live. He says this with tears in his eyes, but he refuses to cry.

Jacqueline will not stay in the classroom or participate in any learning activities. Instead she runs the perimeter of the school,

requiring staff to constantly monitor her movements to ensure her safety.

Juan comes to school every day hungry. Pamela needs glasses and dental work. Manuel and Serine have missed more than 30 days of school a year every year since kindergarten. Lally came from India and speaks no English. Max is in first grade but has never attended school. He knows six letters of the alphabet and is just now learning to write his name.

These are just a few of our students’ stories. We have many others. Students traumatized by family deportation. Students who spent time in internment camps. Students who live in RVs parked across the street.

Our school is not unique. This is the reality in many of our public schools today. Yet, despite all these challenges, teachers are charged with providing a rigorous curriculum to prepare students for the demands of a 21st-century workforce.

We struggle to do this every day in the face of these challenges with little support. And at the end of this year, Carlos and Jac-queline and Juan and Pamela and Manuel and Serine and Lally and Max will spend hours taking a battery of mandated tests developed by corporations that make mil-lions every year measuring and ranking our students on a very narrow band of aca-demic standards. It will be no surprise to anyone at our school when these students

fail to meet the grade-level proficiency standard set by someone in a gilded office who thinks every child advances in exactly the same way at exactly the same time.

And when our test scores come back with less than 40% of our students proficient, the district will ask us why we have failed. They will hire outside companies to tell us how to improve our teaching. Because if we simply teach math using the latest research-based strategies, Carlos will suddenly be able to cope with his despair, and Max will learn to read “on time” despite missing an entire year of kindergarten.

When the test scores are released to the public, parents will anxiously pore over them and conclude that their neighborhood school is failing. They will hastily gather magnet points and talk to other parents at birthday parties and strategize how to use their work addresses to get their child out of their neigh-borhood school and into a “better” one.

In reality, standardized tests are more likely to indicate students’ socio-economic level than the quality of their teachers (Psy-chology Today, 4/18/15). Thus, these “better” schools are merely code for campuses with more students from middle- and upper-class

educated families. In California, these schools are more and more likely to be independent charters, privately managed entities paid with public funds that have been diverted from our neighborhood schools.

This privately managed charter drain is exacerbated by a lack of state funding. California has the fifth-largest economy in the world, yet ranks 43rd in per-pupil spending. The state of our facilities reflects this neglect, many of which have not been improved for decades. At our school, we don’t have enough custodial hours to keep our campus clean. We have a playground riddled with cracks that has been on the list to be repaved for over 10 years, and we have classes held in temporary bungalows that have become permanent fixtures.

Teachers are fed up. Actually, we are more than fed up. We are enraged. While the daily demands of our job require us to be pillars of patience, everyone has a limit. And believe me when I say to you, your public school teachers have reached it.

I entered this profession 20 years ago knowing I would never be rich, but I be-lieved the satisfaction of educating children would make up for the pay gap between me and my college-educated peers. Over the years, this gap has widened to 20%, and the joy I used to experience has leaked into despair as I try to do a job with my hands tied behind my back in a system that

has set me up to fail. It’s absolutely heart breaking. America should be ashamed.

If all of this seems impossible to believe, imagine teaching in one of our classrooms for a week. Write all the lesson plans to meet the academic needs of 30 students at 30 different levels in all content areas, communicate with parents, fulfill district mandates, spend hours of your own time and your own money trying to meet the diverse needs of all your students. Do all this without the support of a full-time nurse, or a counselor or a librarian. Then prepare to be pilloried by the public when your efforts aren’t reflected in the results of a computerized math and language arts test.

If and when we walk the line, it will not be for a mere salary increase (although that is well deserved). We will walk the line for the very soul of our profession. We will demand the respect that is our due and we will call on the conscience of our wealthy

This is why I will strike

300 LA unions sanction possible UTLA strike

Support candidates who support public education

November 6 election endorsements

Working people have each other’s back: Leaders representing more than 800,000 workers pledged this month to stand with educators.

Lisa Falco

In your own words

While the daily demands of our job require us to be pillars of patience, everyone has a

limit. And believe me when I say to you, your public school teachers have reached it.


7

CONGRESS

Judy ChuCongressional District 27

Tony CardenasCongressional District 29

Brad ShermanCongressional District 30

Pete AguilarCongressional District 31

Grace NapolitanoCongressional District 32

Ted LieuCongressional District 33

Jimmy GomezCongressional District 34

Raul RuizCongressional District 36

Karen BassCongressional District 37

Linda SanchezCongressional District 38

Gil CisnerosCongressional District 43

Lucille Roybal-AllardCongressional District 40

Mark TakanoCongressional District 41

Maxine WatersCongressional District 43

STATE SENATE

Joy SilverState Senate District 28

Holly MitchellState Senate District 30

GAVIN NEWSOM - GOVERNOR TONY THURMOND - SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Paid for by Political Action Council of Educators, Sponsored by Teachers Unions, Including United Teachers Los Angeles; United Teachers Los Angeles-Political Action Council of Educators (PACE) Issues; and Political Action Council of Educators (United Teachers-Los Angeles). (213) 487-5560. This advertisement was not authorized by any candidates or committees controlled by any candidates.

Support candidates who support public education

November 6 election endorsements

Affiliate endorsements

Our state affiliates, the California Federation of Teachers and the California Teachers Association, both have endorsed the following additional candidates:

STATE ASSEMBLY

Chris HoldenAssembly District 41

Laura FriedmanAssembly District 43

Jacqui IrwinAssembly District 44

Adrin NazarianAssembly District 46

Eloise Gomez ReyesAssembly District 47

Ed ChauAssembly District 49

Richard BloomAssembly District 50

Freddie RodriguezAssembly District 52

Miguel SantiagoAssembly District 53

Ian CalderonAssembly District 57

Reggie Jones-SawyerAssembly District 59

Sabrina CervantesAssembly District 60

Jose MedinaAssembly District 61

Anthony RendonAssembly District 63

Mike GipsonAssembly District 64

Al MuratsuchiAssembly District 66

STATEWIDE OFFICESGavin NewsomGovernorTony ThurmondSuperintendent of Public InstructionRicardo LaraInsurance CommissionerDr. Ed HernandezLieutenant Governor of California

STATE SENATEMike EngState Senate District 22Maria Elena DurazoState Senate District 24

STATE ASSEMBLYChristy SmithAssembly District 38Luz RivasAssembly District 39Jesse GabrielAssembly District 45Wendy CarrilloAssembly District 51Sydney KamlagerAssembly District 54

LA SUPERIOR COURTA. Veronica SaucedaSeat No. 4

STATE PROPOSITIONSNO on Prop. 5Residential Property Tax TransfersProp. 5 purports to help senior homeown-ers who want to move, but in reality it’s just another big tax break for the wealthy. Prop. 5 would slash as much as $1 billion in local revenue from public schools, while draining another $1 billion from crucial local services like healthcare, parks, libraries, and emergency response. The California Association of Realtors is the only sponsor of Prop. 5 and has spent $7 million to convince voters that this tax break for the wealthy will help seniors in need.

YES on Prop. 10Rent ControlProp. 10 allows city and county governments to enact rent control laws that keep working families from being priced out of living in their communities. The proposition returns the power to regulate rental housing units back to local governments, so they can explore solutions to the housing affordability crisis that work for their communi-ties. Prop. 10 will not require any city or county to adopt or expand rent control but provides the option to do so—a choice they don’t currently have. In a state where one in three residents pay more than half their income in rent, Californians need relief from exorbitant rent costs.


8

Job action would be first walk-out by charter educators in the country.

Accelerated educators authorize strike

Charter educators win parental leave through collective bargaining

UTLA charter educators: “We rise up with you”

El Camino Real Charter HS

Montague Charter Academy

Birmingham Community Charter

Palisades Charter HS

I work for Wallis Annenberg High, which is one of three schools along with The Accelerated School (K-8) and Ac-celerated Charter Elementary School (K-6, dual language) that are part of The Accelerated Schools (TAS) charter. Just like our union brothers and sisters in LAUSD, we have been engaged in contentious contract negotiations with our employer for over one year now. And similarly to you all, we are also at the impasse stage of contract bargain-ing, heading into fact-finding in the near future.

My colleagues and I began bargain-ing with the goal of addressing a long-standing and pernicious problem at our schools—high teacher turnover. The teacher turnover rate in the past few years has averaged anywhere between 20% and 30% each school year. We know that this negatively impacts students and their educational experi-ence. We were, and remain, resolved to fight for the schools that our students deserve. As such, we are demand-ing basic rights and protections that many of our UTLA brothers and sisters already enjoy:

• Competitive, affordable healthcare coverage.

• Binding arbitration in the grievance procedure.

• Job security protections, including just cause for termination and dis-cipline.

Like our brothers and sisters in LAUSD, so far we have not found a partner in our schools’ leadership.

In 2017, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill 2393 and Gover-nor Jerry Brown signed it into law. AB 2393 allowed public school employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Previously, the law only allowed for paid leave during pregnancy disabil-ity and very little paid time for child bonding. That meant that when educa-tors took time off to bond with their newborn or newly adopted child, the vast majority of the leave was unpaid. AB 2393 was great news and a great step forward for California educators, but my colleagues and I at El Camino Real Charter High School were quite disappointed when we learned that the law did not apply to charter school educators. However, I am happy to report that through the power of col-lective bargaining, we have won these same parental leave rights in our collec-tive bargaining agreement. Our union brothers and sisters at Pacoima Charter School were engaged in contract bar-gaining during the same time period and also won this right in their collec-tive bargaining agreement!

I am proud to be in a union that represents and fights for the rights of

LAUSD educators as well as charter school educators. We are all Los Angeles educators and have much more in common than we have differ-ences. We may work at district schools, we may work at charter schools, but at the end of the day, LA students are all of our students. In the same vein, any time that educators anywhere are exploited or unsupported, it drives the standards of our profession down. As educators and union members, it is our duty to fight to keep the standards of our profession high. That means fighting for parity in compensation, benefits, protections, and rights. That is why I’d like to urge and encourage our brothers and sisters in the other UTLA charter schools to do the same as El Camino and Pacoima teachers did, and fight for paid parental leave when you enter contract negotiations as well. Furthermore, I encourage all charter school educators who do not currently have a union to organize and become a part of UTLA. Together we are stronger!

—Kyna CollinsEl Camino Real Charter HS

As both charter educators and UTLA members, we proudly stand with our fellow union educators in LAUSD as you fight for a fair contract and for the schools the students of Los Angeles deserve. While charter school educators fight for and honor our own individual collective bargaining agreements with our respective administrations and charter school operators, our mission is the same: to strive for better working conditions, environments that are conducive to learning, and overall im-provement to the level of quality edu-cation we provide the children of our local community. That means smaller class sizes; better support and profes-sional development for educators; more counselors, school psychologists, librar-ians, and nurses; support for the arts; and other essential components for any child’s educational journey.

As UTLA charter educators, we in-timately understand what it means to stand in solidarity during the process of collective bargaining. It is our honor to rise up with LAUSD educators as you demand greater accountability and responsibility from LAUSD. After all, this is more than just a fight for a fair contract; it is about advocating for our families and showing our students that fighting for what is right and just is a

Instead, they have dug in their heels on these issues. TAS management wants me and my colleagues to pay more for healthcare coverage, be the final deci-sion maker when resolving grievances instead of a neutral arbitrator, and fire or discipline us without cause or ex-planation. That kind of disrespect is unacceptable to us; it exacerbates the teacher turnover problem and ulti-mately hurts our students’ educational program.

That is why, like you, we recently took a strike authorization vote. Nine-ty-one percent of our teachers voted, and 99% voted “YES” to authorize a strike if one were to be necessary. Fur-thermore, 85% of us have signed on to a public commitment to go on strike if necessary. We expect that number to grow day by day. Our teachers do not want to strike, but we are deter-mined to win what are reasonable and achievable demands. If we have to strike to win, we will be the very first charter school teachers to go on strike in the history of this nation. UTLA was founded after LAUSD teachers went on strike in 1970 and made history. UTLA made history again by going on strike in 1989. LAUSD educators may have to strike again soon, fighting for the schools LAUSD students deserve. Teachers at The Accelerated Schools are proud to be in your company and are also ready to make history along-side you if we have to.

—Kurt BelbinThe Acclerated Schools

necessary and righteous action. In the words of Fredrick Dou-

glass, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

To our LAUSD colleagues, friends, family, sisters, and brothers, we as charter educators say, “WE STAND WITH YOU!”

In Solidarity,

UTLA Charter Educators

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Healthy habits for womenNothing matters more than your health — and many of the biggest health risks for women are preventable. Simple things like regular screenings and making healthy lifestyle choices can help you stay healthier, longer.

Take your health to heart

You may think of heart disease as a men’s health issue — but it’s not. The good news is that lifestyle changes can prevent 80% of heart attacks and strokes.* Eat right, exercise, don’t smoke, and talk to your doctor about your risk.

Be proactive

Stay on top of breast and cervical cancer screenings. If you’re pregnant, start prenatal care early. Share your family health history with your doctor. Most importantly, listen to your body — and get care when you need it.

Care for the whole you

With all you do, it can be easy to put your needs last, which can leave you feeling drained, stressed, or depressed. Sleeping and eating well and connecting with others is important — and if you’re struggling, ask for help.

READY TO LIVE YOUR BEST, HEALTHIEST LIFE?

kp.org/womenshealth | kp.org/maternity | Follow us @kpthrive

Social icon

Rounded squareOnly use blue and/or white.

For more details check out ourBrand Guidelines.

*American Heart Association

Services covered under a Kaiser Permanente health plan are provided and/or arranged by Kaiser Permanente health plans: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., in Northern and Southern California and Hawaii • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-364-7000 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., 2101 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington or Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington Options, Inc., 601 Union St., Suite 3100, Seattle, WA 98101 • Self-insured plans are administered by Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company, One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612

Ple

ase

recy

cle.

60

64

441

1 N

ove

mb

er 2

017


10

*Invisalign discount is applied to regular full price treatment and may not apply to contracted insurance plans.Hablamos Español #BlueHillsDentalSmiles

Panorama City7942 Van Nuys Blvd

West Covina1208 W Francisquito Ave,

Ste E

Cudahy7903 Atlantic Ave, Ste G

Long Beach2306 E 7th StPalmdale

2140 E Palmdale Blvd

5 Convenient Los Angeles Locations!

At Blue Hills Dental, your oral health is our first priority! We offer full service dental care for your whole family from exams and cleanings to cosmetic and complex care such as:

We’ve proudly cared for Union members and families for over 20 years!

TONY THURMOND

EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATIONHe’s currently a representative in

the California State Assembly with 20 years of experience as a social worker and 12 years in education, teaching life skills, civics, and career training and running after-school programs. He formerly served as a trustee on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board.

ENDORSED BY EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS

Supported by a diverse group of educators, parents, and community leaders, as well as the past three su-perintendents of public instruction: Tom Torlakson, Jack O’Connell, and Delaine Eastin. Add to that a long list of nonprofit and labor organizations, as well as United Farm Workers Founder Dolores Huerta.

RECORD OF SUPPORT FOR ALL STUDENTS

He has fought for and won billions more in education funding and has effectively worked with California’s

120 legislators and the governor to get results. Among laws he’s authored: programs to lower dropout rates and provide resources for foster youth, funding for early education, and support for dual-language programs.

OUTLAWED FOR-PROFIT CHARTERS

He wrote the law that made for-prof-it charter schools illegal and worked to pass laws that would increase the transparency and accountability for all taxpayer-funded charter schools. He opposes charters’ selective enrollment policies and discrimination against English learners and special educa-tion students.

MARSHALL TUCK

EXPERIENCE IN CHARTER MANAGEMENT

He’s a former Wall Street in-vestment banker who became an adviser to former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He served as president of Green Dot Charter Schools and was CEO of Villarai-gosa’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS).

ENDORSED BY CORPORATE BILLIONAIRES

While Tuck pledged not to take money from corporations or political action committees, pro-privatization billionaires and their allies have spent more than $24 million on the corporate charter school champion—including three heirs of the Wal-Mart fortune, prominent privatizer Eli Broad, and former LA Mayor Richard Riordan.

RECORD TARNISHED WITH BROKEN PROMISES

His record in managing charter schools is murky. Green Dot Public Schools and the Partnership for Los

Angeles Schools (PLAS) both have long lists of unanswered questions and broken promises to communities, resulting in UTLA members from eight out of 10 PLAS schools issuing a vote of no confidence.

DISCIPLE OF THE CORPORATE CHARTER SCHOOL MOVEMENT

He believes in using taxpayer money to fund privately managed charter schools, and billionaires have filled his campaign coffers in the hope that he will become superintendent of public instruction and accelerate the unregulated expansion of those charter schools in the name of “educational flexibility.”

A closer look at the candidates for superintendent of public instruction.

Vote for the candidate who will support ALL students

California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act would reclaim $11 billion annually for schools and local services.

The Schools and Communities First co-alition has qualified the first measure in 40 years to reclaim $11 billion annually for schools and local communities by chal-lenging California’s “third rail” of politics, Proposition 13. Considered the most devas-tating blow to public education finance in the state’s history, Prop. 13 set off a national wave of tax cuts and also undermined local government services since its 1978 passage.

The California Schools and Local Com-munities Funding Act would reform Prop. 13 by assessing commercial and industrial property at fair market value, closing a cor-porate loophole that has allowed large cor-porations to avoid their fair share of property taxes. The measure maintains Prop. 13’s current protections for homeowners, renters

and agriculture, and includes small business protections and accountability.

Qualification was earlier than expected due to an exceptionally high verification rate from the coalition’s large-scale volunteer program. The funding act links to UTLA’s 20x20 cam-paign to reach $20,000 in per-pupil funding by the year 2020, and UTLA members were part of the over 5,000 volunteers from 90 or-ganizations that collected 105,000 signatures of the 870,000 submitted, contributing to an unprecedented ratio of valid signatures. Having taken this huge step, the Schools and Communities First coalition is now planning a two-year campaign that will focus on large-scale public education to strengthen public support, expand the coalition, and raise the needed resources.

School funding update: Historic measure qualifies for 2020 ballot

Paid for by Political Action Council of Educators, Sponsored by Teachers Unions, Including United Teachers Los Angeles. This advertisement was not authorized by any candidate or committee controlled by any candidate.


11

…And have their back every other day of the school year.

From the Treasurer

Honor substitute teachers on November 16

This November 16 is Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day—a time to remember how essential substitutes are to the daily opera-tion of our schools. When I had to be absent from my middle-school classroom, knowing that I could count on someone making sure my students stayed on schedule and were delivered quality instruction made me feel like I was there myself. Sometimes when I returned, my students spoke in such great regard of the substitute that I couldn’t help but be a little jealous. This is why we have a

day to appreciate our guest teachers. But it shouldn’t just be one day out of the

year that we take time to appreciate our subs. We need to make sure we support them by having the appropriate tools and materials for them to be successful. When a substitute is covering for a colleague, we should reach out to them at lunchtime or at other oppor-tune times to make sure they feel welcome and appreciated. We can be advocates for substitute teachers in the main office, when they’re asking for simple things like a key to the restroom or a map of the school.

Most, if not all, teachers have a few trusted substitutes on speed dial. Building this kind of rapport is how many of our substitutes get consistent work. During this substitute appreciation day, call these folks and let them know how much you appreciate them. Let them know that now more than ever, we need to stand together. As we get strike ready, our substitute members need to be engaged in the process at school sites and beyond.

Introduce your substitutes to the chapter chair and to as many school-site leaders as possible. Encourage them to sign on to the “We Will Strike If We Have To” form and commit to stand with us in case of a strike. Remind them that we are stronger together and in order to save public education in Los Angeles, we will have to have 100 percent solidarity!

As the point officer for substitutes, I want to say how much we appreciate you all and look forward to fighting an incredible and

righteous fight to protect our rights, defend public education, and secure our healthcare and respectable pay for decades to come.

By Alex OrozcoUTLA Treasurer

#UTLAStrong for substitutes: Better pay, benefits than other districtsUTLA substitute teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District earn one of

the most competitive daily rates in the area.

District PayManhattan Beach Unified $135/DayCastaic Union School District $105/Day (K-6) and $110/Day (7-8)El Rancho Unified $150/DayTorrance Unified $120/DayABC Unified $125/DayRedondo Beach Unified $140/DayClaremont Unified $125/DayLos Angeles Unified $190.97/Day*

*Substitutes at the extended rate earn up to $257.73 a day.

Eligible substitute teachers in LAUSD earn • Full healthcare coverage• Full dental coverage• Full vision coverage—all with no premium costs for yourself and your family!

UTLA substitute teachers are protected by a collective bargaining agreement, includ-ing an article specifically designed for substitute teachers.

We secured these victories by uniting with 33,000 other educators. Join your union and be All In. Sign a membership card at https://www.utla.net/members/membership-application.


12

Reflecting on our fight to save public education.

From the Secretary

How we got here

Last month I was interviewed for Jacobin, a national publication, to discuss our contract campaign. In reflecting on our recent past, it was great to remem-ber the foundation that has led us to the present. Of course, four years ago we never could have imagined that LAUSD would be controlled by an un-regulated charter school board majority and led by a superintendent who is a former Wall Street banker with zero educational experience. But what we

have built over the past four years puts us in a strong position to fight for the Schools Our Students, Educators, and Families Deserve; to win a fair and good contract; and to be the ones who will ensure that public education thrives in the city of Los Angeles. And because hundreds of school-site chapter chairs, itinerant leaders, and substitute leaders have organized and taken on this fight, we are strong and united. I have never felt more proud to be a union member and to be UTLA.

Jacobin Magazine: In September, UTLA members voted to authorize a strike—98 percent of educators voted in favor and there was an 83 percent turnout. Particularly in a district as large as Los Angeles, it must have taken a huge amount of work to make some-thing like that happen. Can you explain to our readers how this organizing drive began and developed?

Arlene: In order to understand how we got to the present, we need to go back to 2014 when our union shifted to a new ap-proach that is member-driven, organized, and focused on fighting for the Schools LA Students Deserve. Some of the changes made include the following:

• Focusing on visiting every school and communicating with members;

• Changing the culture of UTLA by engaging and developing leadership and reshaping our governance structure and meetings;

• Creating staffing positions that were needed to carry out our goals (strategic researcher, organizing director, political director) and revamping existing positions;

• Overhauling our database to be an effective tool for organizing with accurate information for assessment and tracking;

• Developing our parent and commu-nity outreach;

• Organizing escalating actions;• Connecting all parts of the work to

our vision for the Schools LA Students Deserve.

The first major action we did was to get a 10 percent raise—we hadn’t had a pay increase in eight years. Then in 2015 and 2016, we organized a successful drive to increase union dues by 30 percent.

We were truthful and direct with our members: We said that these resources were needed to defeat the huge political threats against public education in LA. Eighty-two percent voted in favor—that was the real turning point in the internal union dynamic.

And because we’re such a huge union, we’ve known that a lot of esca-lating actions were needed to build up momentum. This has ranged from leaf-leting parents, to worksite actions, to a citywide rally.

We built up our internal structures and instituted Contract Action Teams at the school site with the goal of having an educational leader communicating with every ten members. The Contract Action Teams are crucial for getting informa-tion out to the members and for getting information back.

Today we have over 800 chapter chairs (site representatives), which is the largest number we’ve ever had, cover-ing almost every school in LAUSD. Plus we have more itinerants and substitutes rising up in leadership. And even after the Janus court case, our membership is growing because people want to be part of a union that is democratic and fights back in a way that is strategic and effective. Ninety-six percent of LAUSD educators are now UTLA members—the highest percentage of membership since

UTLA was founded in 1970.We’ve also put significant resources

into organizing with parents, students, and organizational allies, and we’ve supported each other in our common concerns. Similarly, UTLA has worked with student groups, including Students Deserve, and we helped organize a big forum with them and others around Black Lives Matter. We’ve also fought around immigration issues and supporting our undocumented students.

JM: I imagine that the strike wave since West Virginia has also helped galvanize edu-cators in LA.

AI: Definitely, those actions in other states really changed the mentality here about striking. I do a lot of site visits to schools, and most teachers I spoke with thought that those struggles were amazing, even if they didn’t know all the details. A strike requires taking a risk, but when our members saw that other educators went on illegal strikes and won, it made a big impact. And they saw that the other strikes weren’t just about salaries; they were also about saving public education.

We’ve really emphasized the importance of the national movement. On May 24 this year, we organized a mass rally of 15,000 educators in downtown Los Angeles, and we had a speaker from Arizona come share with our members. To further build our strike preparedness, we recently made a video about the teacher rebellions that was used for our core training at our leadership conference and given out to school-site chapter leaders. At our Leadership Con-ference, we also brought in union leaders from Arizona and Puerto Rico to talk about the lessons of their strikes—most people I spoke with said it was one of the highlights of the conference.

Our members began to see that there’s something about a strike that’s so empow-ering. You put yourself out there, but it’s not only you. You’re linked and connected to your brothers and sisters who are also taking that same risk—because it’s only together that we can leverage our power and actually have a voice.

The full interview can be found at https://jacobinmag.com/2018/09/los-angeles-teachers-strike-education-reform.

By Arlene Inouye UTLA Secretary

Spanish/English ABC Examples

“B is for BEAR/oso” “T is for TIGER/tigre”

User-Friendly

EZ Beginning Sound Matches

Grade Level ABC Progress!

www.phonicsforlatinos-abcsincommon.com

(310) 836 - 6730

PHONICS FOR LATINOS

ESTATE PLANNINGWant to avoid probate?Seeking peace of mind?

Don’t do it yourself. Let a fellow teacher be your lawyer. Sheila Bayne is a full time

teacher with LAUSD and has been an active member of the California Bar for over 30 years.

Complete Estate Planning Package: n Living Trust n Living Will/Advance Health Care Directives n Power of Attorney

n Trust Transfer Deeds n Pour-over Will and supporting documents n Personal consultation

Discount for UTLA Members:

$750(Joint trust for spouses: $ 1095)

Also: n Probate n ConservatorshipsCONTACT THE LAW OFFICES OF SHEILA BAYNE

at 310-435-8710or e-mail: [email protected]

State Bar #123801


13

Passings

Henry Michael Hurd entered the world on December 15, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri. Even though Henry moved around quite a bit, his elders always steered him toward education, along with helping others. His favorite aunt instilled in him the need to attend college. Henry graduated from Vashon High School and attended Mar-quette University in Wisconsin for one year. Financial support became a hard-ship, so he joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was assigned to the 42nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion for four years in Germany. Upon his honorable discharge, he relocated to Los Angeles.

Once there, Henry became “Mike” and continued his educational endeavors. He attended Los Angeles City College, Cal State University Los Angeles, and ultimately Chapman College, where he earned his Ph.D.

During the 1960s, Mike began his long tenure with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Over a career that lasted 40 years, he worked as a custodian, class-room teacher, attendance counselor, truant officer, assistant principal, and principal. He primarily worked with the Adult Edu-cation Division. He worked at 75th Street School, Washington High School, Harbor Occupational Center, John F. Kennedy Adult School, LA High Adult School, Jordan-Locke Adult School, and Patrick Henry Middle School. Throughout his time with LAUSD, Mike made it his mission to educate and encourage young people. Just as his family had done for him, he assisted youth in getting summer jobs, wrote letters of recommendation, introduced them to various types of jobs, connected them with caring supervisors, and always instilled a strong work ethic and love for learning.

In 1992, Mike married Carmen Febre, and they were married for 26 years. They eventually moved to Port Hueneme in Ventura County. Upon retirement, Mike continued playing tennis, worked as a docent for the Maritime Museum, formed a citizens’ group to preserve the Peninsula Park Tennis Court from exploitation and business development, was a member of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the Hueneme Elementary School District for the Measure 1 School Bond, and was active within his residential community as a Neighborhood Watch person.

Mike will always be remembered as a strong and caring man who loved to laugh. He was an outlier whose life was extraordi-nary, and his passing was peaceful, on July 28, 2018, with his family at his side. Left to cherish and honor his memory, Mike is sur-vived by his wife, Carmen Hurd; daughter Seana Hurd Wright (LAUSD teacher); son Sydric Hurd; son-in-law Ira; grandchil-

Henry Michael Hurd1935-2018

Theodora Johnetta Lamond1947-2018

dren; four siblings; childhood friend Lonnie Farrell and his wife, Grace; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

Christine Redding-Lowder of Macon de-parted this life on August 26, 2018, in Los Angeles. She was born on March 14, 1938, in Dawson, Terrell County, Georgia, to the late Reverend Otis Redding, Sr. and Fannie Roseman Redding.

Redding-Lowder married Billy Earl Lowder in 1961 and shortly thereafter they moved to Los Angeles, where they raised three children. She immediately found work on the switchboard and was in charge of entrance of sheriffs and inmates at Ju-venile Hall. Her time at Juvenile Hall was enjoyable; however, her real desire was to be an educator. She enrolled in Los Angeles City College, transferred to Dominguez Hills, studied for her teachers’ credential at Mount St. Mary’s, and subsequently re-ceived her master’s degree in education at the University of Southern California.

She was an educator with LAUSD for more than 30 years, beginning her career at Arlington Heights Elementary, continuing on to Laurel Elementary, and ending her career at Emerson Middle School.

Her passion for education went beyond the classroom as she advocated proudly for improved conditions for teachers as well as students. She represented District J on the California Teachers Association/A Better Citizenship Committee and served several years as a delegate at the National Educa-tion Association (NEA) Convention. She was the treasurer of the NEA Black Caucus as well as chairperson of the NEA Black Caucus. In addition, she was a member of the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Christian Women on the Move, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Council of Negro Women, and several other religious, social service, and civic organizations.

Redding-Lowder’s deep commitment to continual growth as an educator involved traveling to various destinations in the United States and internationally, such as Cuba and South Africa, conferring with edu-cators on various pedagogical philosophies to better engage her students at home. She had the honor of being selected as a delegate to the Women’s Conference in China.

Redding-Lowder was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Earl Lowder; mother Fannie Roseman Redding; father Rev. Otis Redding, Sr.; brother Otis Redding, Jr.; and sister Darlene Redding.

Redding-Lowder leaves to mourn her passing her children, Charles and Penel-ope Lowder and Trevor (Laurie) Lowder; brother Luther Rodgers Redding; sisters Louise McClain and Deborah Redding; grandchildren Devin and Isiah Lowder and Hendrix and Quincy Lowder; sister-in-law

Zelma Redding; nieces Leslie McClain, Karla Redding-Andrews, and Demetria Redding; nephews Lance Redding, Dexter Redding, Damon Redding, and Otis Redding, III; great-nephew Christopher McClain; and a host of other relatives and friends. Services were held in Los Angeles at the Second Baptist Church on September 6 with burial follow-ing in Macon, Georgia. Condolences may be sent to the family as follows: the Lowder Family, 1855 S. Holt Avenue, LA, CA 90035.

Theodora Johnetta Lamond was born on on May 7, 1947, the first of three children born to Theodore Roosevelt Lamond, Sr. and Vivian Johnetta Harris Lamond.

As a native of Los Angeles, Theodora attended West Vernon Elementary and John Adams Junior High. She graduated in 1965 from Manual Arts High School, where she sang in the school choir and participated in cheer. In 1968, she gradu-ated from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas,

with a degree in education and received her master’s degree in Urban School Train-ing from Pepperdine University in 1974.

After college she embarked on a stellar 38-year career in education. She started teaching at 74th Street Elementary School in 1974 with astute second-graders under her leadership. In 1975 she was a second- and third-grade teacher at Overland Avenue Elementary School. She transitioned into administrative duties in 1976 and completed administrative field work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in Western Europe. After returning to the states, she worked at LAUSD Central District K-12, where she published several books. In 1977 she worked in the D.O.V.E. Volunteer Office for LAUSD. Theodora returned to elementary school in 1978 at 111th Street School (renamed Lovenia Flournoy Elementary) as a reading specialist and instructional media coordinator and later taught second grade at Hillcrest Elementary. In 1985 she was hired as a Title I Categorical Program Advisor at Bethune Middle School and flourished in that field for more than 10 years at the school. She continued that title at Webster Middle School in 1998. She went full circle and ended her career where she started, in the classroom.

She is survived by her daughter, Niketa Calame-Harris; son-in-law Donovan Harris; brother Theodore Roosevelt Lamond II; sister Ethel Bledsoe and brother-in-law Gregory Bledsoe; nieces Arlene Marsay Davis, Tunai Anderson, and Jesslyn Bledsoe; nephews-in-law Ira Davis and Elidge An-derson; great-nephews Daishaun and Daron Davis and Karday and Kori Anderson; and many cousins and extended family.

Services were held October 6 at Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Christine Redding-Lowder1938-2018

NewSchoolLounge.com

ENTER TODAY

Valued at $7,500

Auto and Home InsuranceAPPROVED

No quote or purchase necessary. See website for complete details. ©2018 CCMC. CA Lic#0041343

NewSchoolLounge.com

ENTER TODAY

Valued at $7,500

Auto and Home InsuranceAPPROVED

No quote or purchase necessary. See website for complete details. ©2018 CCMC. CA Lic#0041343SPONSORED


14

Pursuant to the UTLA Constitution and By-Laws, notice is hereby given of the intent to conduct a mail ballot for the UTLA House of Representatives 2019-20 (two-year term). Members elected to the House of Representatives shall be seated at the February 6, 2019, meeting of the House.

Nominations: Any UTLA member in good standing may nominate himself/herself by completing the self-nomination form and returning it to the UTLA House Elec-tions Committee, c/o Arlene Inouye, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. The nomination period shall be from September 14 to November 9, at 4:30 p.m.

Nominations received by October 24, shall receive mailed written verification. Nominations received after October 24 will not receive mailed verification and cannot be guaranteed inclusion in the election unless the nomination form is submitted in person, at UTLA headquarters, to Arlene Inouye (or designee) by November 9, 2018, before 4:30 p.m.

Balloting: Balloting will take place via U.S. mail. Ballots will be sent to each member at his/her home address Novem-ber 18. No ballots will be sent to members whose schools are located in electoral dis-tricts in which races are not contested. Members who do not receive ballots by November 28, or who receive the wrong ballot, should call Princess Sykes (or des-ignee) at 213-368-6220 no later than 4:30 p.m. on November 28.

Ballots must be received at the post office by 9 a.m. on December 7, 2018, in order to be counted. Each member should complete the

ballot and envelopes according to the instruc-tion sheet that will accompany the ballot.

Counting: Ballots will be counted on De-cember 7, 2018. Each ballot will be verified prior to counting. The names of winners in all electoral districts will be published in the UNITED TEACHER and posted at www.utla.net, and each elected person shall be notified by mail.

Electoral districts: Balloting for seats on the House of Representatives shall be by elec-toral district. Those members not assigned to one specific location should complete the Itinerant Assignments Declaration Form (see below) and return it to UTLA headquarters no later than November 9, 2018.

Non-Contested Elections: In those elec-toral districts where the number of can-didates is less than the number of House seats, no ballots will be mailed. Candidates in those districts shall be declared elected by the UTLA Board of Directors. Any va-cancies may be filled by an at-large House Election conducted at Area meetings.

New Members: Teachers/support per-sonnel who joined UTLA on or before Sep-tember 31, 2018, will be eligible to vote in the House election.

Special Interest Group Elections: Members in the following groups—psy-chiatric social workers, traveling music teachers, adult education, children’s center/early childhood ed. center teachers, nurses, occupational center teachers, skill center teachers, PSA counselors, substitute teachers, counselors, and special education teachers—shall elect their representatives at meetings of their respective caucuses.

Most of those caucus elections shall take place on October 24, 2018, before the regu-larly scheduled House meeting.

Groups electing their representatives at a different time will be listed in the UNITED TEACHER. These elections are to be con-

ducted by UTLA officers. The name, address, and assignment location of each elected rep-resentative must be furnished to the House Elections Committee before December 10, 2018. Winners of special caucus elections will be printed in the UNITED TEACHER.

2019-20 House of Representatives Election Rules, Forms, Districts

September 30, 2018: Bargaining unit members who joined UTLA on or before September 30, 2018, will be eligible to vote in the House elections.

September 14 and October 29: Election rules, timeline, self-nomination form, and itinerant assignments declaration form in UNITED TEACHER.

September 14: Nominations open.

October 24: Last day on which nomina-tion forms received by mail or email will receive written verification.

October 24: Special interest group elec-tions conducted before House meeting. Notification printed on flyers. (Certain groups to elect on another date. See Elec-tion Rules for details.)

November 9: Close (4:30 p.m.) of nominations.

November 9: Last day to submit itinerant assignments declaration form for House elections (for members not assigned to a single site).

November 16: Ballots mailed (no ballots will be mailed in districts where the

elections are uncontested).

November 28: Members who have not received their ballots or received the wrong ballot should call Princess Sykes (or desig-nee) at 213-368-6220 no later than 4:30 p.m. on November 22 in order to receive a ballot.

December 7: Deadline (9 a.m.) for ballots to be received and picked up from Post Office for counting.

December 7: Ballots counted.

December 7: Notification to those elected and results posted on www.utla.net.

January 16: At-large House elections conducted at the Area meetings to fill any remaining vacancies and alternates. (Notification printed on flyers.)

January 30: Board of Directors ratifies the election.

February 6: First meeting of new House of Representatives preceded by orienta-tion meeting.

March 8: Publication of results of House elections in UNITED TEACHER.

House elections timeline


15

2018-19

A First Financial Platinum Visa will make your Holiday Shopping convenient,

safe and secure.

A list of electoral districts and how many representatives will be elected by each

district is posted at utla.net.

I wish to be a candidate for election to the 2019-20 UTLA House of Representa-tives. I understand my responsibilities as a member of the House to include (Article V, Sections 5, 9, 10): (1) attend all regular and special meetings of the House, (2) participate in the complete business portion of the meeting, (3) attend all Area meetings, and (4) report activities of the House to my constituents.

Name

Employee No.

School

Home address

City/Zip

Phone

Non-lausd.net email

UTLA Area (circle one) North South East West Central

Valley East Valley West Harbor

Electoral District (office use only)

Mail to: UTLA House Committee, c/o UTLA Secretary Arlene Inouye, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. A high-quality scan or photo can also be emailed to [email protected].

Nominations MUST be received by 4:30 p.m., November 9, 2018. Incomplete forms may invalidate your candidacy.

UTLA House of Representatives self-nomination form Itinerant Assignments Declaration Form

(Employee Number)

(Signature)

(Non-LAUSD Email)

(Date Received)

(Date)

(Phone)

School/Work Location

(Please Print Name)

Approx % per week

I am a member of the following:

The Schools/Work locations I am assigned to, ordered by MOST to LEAST:

I declare the above assignment information true to the best of my knowledge:

These Assignments are only valid for the current school yearComplete and return to Tara Thomas, UTLA

3303 Wilshire Blvd., 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010Phone: (213) 637-5165 Fax: (213) 368-6231

[email protected]

Substitute Teachers (K-12, Early Ed, or Adult)

Special Educators & Itinerants (Arts, Music, Coaches, etc.) & Health and Human Services Personnel (Nurses, Psychologists, Counselors, P. S.A.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.


16

CTA State Council Unexpired Term election notice

CTA State Council Unexpired Term election timeline

CTA State Council Year-Round Absentee Ballot Request

Are you interested in representing UTLA/NEA members at the state level? CTA (California Teachers Association) State Council, a policy-making body that meets quarterly, has openings for representatives to fill unexpired terms. If you wish to run for one of these positions, complete and return the self-nomination form by U.S. mail to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz at UTLA. The form must be received by 5:00 p.m. on December 19, 2018. The election will be held at the January 16 Area meetings. For those members who cannot vote at their Area meetings, voting will also be held at the UTLA building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 16.

Self-Nomination Form

Name

Employee number

Address

City Zip

Home phone

Non-LAUSD email address

School

School Phone

I certify that below is the signature of the candidate whose name appears above.

Signature Date (Required)

Return this request to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz by 5:00 p.m., December 19, 2018, via U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters on the 10th floor during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz). NO FAXES OR EMAILS.

Form must be received by UTLA by December 19, 2018.

Involvement opportunity

CTA Unexpired Term electionsBy Laura Carls & Deborah Schneider-Solis UTLA/NEA Election Committee

UTLA/NEA members will elect CTA State Council representatives for unex-pired terms at elections scheduled this year for the January 16 Area meetings. These delegates will join the other UTLA representatives when the council continues for the 2018-19 school year.

The State Council acts as CTA’s pol-icy-making body, meeting four times a year. Each representative is expected to serve on a standing com mittee, which debates business items involving aca-demic freedom, retire ment, civil rights, political action, teachers’ rights, and state-wide nego tiation issues. State Council represen tatives also vote for CTA’s state-wide officers. In the 2018-19 school year, all State Council meetings will be held in Los Angeles. All necessary expenses

for represen tatives are covered by CTA, including hotel, mileage, and food costs. Meetings begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, 7:15 a.m. Sunday, and usually end around 4 p.m. both days. Subcommittee meetings on Friday evenings and voluntary caucus meetings before and after the general weekend meeting times can enrich the representative’s knowledge of issues facing California educators. UTLA del-egates are rewarded for their time and effort by getting a chance to make a state-wide difference in education.

If you find the idea of participating on a statewide level intriguing, fill out and mail in the self-nomination form on this page to run for CTA State Council. Forms are due by December 19 via U.S. mail (no faxes or emails). Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquar ters on the 10th floor (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA VP) during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I am requesting an absentee ballot for the CTA State Council Election for the unexpired term.

My vote will correspond to CTA’s election guidelines, which allow for voting by mail for CTA members on formal leave. This request must be received by 5:00 p.m., December 19, 2018, by U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010, Attn: Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA VP. I understand that my request will be checked for accuracy by election committee members. Absentee ballots will be mailed January 7, 2019, and must be received via U.S. mail by 5:00 p.m., on January 16.

Name

Employee number

Address

City Zip

Home phone

Non-LAUSD email address

School

School Phone

UTLA area (Circle one) N S E W C VE VW H

Absentee ballot requested for:

CTA State Council

January 16 February 20

Check one: CTA/NEA Board member Formal LAUSD leave

I hereby declare that the above information is accurate.

Signature Date

October 29, December 14: Nomination forms, timeline, and absentee ballot request forms in UNITED TEACHER.

December 19: Self-nomination forms and absentee ballot requests due to UTLA building by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail (no faxes or emails). Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters (see the receptionist on the 10th floor) during regular business hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

December 20: Letters sent out ac-knowledging receipt of nomination forms.

January 7: Absentee ballots sent out.

January 16: Elections at all UTLA Area meetings and UTLA headquarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

January 16: Absentee ballots due back to UTLA by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail only (no faxes or emails).

January 18: Area and absentee ballots counted. Letters sent to winners and results will be posted at www.utla.net by the end of the next business day.

January 28: Deadline to submit elec-tion challenge in writing to Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA Vice Presi-dent, provided a runoff election is not required.

February 11: Absentee ballot for runoff sent.

February 20: Runoff election, if needed, at Area meetings and at UTLA head-quarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

February 20: Absentee ballots due back to UTLA by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail only (no faxes or emails).

February 22: Area and absentee ballots counted. Letters sent to winners and results will be posted at www.utla.net by the end of the next business day. Those who are not elected delegates will become alternates.

March 3: Final date for challenges to be submitted in writing to Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA Vice Presi-dent, provided an additional runoff election is not required. Please contact Vivian Vega for appropriate form at 213-368-6259.

Return this request to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz by 5:00 p.m., December 19, 2018, via U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters on the 10th floor (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA VP) during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. NO FAXES OR EMAILS.

Form must be received by UTLA by December 19, 2018.


17

UTLA meeting boardUpcoming meetings

NOVEMBER 14UTLA Area Meetings: See times and

locations at utla.net.Early Childhood Education Committee:

7 p.m., UTLA building.

NOVEMBER 28Elementary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA

building.Secondary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA

building.African-American Education Commit-

tee: 4 p.m., UTLA building.PACE Committee: 6:30 p.m., UTLA

building.Capably Disabled Committee: 4 p.m.,

UTLA building.Tech Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA building.

DECEMBER 5Special UTLA Area Meetings: See times

and locations at utla.net.Early Childhood Education Committee:

7 p.m., UTLA building.

DECEMBER 12The following committees meet on

the same day as the House of Repre-sentatives from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (unless noted) in the UTLA building: Arts Education Committee, Asian-Pacific Education, Bilingual Educa-tion Committee, Chicano/Latino Education, Gay & Lesbian Issues, Health & Human Services, Human Rights, Inner City, Instructional Coaches, Kindergarten Teachers, Library Professionals (4:45-6 p.m.), Middle Schools, Multi-Track/Year-Round Schools, Non-Classroom/Non-School Site, Options Com-mittee, Physical Education Action and Dance, Professional Rights & Responsibilities, Pre-Retirement Issues, Salary & Finance, School/Community Relations, School Readiness Language Development Program, Secondary School Counsel-ors, Special Education, Substitutes, Violence Prevention & School Safety, Women’s Education.

Dual-Language Teachers Needed

The District is currently seeking candidates to staff Arabic, Armenian, French, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish bilingual programs at the Elementary and Secondary levels.

There are current vacancies, as well as expected future growth in these programs.

If interested, please email Jacob Guthrie, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Human Resources Division, at [email protected] for more information.

LAUSD HUMAN RESOURCES

UTLA members will elect delegates at the January 24 General Membership Meeting at UTLA to represent the union at the statewide convention of the California Federation of Teachers.

At the convention, CFT members from around the state will gather to debate and vote on important resolutions and con-stitutional amendments. The annual CFT Convention is the most important policy-making body of the federation.

All UTLA members are eligible to be elected delegates to this event; delegates who fulfill their official obligations will receive a stipend to cover a major portion of their expenses. Interested members can fill out

Delegates to CFT Convention to be elected January 24CFT to hold annual convention in Downtown LA, March 22 to 24.

the coupon below to nominate themselves.The coupon must be returned by

January 11.

Motions for the meeting: All motions must be submitted to UTLA/AFT 1021 four weeks prior to the general membership meeting on January 24. Motions can be sent to AFT 1021 President via fax at 213-251-9891, mailed to 3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 or emailed to [email protected] by December 27, 2018. Please indi-cate “AFT 1021 motion” in the subject line. Motions submitted prior to the meeting will be posted on the UTLA/AFT 1021 link at least two weeks prior to the meeting.

Name

Employee No.

Home address

City/Zip

Email

School

Cell Phone #

I hereby declare that I am a fully paid member of UTLA. I wish to nominate myself as a delegate to the 2019 CFT Convention to be held in Downtown LA from March 22 to 24.

Signature

This form must be returned by January 11 to UTLA/AFT Vice President Juan Ramirez at 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 during regular business hours (9 p.m. -5 p.m.) or by mail. Nominations will not be taken from the floor or by fax/email. Elections will be held at the general membership meeting on Thursday, January 24, at 6 p.m. at UTLA.

2019 CFT Convention self-nomination form

November 6 Election DayDo your part & vote!

November 6 Election Day


18

Teachers: Help keep the Labor Movement alive with our youth! Bring UTLA’s award-winning Collective Bargaininig Education Project to your school site.

At our Collective Bargaining Institute, your students will spend several exciting hours learning about the labor movement by participating in a hands-on simulation of contract negotiations, aligned to content and Common Core standards.

The Collective Bargaining Institute engages ALL students. They will be grouped into small (4 students) union and management teams, and each student will be responsible for a different bargaining issue. And it gets better! All teams will be mentored by labor relations professionals who volunteer to “coach”!

There is no cost to your school. Our UTLA Collective Bargaining Education Project is co-sponsored by the L.A. County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and the Labor and Employment Relations Association, with support from LAUSD.

Deadline: ASAP. Scheduling a CBI day requires three weeks in advance to recruit the team “coaches” from the L.A.-area labor movement. Also in advance, students need to be released from classes for the CBI (with a “trip” slip), to a large space with tables for 3 to 4 hours.

Contact Linda Tubach, Collective Bargaining Education Project teacher, ASAP at (626) 233-2284

or email [email protected].

27th Annual Collective Bargaining Institutes for

LAUSD High School Students

NEGOTIATIONS

BARGAININGLABOR MOVEMENT

UTLA strike history in 400 words.

Note from the UTLA-R President

By John PerezUTLA-Retired President

“Teachers Want What Students Need:” Like many retired teachers, I walked the line in 1970 and 1989, and this picket sign was one of my favorites. If our active col-leagues walk, this picket sign will be as true today as it was when we walked.

Back in our day, and today, the press and those who would privatize public education like to concentrate only on the salary increase part of UTLA’s various negotiating packages. But right now, UTLA is beginning to win the propa-ganda war, and even the L.A. Times is reporting that educators also want more counselors, nurses, and librarians; smaller class size; less testing; and more support for adult, special, and early edu-cation. In other words, teachers want what students need!

In 1970 when LAUSD was overwhelm-ingly white and middle class, UTLA wanted an “Inner City Package” for our students who lived in poverty and faced numerous educational challenges. We wanted 30% more teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians, and so on in schools that served poor and minority students. We wanted smaller classes districtwide, and we wanted a massive reading program for all students who were reading sig-nificantly below grade level. The contract that ended the 1970 strike included 10% more adults in inner-city schools and the

reading program—teachers got what stu-dents needed! Unfortunately the courts threw out the contract because in 1970 there was no collective bargaining law and teacher strikes were illegal.

In 1989 the media again framed it as teachers wanting more money, but one of our major demands was to add School-Based Management to our con-tract so that the parents of our students could have a real say in what was hap-pening at their children’s schools. The contract that ended the strike included Shared Decision Making and School-Based Management. Our members and parents could have a real say in what happened in the district and a way to be engaged in the schools they sent their children to. Teachers got what parents needed! Today, students need fewer standardized tests and more time on task. Students need more teachers, counselors, nurses, psychologists, and librarians; smaller classes; and the in-creased services that more adults in the district’s schools will bring. Once again, teachers want what students need. Whether we call it the Inner City Package, School-Based Manage-ment, or the Schools L.A. Students Deserve, UTLA has a 48-year history of wanting what will make LAUSD schools work better for our students and their parents.

Teachers on the march: I reported in a previous column that 158 classroom

teachers had filed to run for the state legislature in the states that had wildcat strikes in the 2017-18 school year—states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Colorado. Of those who entered primaries, 101 will be on the ballot in November. In addition, former teachers are running for governor in Min-nesota and Wisconsin. Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, is running for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat in Connecticut. Teachers also know which party wants to help education and which does not: 80% are running as Democrats and only 18% as Republicans, with 2% running as independents. For decades teachers have been favored candidates in school board elections all across the country, and now we are seeing the public turn

to educators when education is on the line. Do people really like teachers and support our schools? Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) has been polling Americans on their attitudes toward education since 1969. In 2018 PDK asked, “If teachers in your city went on strike for more pay, who would you support?” Seventy-three percent said they would support the teachers. Also asked was, “Should the American education system be reformed to help all kids or should Americans look for an alternative to public schools?” (in other words, reform regular schools versus privatize and charterize). To this question, 78% said to reform the current system, and only 22% said we should look for an alternative.

John can be reached at [email protected].

Improve your visionimprove your life.

W I T H L A S I K

FREE Consultations

12 MONTHSNO Interest �nancing

14914 Sherman WayVan Nuys, California 91405

CALL FOR

UTLA

SPECIALS!

1(888) 999-4202


19

Salary Advancement Courses for Educators

Contact us for the latest schedule at our Los Angeles Locations.

Visit sandiego.edu/lacourses or call (619) 260-4585

Convenient | Relevant K-12 Applications | Practical Curriculum

West Los Angeles & CarsonKaren Rose(310) 745-1099

Downtown Los AngelesCraig Yokoi(310) 874-4090

Sherman Oaks & Santa ClaritaJennifer Krauss(805) 559-3060

Monterey ParkJim Burk(800) 664-6130

BurbankVicky Montes(323) 559-5960

Downey & Los AlamitosTim Brown(310) 292-1039

$329 FOR THREE SEMESTER UNITS OF GRADUATE LEVEL EXTENSION CREDIT

C O M M I T T E E E V E N T S

! SAVE THIS DATE! UTLA African American Education Committee

Presents the Forty-Sixth Annual Community Conference

Saturday, February 9, 2019 7:30am to 4:30pm

UTLA Building

3303 Wilshire Blvd. Room 815 Los Angeles, CA 90010

Theme Promoting A Healthy School Environment With:

Students Teachers Families

and Communities

Continental Breakfast and Lunch Early Registation before January 28, 2019 $20.00 Register on Saturday, February 9, 2019 $25.00

Parents free! Students free with ID!

For more information contact: UTLA Conference Secretary: Debbie Reid at (213) 368-6232

HealthyLiving

Relationships

Yoga

ArtHealing

LearningGames

Dance

Music

ParentResources

UTLA

Pre-RetirementIssuesCommittee

ConferenceSchedule

Pre-RetirementConferences:

October13,2018

February9,2019

InvestmentPlanningConferences:

December1,2018

March23,2019

ALLCONFERENCESWILLBEHELDATTHEUTLA2NDFLOORAUDITORIUM

Allconferenceswillbeheldfrom8AMuntil1PM.

LookfortheseconferencesontheUTLACalendaratutla.netandfollowthelinktopre-enroll

OurPre-RetirementConferenceisdesignedtoprovidevaluableretirementplanning

informationfornew,mid-career,andlatecareerteachers.

OurInvestmentConferenceofferssalarycreditandprovidesabasicintroductiontoinvesting.

Thefocusofthisconferenceison403band457bsupplementalsavingsoptions.Wehopeto

seeyouthere.AndweinvitealltoattendourcommitteemeetingonHouseofRepresentatives

(HOR)nightJ.


20

UTLA-R members and members of other unions are encouraged to sign up for the Adopt a School program to support a possible strike at the site level.

Here’s how the program would work: Now that active members of UTLA authorized a strike, the retiree would reach out to the chapter chair at the adopted site to offer any assistance needed to prepare for and support the strike. The retiree would leave contact in-formation with the chapter chair and be ready to help as directed with any of the below:

• organizing (families and communi-ty) with phone calls, meetings, window posters, etc.

• talking with UTLA members about other job actions you participated in and lessons learned.

• reaching out for logistics for the strike

days (water, food, facilities, security, sign-ins, posters) and whatever comes up that the chapter chair needs.

• being on the line and bringing others with you.

More than 100 UTLA-R members already have signed up to volunteer to assist chapter chairs at sites that were their alma mater, that are in their neighborhood, or that they worked at or sent their child to.

To sign up: Send your full name, union/local (or UTLA-R), email, phone, school you’d like to adopt, and UTLA Area (if known) to Evy Vaughn at [email protected]. Please also include your connection to the school (e.g., the site is your alma ma-ter, your neighborhood school, a site you worked at or sent a child/grandchild to).

UTLA retirees: Adopt a School for possible strike

Stacie Webster elected UTLA Central Area chair

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UTLA Human Rights Committee is offering an interactive classroom program on this important document.

Guided by a retired LAUSD teacher, high school and adult students will work with the actual document; younger students with an adaptation. Primary students will dramatize the defense of people’s rights.

For third or fourth grade and up, students will work in teams, in pairs, or as individuals to listen for a situation that is addressed by an article assigned to them and will respond dramatically. For example, a team assigned to Article 14, upon hearing something about people coming over our borders, might call out, “Article 14 says that people have the right to seek asylum in other countries if their rights are not honored at home!”

Teachers are welcome to attend an event

being organized for November by the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace in which participants will engage in this activity.

As we prepare for a possible strike, let us use the affirmation by Article 23 of our right to a union, as well as Article 26’s declaration that education “shall be directed to the full development of the human personality.”

Let’s make December 10 a date that we celebrate in our classrooms and our schools the 70th anniversary of this document.

To invite us to your classroom or to get more information, please contact Carolfran-ces at [email protected]. Please write “UTLA HR” in the subject field. For more about the program go to facebook.com/DiscoverYourWings. To read more about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, go to the United Nation’s website: www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights.

In your classroom: The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

MT-1161140.0 12/17 ©2017 United HealthCare Services, Inc. 17-6442-B

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates.

Learn why our health plans earn high marks from school districts.

UnitedHealthcare is committed to providing a broad portfolio of customizable health plans and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life and disability offerings.

We also offer a number of wellness programs designed to get — and keep — teachers and other school district employees actively engaged in making decisions about their own health.

For more information, call Carissa Green at 714-252-0350.

LAUSD and Anthem Blue Cross are of-fering a new Anthem Medicare Preferred (PPO) medical plan, available to Medicare retirees in 2019. The new plan will allow LAUSD retirees to visit any provider, na-tionwide, that accepts Medicare. A key part of the new plan is that LAUSD retirees will not pay any deductibles, coinsurance, or copays. Retirees must have Medicare Parts A and B to qualify for the new Anthem Medi-care Preferred (PPO) medical plan. Here’s a quick snapshot of how enrollment will work based on retirees’ current plan option:

• Anthem EPO members residing in Cal-ifornia may enroll in the new plan or select

another plan being offered by LAUSD. If no plan selection is made, retirees will be automatically enrolled in the new plan.

• Anthem EPO members residing outside California, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii will be automatically enrolled in the new plan.

• UnitedHealth Care will no longer be a provider. UnitedHealth Care members may select any plan being offered by LAUSD. If no plan selection is made, retirees currently enrolled in UHC will be automatically en-rolled in the new Anthem EPO plan.

Be on the lookout for more info during open enrollment or contact LAUSD Benefits Administration at 213-241-4262.

New for retirees: Anthem Medicare Preferred (PPO) medical plan

The UTLA Central Area elected West Vernon Elementary teacher Stacie Webster as its new AFT Director and

the Area Chair. The UTLA Board of Directors certified the election this month.

Stay connected with UTLAIf you move, be sure to update your contact info with UTLA. Two options:

–Call UTLA (213-487-5560) and ask to speak to the Membership Department.

–Request that Membership contact you by emailing [email protected].

UTLA online store is open with lower shipping

UTLA online store is stocked. We have redesigned the store to be mobile friendly and updated the shipping method to lower delivery cost to you. You can still order online and pickup at the UTLA building or have the items delivered via USPS. Go to www.utlastore.com, or you can access the store from our main website at www.utla.net (red arrow shows where you can access from main site.)


21

Facebook: facebook.com/UTLAnow Twitter: @utlanow YouTube: youtube.com/UTLAnow

Get connected to UTLA

Equity and access for English learners: How is it going?

Bilingual education

What’s happened since the passage in 2016 of Prop. 58, the initiative to expand language learning? Here are a few related developments:

State Board creates California English Learner Roadmap: The California English Learner Roadmap articulates a common vision and mission for educating English learners and supports schools as they imple-ment policy. Mission statement: California schools affirm, welcome, and respond to

a diverse range of English learner (EL) strengths, needs, and identities. California schools prepare graduates with the linguis-tic, academic, and social skills and compe-tencies they require for college, career, and civic participation in a global, diverse, and multilingual world, thus ensuring a thriving future for California. More info and resources at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/rm.

Thurmond bill on dual-language grant program signed into law: AB 2514 estab-lishes the Pathways to Success Grant Program with the goal of providing pupils in preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12 with dual-language immersion programs, develop-mental bilingual programs for English learners, or early learning dual-language learners programs. The bill requires the State Department of Education to admin-ister the program and, starting September 1, 2019, requires the department to award a minimum of 10 one-time grants of up to $300,000 per grant to school districts in partnership with other specified entities.

Torlakson launches 2030 Global Initia-tive: State Superintendent Tom Torlakson launched Global California 2030 to equip our students with the world language skills to succeed in the global economy and to fully engage with the diverse mixture of cul-tures and languages found in California and throughout the world. Global California 2030 is a call to action. Here are some goals:

• By 2030, half of all K-12 students par-ticipate in programs leading to proficiency

in two or more languages, either through a class, a program, or an experience.

• The number of students who receive the State Seal of Biliteracy, which is nation-ally recognized for college admissions and career opportunities, more than triples from 46,952 in 2017 to more than 150,000 in 2030. By 2040, three out of four graduating seniors earn the Seal of Biliteracy. The seal is earned by demonstrating proficiency in a language in addition to English.

• The number of dual-immersion programs that teach languages besides English quadruples from about 400 in 2017 to 1,600 in 2030.

• The number of new bilingual teachers authorized in world language classes more than doubles from 2017 to 2030.

If anyone would like me to visit their school about these topics or anything con-cerning English learners, please contact me at [email protected].

Thurmond for superintendentFive UTLA members (Jose Lara, Gillian

Russom, Kirti Barnawal, Liz Maldonado, and Cheryl Ortega) gave pointed inter-views with the California Educator on the failed leadership of Marshall Tuck, who is running for state superintendent. Read “In Their Own Words: Educators on Why Tuck Should Not Be Superintendent” at bit.ly/utlatuck.

Todos bienvenidos. Please join us at the next Bilingual Education Committee meeting on December 12 at 4 p.m. in the UTLA building, Room 828.

—Cheryl OrtegaUTLA Director of Bilingual Education

[email protected]

Substitute Educators DayThank a substitute on Friday, November 16

Liza Luna-ChanReal Estate Agent

24 years home investing experience.18 years marketing experience.

Specialize in working with teachers& school staff.

I work hard to find the best lenders &homebuyer assistance programs.

Liza Luna-Chan(323) 533-3060 (323) 863-5395

[email protected]# 01931120

If you are in the business ofeducating others,

we have some savings for you!

Contact Ernie for a freemortgage evaluation!

PrimeLending and above-mentioned company are not affiliated. All loans subject to credit approval. Rates and fees subject to change. Mortgage financing provided by PrimeLending,a PlainsCapital Company. Equal Housing Lender. © 2018 PrimeLending, a PlainsCapital Company (NMLS: 13649). PrimeLending Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage LendingAct- lender lic no. 4130996. v010918

Ernie CelayaLoan Originator NMLS: 416357

Direct: 818.809.8433 [email protected] lo.primelending.com/erniecelaya

Direct: 213.909.1349 [email protected]

Andrea MaukREALTOR® CALBRE: 01949767

A teacher knows what a teacher needs!

3 Pointe Drive Suite 210 Brea, CA 92821

13604 Whittier Blvd. Whittier CA 90605

Contact Andrea for a freeEquity Check-up!

Why not find out the options available to you? Call us today to get started!

HumanResourcesDivision

PeerAssistanceandReviewProgramWorkshopSchedule

AllLAUSDteachersareinvitedtotakeANYofour6-hourworkshopsthatcoveravarietyoftopics:

ClassroomManagement-ResearchBasedStrategiesforSuccess September19,2018&December19,2018

InformationalTextandProjectBasedInstruction September10,2018

UsingGraphicOrganizerstoSupporttheWritingProcess October6,2018

DesigningLessonsforthe21stCenturyLearner December18,2018

BuildingStrongConnectionsforStudentSuccess December18,2018

ABCsofStudentEngagement January4,2019

InformationalTextandProjectBasedInstruction January4,2019

PowerofPresence February16,2019

InteractiveStudentNotebooks March9,2019

ABCsofStudentEngagement March9,2019

ClassroomManagement-ResearchBasedStrategiesforSuccess April17,2019

DesigningLessonsforthe21stCenturyLearner June18,2019

PowerofPresence June18,2018

InteractiveStudentNotebooks June19,2019

Signupthrough:MyPLNhttps://achieve.lausd.net/mypln#spn-content

1

All workshops can be applied toward Salary Point Credit!

*unlessnoted,allPARclassesareheldattheBeaudryBuilding

333SBeaudryAve,LA,CA90017


22

All UTLA members are encouraged to attend a preretirement workshop at least three times during their career in order to plan for retirement security: early in their career, again just prior to age 50, and one year prior to retirement.

CalSTRS (the California State Teachers’ Retirement System) and the district are sponsoring a series of preretirement workshops for this school year. Informa-tion will be provided regarding the calculation of retirement allowance, LAUSD 457(b) supplemental savings plan, post-retirement information, and more. Time will be provided at the end of the workshop presentation for questions and answers. See reservation information below. The workshops are individual meetings (not a series).

November 1, 2018 (Thursday) Mountain View Elementary (Auditorium) 6410 Olcott St. Tujunga, CA 91042

November 15, 2018 (Thursday) Manhattan Elementary (Auditorium) 1850 West 96th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047

November 29, 2018 (Thursday) Polytechnic SH (Cafetorium/Multipurpose Room) 12431 Roscoe Blvd.Sun Valley, CA 91352

December 6, 2018 (Thursday) Kingsley Elementary (Auditorium) 5200 W. Virginia Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029

January 17, 2019 (Thursday) Hazeltine Elementary (Auditorium) 7150 Hazeltine Ave. Van Nuys, CA 91405

January 31, 2019 (Thursday) Caroldale Ave. (Auditorium) 22424 Caroldale Ave. Carson, CA 90745

STRS preretirement workshopsFree workshops are open to all CalSTRS members.

Dates and locationsAll workshops are from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

How to register: CalSTRS is asking that you register for the workshop you wish to attend through their website: http://resources.calstrs.com/workshop_registration/index.aspx.

and get your message hand delivered to

37,000educators!

For more information, contact: Brian Bullen, Dir. of Advertising

Senders Communications Group

(818) 884-8966, ext. 1108 | [email protected]

Advertise in

Would you like to lead Professional Development for your colleagues? Do you need more salary points? Are you an NBC teacher who would like to share your expertise and earn hours?

Come Join Us and

Learn How to Write a Salary Point Course

Proposal

*Allworkshopsareheldfrom4:00-6:00PM

@theUTLABuilding

3303WilshireBlvd.LosAngeles,CA90010

Remainingdatesforthe2018/2019schoolyear:

Thurs.November1st Thurs.January17th Thurs.February28th Thurs.April4th

Ifyouhavequestionscontact:IngridGunnellat:213-241-5486orbyemail:[email protected]


23

U N I T E D T E A C H E R

GRAPEVINEFree salary point class on advanced story telling and filmmaking

“Advanced Story Telling and Film-making: Focus on Cinematography and Editing” will provide teachers with tools and resources to conduct primary source lessons using text analysis questions that are modeled after the ELA SBAC. It will also provide lessons for narrative writing and adapting stories based on historical events into scripts. In addition, participants will get in-depth instruction on the use of cinematography and editing techniques to increase the dramatic effect in film-making. The class is for all grade levels, all subject and content areas. One salary point available with successful completion of the course. The instructors are LAUSD teachers Selena Stewart and Linda Guthrie. Location: Thomas Starr King Middle School (4201 Fountain Ave.). Registration deadline: January 20, 2019. Dates: January 26 (9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.), February 23 (9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.), and March 14 (3:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.). To reg-ister, email [email protected] with your full name, employee number, and contact email.

Evenings for Educators at LACMA on self-taught American artists

For more than 30 years LACMA’s Eve-nings for Educators program has provided K-12 teachers with opportunities to talk about, discover, and create works of art. On December 4, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., the program will explore the special exhibition “Outliers and American Vanguard Art” on self-taught artists—often referred to as out-sider, visionary, or folk artists—who have made important contributions to the field of American art. These artists defied soci-etal limitations and continue to expand our understanding of American history, art, and culture. Teachers enjoy complimentary parking and dinner as well as a thematic curriculum packet containing discussions of individual artworks, image reproduc-tions, and lesson plans. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 when purchased the day of the event. For more information and to register, please visit www.lacma.

org/evenings-for-educators. If you have additional questions, please call 323-857-6093 or email [email protected].

Free salary point class for K-2 Target Language teachers

Free registration online at LAUSD’s My PLN is now open for the salary-point class “Language Development and Balanced Literacy in the K-2 Target Language Class-room.” The course aims to enrich your teacher repertoire with research-based, easily implementable strategies to support and scaffold your students’ language and literacy development through the different components of Balanced Literacy. Class dates and times: Saturdays, November 10 and 17, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Room 7, Mi-cheltorena St. Elementary. Parking avail-able. Questions? Email [email protected]. Please bring your computer for make-and-take sessions.

Support for Computer Science Teachers

MfA Los Angeles is accepting applica-tions for a five-year Master Teacher Fellow-ship in Computer Science. Benefits include an annual stipend of $10,000, cutting-edge professional development geared toward computer science (CS) teachers, support to attend conferences, and more. Candidates must apply with a partner at their school site and be teaching CS or math (with an interest in teaching CS) for grades 7—12 in a high-need public school in the greater Los Angeles area. Master’s degree required (in CS, other STEM field, or education). Please visit www.mfala.org/mtcs.html for more information.

Teach in Japan program looking for experienced educators

Teach in Japan at a public high school, August 1, 2019, to July 31, 2021. Sister City program seeks an experienced teacher in ELD, ELA, or foreign language at the sec-ondary level. Flexibility, cross-cultural sensi-tivity, and a two-year commitment required. Return rights to district. Visit http://tinyurl.com/teach-japan or call Joan at 323-290-2175 (early evenings only, please). Email to [email protected].

Salary point class on “Cars and Stars”

Earn salary points and expand your knowledge of local history by enrolling in “Cars and Stars: LA’s Transformation into a Metropolis.” The class will take a walking tour of LA’s Union Station and visit the Pe-tersen Automotive Museum and the Paley Center for Media. This district-approved class is open to all K-12 educators and is worth two salary points. It will also expose par-ticipants to exciting resources and Common Core-based strategies that can supplement their teaching. Class will meet at Francis Polytechnic HS on November 3, 10, and 17, and December 1. From there, participants will commute to the three locations (one each class day, except for December). The course fee is $175 for two units, preregistered ($185

on the first day), which includes breakfast, materials, and museum admissions. Enroll-ments will be accepted until November 3 (if the cap is not reached, late enrollments may be accepted until November 10). For further information, visit www.en4ed.com, call/text Larry Carstens at 818-645-4259, or email [email protected].

STEAM professional development classes

Encouraging student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math-ematics (STEAM) is becoming more and more important, which is why Educa-tion4Equity has created four courses to advance STEAM education for LAUSD teachers. All four courses can be found at www.education4equity.com/steam and provide training to help teachers improve their knowledge, understanding, and ability to promote STEAM education in the classroom. If this is your first time taking a professional development class with Education4Equity, call 510-470-1154 and ask for the special “first timer” discount.

Salary point class on cultural competency

“Cultural Competency” is an interactive seminar on cultural diversity, family history, media and societal impacts, and effective communications. The salary point workshop covers the important role your own culture plays in day-to-day interactions and includes interactive exercises in which participants review various issues from a variety of viewpoints. The next session for “Cultural Competency” is December 2 (Sunday) and December 8 (Saturday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee is $95. Location: 8339 W. Third Street, L.A., CA 90048. One multicultural salary point available. For more information or to register, call Kari Bower at 323-653-3332 or email [email protected].

SCHOOL Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Training online and in-person courses

Learn the classroom-proven calming methods of SCHOOL Kids Yoga and Mind-fulness specifically designed for public school students and teachers. Kelly Wood,

expert kids yoga teacher, has taught weekly in LAUSD for more than 16 years. Upon completion of the training, educators gain tools of simple movement and inclusive language for improved physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being for stu-dents and themselves. The course reaches all Pre-K-5 ages (modifications for second-ary students). No prior yoga experience is required. SCHOOL Kids Yoga & Mindful-ness techniques meet Common Core Stan-dards and enhance academic achievement, listening, focus, and harmony in students. One salary point. Register by emailing Kelly Wood at [email protected]. View details on the website https:// school-yoga.org/training. Scholarships available.

Free professional development at the Museum of Tolerance

The Museum of Tolerance is offering grant-funded professional development programs for teachers. Educators can sign up for Tools for Tolerance for Educators, an interactive, experiential program de-signed to advance anti-bias education and the creation of inclusive and equitable schools. Programs take place in the immer-sive learning environment of the Museum of Tolerance and are offered in one- or two-day formats. Programs include:

• Experiencing the Museum of Toler-ance as a laboratory for human behavior.

• Hearing personal testimonies from witnesses to history.

• Engaging in facilitated discussions around issues that matter.

• Participating in customized work-shops led by expert consultants, cover-ing topics that may include promoting a positive campus climate; Common Core through a social justice lens; teaching the Holocaust; media literacy; bullying pre-vention; restorative justice; and more.

• Lunch and resource materials. Individuals may register for special

open enrollment institutes. Groups of 30 participants or more may register for a customized program. All pre-K to 12th-grade educators welcome. Some programs qualify for LAUSD salary point credit.

Register now at www.museumoftoler-ance.com/FreePD.

f

Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

Specializations: • PreK-12 • Post-Secondary

Program Features: • 3-Year Accelerated Program • Evening Courses • Cohort Model • Rigorous, Inclusive and Personalized • Research-Based • Exceptional Student Support

For more information, please visit: https://www.calstatela.edu/edd (323) 343-6164

Accepting Applications for FALL 2019

Early Review Priority Deadline: Dec. 31st

Have an item for the Grapevine?

Grapevine collects information on workshops, special offers, edu-cation websites, grants, and other items of interest to our members. Listings are printed on a space-available basis and need to arrive at least two weeks before the UNITED TEACHER publication date. Appearance in the UT does not imply endorsement by UTLA.

Mail: Grapevine 3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90010

Email: [email protected]

Fax: 213-487-3319

Terms & Conditions1Offer available to current school employees only. Restrictions apply. $100 offer applies to NEW checking accounts for NEW members only, who enroll in Digital Banking and establish a recurring Direct Deposit with a minimum of $500 per month. Recurring Direct Deposit must be a Direct Deposit or Payroll Deposit from a school or district. Limit one (1) bonus per member. Direct Deposit must be established within 120 days of membership opening to qualify for bonus. Three (3) months of recurring Direct Deposits must be credited to the account before qualifying for the bonus. The bonus will be added to the checking account within 8-12 weeks from the qualifying date and will be reported as income. Refer to the current rate sheet for regular dividends to be paid on eligible balances. The bonus is not included in the calculations of regular dividends and is not recurring. The bonus will be forfeited by the member if the account does not remain open for a minimum of 6 months. This offer is subject to change without notice. Offer valid through December 31, 2018. 2$2 monthly paper statement fee waived with eStatements, or direct deposit ($500+/mo. minimum into checking that receives the direct deposit), OR if under age 18 or 65+. 3With enrollment in Overdraft Protection. 4Balances over $10,000 will earn dividends. See current rates, terms and conditions online. Federally insured by NCUA. © 2018 California Credit Union.

Educators, get $100 when you become a member & open a checking account with direct deposit1

Educator Checking

No monthly statement fee with eStatements2, no minimum deposit

Overdraft Protection3 available

Mobile Banking with mobile deposit and bill pay

Earn dividends, minimums apply4

Apply online today at ccu.com/apply

award-winning newspaper of united teachers los angeles • … · 2020-01-06 · beutner hired to...

Documents