your voice, your vote

8/12/2019 Your Voice, Your Vote

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YOUR UNION YOUR VOICE

Voter Guide2014 UTLA Presidential Election


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If a leader cannot give it all

he cannot expect his people

to give anything.

Cesar Chavez, Labor Leader


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Contents

Why a Union Voter Guide? 3

How We Engaged the Candidates 4

When to Vote 5

How to Vote 6

UTLA Structure 7

Offices to Be Elected 8

Duties of the UTLA President 9

UTLA Presidential Candidates at a Glance 11

Survey Questions 13

How to Run 29


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3 YOUR UNIONYOUR VOICE

Why a Union Voter Guide?

Union voter turnout has historically been low less than 15 percent of members vote

in some elections. Our unions were designed to be deeply democratic institutions,

to ensure full representation of their diverse membership. Ultimately, what will makefor a strong and representative teachers union is the ability to meet the current and

future needs of its members, most of whom care deeply about the fate of our students,

our schools and our profession. But our unions cant vote for you. Members must be

informed, empowered and represented participants. After all, a democracys greatest

strength is its ability to represent the will of the people. Whether its the will of 15 percent

of the members or the will of the vast majority depends on what you do with your right

and responsibility to vote.

This voter guide is your opportunity to learn more about the candidates, think deeply

about your decision and make your vote and voices heard. We also hope UTLA members

will feel inspired to run in future elections by the stirrings of democracy, civic duty and

leadership that inspire many of us to teach young people in the first place.


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YOUR UNIONYOU

How We Engaged the Candidates

The questions contained in this voter guide reflect education policy issues being debated

locally and nationally and were developed with input from teachers who are union leaders,

grade level and department chairs, school site representatives, and National Board

Certified Teachers.

All presidential candidates who provided contact information to the UTLA Election

Committee received the candidate survey by email and were given at least two weeks to

respond. Candidates who made contact with Educators 4 Excellence after the printing

deadline are included as an addendum. The remaining candidates received the survey and

were also afforded sufficient time to respond. Their responses appear within this guide.

All presidential candidates were informed that they had a limit of 100 words to respondto each question. To ensure fairness, any responses exceeding the word limit were cut at

exactly the 100th word. Candidates who did not submit responses are noted accordingly.

All responses in this guide are printed exactly as written by the candidates, without edits

for content or clarity. The responses submitted solely reflect the opinions of each individual

candidate and not of Educators 4 Excellence. Educators 4 Excellence transmits the

responses without any knowledge, actual or constructive, regarding their truthfulness.

All presidential candidates were invited to a presidential forum hosted on March 4, 2014, by

Educators 4 Excellence.


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When to Vote

7

18

1614

20

29

25

7

FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY

Deadline to callfor replacement

ballot

First-round

resultspublished in

UNITED

TEACHER

Second-round

resultspublished in

UNITED

TEACHER

Very rarely, a third round

of ballots will be required.

For those dates, please

go to utla.net/system/files/

UTLA_Election_Timeline_

2013REVBOD121813.pdf

Election issue

of UNITED

TEACHER

published

Deadline for

first-round

ballots to bereceived at

Post Office box

listed on ballot

Deadline for

second-round

ballots to bereceived at

Post Office box

listed on ballot

First-roundballots mailed

to membership

Second-roundballots mailed

to membership
http://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/UTLA_Election_Timeline_2013REVBOD121813.pdf


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YOUR UNIONYOU

How to Vote

1

2

3

4

5

Make sure your address is accurate!Your ballot will be mailed to your home address on file with

the union, so make sure UTLA has your correct mailing address. Update your information online atutla.net/memberupdateor by calling (213) 487-5560.

Learn about the candidates!Use this voter guide as a start, but you can also reach out to candidates

with specific questions on their platforms or read their statements in the Special Election issue of UNITED

TEACHER, published February 14. You can find this online at utla.net/unitedteacher.

Submit your ballot!Ballots must bereceived at the Post Office box listed on ballotby March 20, so be

sure to put your ballot in the mail at least three to four days prior.

Learn more about a new initiative to improve voter turnout by shifting from mail ballots to electronic

ballots. Contact your chapter chair or visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/utlaonlinevotingto

learn more about this new effort.

Look for your ballot!The deadline to call for a replacement is March 7, so if you have not received one

at your home address three to four days prior call (213) 487-5560 to get a replacement.

All too often voices and votes arent heard because of mail snafus. Here are a few ways to make sure your ballot and vo

are counted in the upcoming election.
http://www.utla.net/memberupdatehttp://utla.net/unitedteacherhttp://www.facebook.com/utlaonlinevotinghttp://www.facebook.com/utlaonlinevotinghttp://utla.net/unitedteacherhttp://www.utla.net/memberupdate


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UTLA StructureBelow is a visual representation of the governing structure of UTLA, as outlined in the UTLA constitution.

HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES

350 members / 2-year termDUTIES

Create and vote on policies that impact contracts,

union stances and rules of governance

SUBCOMMITTEES

32 subject-specific groups that write resolutions

that may become union policy

CHAPTER CHAIRSAt least one per school / 1-year term

DUTIESImplement and enforce policies set by governing bodies

OVERSEESand can veto

EXECUTIVE OFFICERSSeven members / 3-year term

DUTIESExecute and share policy with UTLA

membership and the public

RECOMMENDSbut cannot mandate

BOARD OF DIRECTORS50 members / 3-year term

DUTIESRecommend policy to the House

of Representatives

RECOMMENDSbut cannot mandate

Area-specific Subject-specific


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11/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

It is so easy to break down and

destroy. The heroes are those

who make peace and build.

Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa


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11 YOUR UNIONYOUR VOICE YO

UTLA Presidential Candidates at a Glance

NAMECandidates are listed in ballot order,as determined at theJanuary 22 Candidate Orientation andfound online at utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf

Position Race/Ethnicity GenderYears

Teaching

National

Board

Certified

Previous Union

Leadership Positions

David R. GarciaRIFed High School Teacher with

a clear credential

Mexican

American /ChicanoM None

Gregg SolkovitsLAUSD Social Studies

and English TeacherWhite/Caucasian M

UTLA Secondary VP; Valley West Area Chair

9 yrs; UTLA BOD member 27 yrs; Chapter

Chair 15 yrs; Chapter Co-Chair 2 yrs

Bill Gaffney C ur re nt t ea ch er W hi te /C au ca si an M

School-Site Chapter Chair 8 years; House of

RepresentativesMember;AreaRepresentativePACE; Member of House Rules Committee;

Area Steering Committee Member

Saul The Fighter Lankster Current teacherBlack/

African-AmericanM

As a write-in candidate,I was elected

Chapter Chair at Gardena High Schooland re-elected three times with

75 percent of the vote.

Marcos Ortega II C urr en t t ea ch er N at iv e A me ri ca n M House of Representatives; as a TA,helpedform local 99; junior senator in high school

Innocent O. Osunwa Current teacherBlack/

African-AmericanM None

Warren Fletcher* n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Leonard Segal Current substituteWhite/Caucasian

LatinoM

3 yrs Subst Comm Chair; 9 yrs BOD; 9 yrsChapter Chair; 3 yrs PACE Rep; 9 yrs NEA

RA Rep; 6 yrs NEA Subst Caucus Chair

Kevin MottusCurrent counselor/school

psychiatrist/social workerWhite/Caucasian M

Very active HHS committee member

and Violence Prevention and SchoolSafety committee

Alex Caputo-Pearl C ur re nt t ea ch er W hi te /C au ca si an M

UTLA positions:Chapter Chair 11 yrs;W Area BOD 6 yrs; Facilitator, Strat

Planning Comm; Educator Supp & DevTask Force; Charter School Task Force;

Electronic Voting Task Force

Does the union need to work to improve

its relationship with district leadership?

Do you support the Common

Core State Standards?

Do you support ending

willful defiance?

Should LCFF dollars be

spent locally or centrally?

Do you support

differentiated

compensation?

Do yo

proce

YES YES YES LOCALLY YES

YES YES NO LOCALLY YES


YES YES NO LOCALLY YES

YES NO NO LOCALLY YES

NO YES NO LOCALLY NO

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a


YES NO NO LOCALLY NO

NO NO YES CENTRALLY YES

14

14

21

28

30

21

33

22

18

*This candidate received the survey but did not submit responses until after the deadline. Therefore, his responses are reflected in the addendum.
http://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf


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Bill GaffneyOur Union is at a cross roads and I cannot

back and watch our influence deteriorate.

current officers struggle to accomplish any

for us.As a Chapter Chair and House of

Representatives member for the past se

years, I have witnessed firsthand their

failure to collaborate to meet our needs

have no plan of action to negotiate bette

pay and benefits, develop and impleme

a comprehensive vision for teaching and

learning, and address fast moving chan

in education.It is time for a new leadersh

that is dedicated to meeting the needs of i

members and students.

David R. GarciaThe United States is wasting resources

sending American children to fight in foreign

occupation of third world countries, while

our public schools, libraries and American

infrastructure are literally falling apart.

Endless war and illegal occupation of some

of the poorest countries in the world will

continue until WE have the courage to say

something!!

And dont think this doesnt involve inner

city schoolchildren, because it does! Military

recruitment doesnt happen in San Marino, Bel

Aire, or Beverly HillsInner childrenend up

paying the ultimate price for American foreign

occupation while schools go without librarians,

Nurses and Social Workers

Gregg SolkovitsI am running because I have spent 33 years of

my life building UTLA, the single organization

that has consistently stood up for our schools

in my professional lifetime. It has deteriorated

into an organization where factions fight each

other, and the union has become less able to

fight for the things that students, teachers/

HHS professionals need. My experience/

proven track record in organizing schools/

supporting local school reform efforts, and my

ability to help those with divergent views reach

consensus, make me the one candidate for

president who can make UTLA the powerful

force our schools need.

What inspired you to run for union president?

Q1 Deciding to Run

The opinions expressed herein solely reflect those of the individual candidates and not of Educators 4 Excellence. Candidates are listed inballot order, as determined at the January 22 Candidate Orientation and found online at utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf.
http://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf


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YOUR UNIONYOUR

Saul The Fighter LanksterI am running for President of UTLA because

there is a quiet war against teachers and against

public education. It is undeclared, but it is very

real. I am running because as UTLA President,

I Saul The Fighter Lankster, can lead

teachers to winning this war and provide quality

education for every child in the district. I intend

to do this by restoring a sense of self-respectand value to teachers. I did it as President of the

Police Union in Compton; and I will do it again. I

will fight for teachers and we will win this war.

Alex Caputo-PearlUTLA can be a vehicle for winning excellen

learning and teaching conditions, and resp

treatment of educators. Yet, UTLA has bee

passive, with weak public relations, and wi

insufficient attention to building grassroots

power. We need to change UTLA, through

a contract/community campaign for quality

schools, and through re-orienting towards

organizing, parent/community coalition-bu

pro-active public relations, and strategic

research. Im with the Union Power team, wbrings experience and networks to lead UT

collaboratively. As a 25-year labor/commu

organizer, an award-winning teacher with a

MA in Urban Planning, and a parent of cur

LAUSD students, I can lead this effort.

Kevin MottusIt is time for a change. It is time for a President

who cares.

Everyone within UTLA knows it is time for

a change with so many candidates running

against our current president and his officers

organizing in a slate against him. Clearly our

current President has lost the support of the

officers and organization he must lead. We

are taking whatever the district gives us rather

than being part of the educational solution.

Educational practices are being forced uponusing a top down approach that has proven to

produce poor results in any organization that

has used it.

Leonard SegalI have gone to almost every Union meeting

for over 10 years. I know who knows what

they are talking about, who knows how to do

the job and the problems that have and can

happen when the wrong people get elected.

I will share my knowledge in my candidate

statement in the election issue of the United

Teacher. Running for president also gives me a

platform to share my vision of how to transform

education.You may read the rest of the story at

www.unitededucators.org.

Marcos Ortega IIIn life, we tend to think, we choose things, the

reality, is, they pick us. Me running for UTLA

president, seems like a surreal dream, yet, I

am a candidate for UTLA president. One of

my greatest joys is teaching, while at North

Hollywood High, I was under a competent and

able administrator Mr. Martinez, life was sweet,

then he retired, I moved to Van Nuys, thereI was afforded an opportunity to work with

Dr. Vanderbok, a superb principal that ranks

up there with Mr. Robert Collins, Mr. Collins

was instrumental in me becoming a teacher.

Unfortunately, I was

Innocent O. OsunwaI am aware of district issues, administrative

issues, UTLA issues and what members ha

to endure. We need to root out the evil in th

system and assure that all stakeholders ab

by the law and our contract when dealing

with one another. Enough is enough! As a

educator who has worked at the university

high school, adult school, and middle schoand as a lawyer, I have what it takes to lead

UTLA, and I am inspired by the drive to ma

change for a better and happy LAUSD, un

and all community stakeholders.
http://www.unitededucators.org/http://www.unitededucators.org/


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If you were to win this election, what would be the first three priorities you would take on as president?

Q2

Bill Gaffney1. Raises: We have not had a raise in ove

six years.Weve given back 8%in furlou

pay and have lost out on 12%in cost of

increases.

2. Transparency:The union wont work u

all members are engaged. I will build a UT

leadership performance framework so me

can track what their dues are doing for th

3. Build bridges:I will work to re-establis

UTLAs influence through developing outcbased joint initiatives with the district and

community-based organizations. This is c

so we can reclaim our powerful voice in w

we do best: educating our students.

David R. GarciaThe current UTLA administration is full

of manipulative individuals who posture

themselves as caring but none of these

individuals has any intention of defending the

rights of teachers or our public school children!

UTLA administration takes your monthly

dues, but dont expect any advocacy for our

profession or the communities we serve.

UTLA can experience a renaissance in its

governance by representing its teachers and

the public with the integrity they deserve.Heres how: 1. Publically condemn U.S. Foreign

Occupation and demand funding for ALL public

schools; 2. Renegotiate/LOWER ALL UTLA

employee salaries; 3. Re-structure UTLA.

Gregg Solkovits1) I would make sure that UTLA has a well

trained and supported chapter chair at every

school site, so that we can bargain pay raises,

reduced class size and full staffing with

strength; 2) I would, along with the other

officers/area chairs, sit down with leaders of a

variety of community organizations across the

city and begin a real and authentic dialogue;

3) appoint a committee representing UTLA

members from ALL factions of the union to

restructure the UTLA Constitution, a documentthat is not meeting the needs of UTLA today.

Top Three Priorities

The opinions expressed herein solely reflect those of the individual candidates and not of Educators 4 Excellence. Candidates are listed inballot order, as determined at the January 22 Candidate Orientation and found online at utla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf.


16/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Saul The Fighter Lankster1) As UTLA president,I will get rid of our

current lawyers, then provide you top-notch

legal representation when anyone threatens to

deny due process to members with allegations

affecting their job, guaranteed.No more

Teacher Jails.

2) I will win a pay raise much like the one I

negotiated for the Compton Police Officerswhich made us the second highest paid

department in the country.

3) I willget a moratorium on Charter Schools

expansion which is designed to destroy public

education in Los Angeles.

Alex Caputo-Pearl

a) Immediate public relations and organizcampaign in support of a significant raise

reduced class size and case loads, an en

to teacher jail, evaluations in a climate

of collaboration not intimidation, nutritiou

Breakfast in the Cafeteria not unhealthy

Breakfast in the Classroom, and restorat

HHS, Adult/Early Ed, and arts/music/PE

c) Member engagement to identify furthe

priorities for the Schools LA Students D

contract/community campaign includin

control over professional development/simprovement, more supplies, a stop to s

destabilizations, challenging abusive cha

and more. c) Immediate re-orienting of U

towards organizing, pro-active public rela

coalition-building, and strategic research

Kevin Mottus

I will restore our PPO coverage to our medicalplan and bring UCLA and Cedars back into

our Blue Cross HMO. I will also fight to have

disability insurance coverage included as

part of our union dues. I will warn and act to

protect our teachers and students from the

harmful microwave RadioFrequency Radiation

being emitted from the WiFi and Ipads in the

new wireless classrooms. The World Health

Organization has classified the microwaves

used by all wireless devices and infrastructure

as a Class 2B Carcinogen. Saferemr.combyUC Berkeley, bioinitiative.org, safeschool.ca

for more information regarding health effects

from wireless.

Leonard Segal

My first priority would be to lower class sizeand get more local control for the budget and

curriculum at school sites.

Id work with the business community to teach

the skills required for our graduates to get

hired in high paying local jobs, and develop

entrepreneurial projects developing products

and services while teaching the standards and

licensing the results like Universities do but

splitting the revenue with all stakeholders.

Id stress voting ed as a classroom and

school-wide culture reaching into the

community to get more voting participation

which would win full funding of education and

other community services.

Innocent O. Osunwaa. I will clean the up the mess in the hous

within UTLA and LAUSD. I will provide su

forums for members to be informed of th

rights and protections under the contract

well as the limitations of the district and i

administrators.

b. I will move for a contract re-negotiatio

der to secure adequate protection for meincluding, but not limited to preserving th

ent tenure system, returning displaced te

reforming and/or eliminating the teache

holding administrators accountable for a

use of authority, and fighting bad policies

undermine students success.

Marcos Ortega IIFirst, I would negotiate a fair and equitable

contract that includes no less than a 22% raise

over three years. Make sure the district adheres

to the contract, hold LAUSD accountable.

Second, change the publics perception of

teachers. Teachers, are being vilified and

crucified in the media, for the actions of a few.

Teacher can do this by instilling clarity andtransparency. Even though my colleagues, dont

agree, this and many other problems would

be resolved by, putting cameras in the class

rooms. Why, shouldnt, parents be able to see

what their child is doing in his class? I assure
http://saferemr.com/http://bioinitiative.org/http://safeschool.ca/http://safeschool.ca/http://bioinitiative.org/http://saferemr.com/


17/34

Bill GaffneyAbsolutely. We are a union of profession

but under current leadership, teachers

become objectsof reform rather thana

tectsof it. It is time for us to reclaim our r

the educators entrusted to deliver the pro

of public education for the students of Los

Angeles. I will work to re-establish our infl

As highlighted through the study, Reform

Public School Systems Through Sustaine

Union-Management Collaboration (Cente

American Progress), nationally unions thainstitutionalizeda long-term collaborative

nership with its district have established b

working conditions and pay for its membe

while accelerating student achievement.

YE

S


Too often, the union is painted in the media as simply an adversary to the district.

Although there are steps both sides can take, as a candidate for the unions highest

office, do you think the union has an obligation to work to improve its relationshipwith district leadership?

If yes, what would you do to proactively improve this relationship?

If no, why not?

Q3

David R. GarciaUnited Teachers Los Angeles bares the

responsibility of defending the rights of teachers

and our public school children. LAUSD and

UTLA have, together ignored the needs of

our inner city public school children, to the

detriment of both organizations.

Once I am elected President of UTLA, I will

fight to defend our public school children from

disproportionate recruitment into the Armed

Forces, and ensure that realistic alternativesare in place to afford students options in their

futures which benefit our city locally and ensure

safety, purpose, and well being.

YE

S

NO

Gregg SolkovitsIf the district is willing to work collaboratively

with UTLA, UTLA will work collaboratively with

the district under my leadership. This means

regular meetings with the Superintendent of

Schools, and regular meetings between the

Superintendents cabinet and our officers/

area chairs, so that we can work out problems,

discuss ideas for improving education, and

model the collaboration that we need principals

and chapter chairs to practice at our school

sites. I would push the district funding for

training EVERY school council in making

decisions by consensus. Research shows that

schools in which adults work collaboratively

perform better.

YE

S

NO

Union-District Collaboration

The opinions expressed herein solely reflect those of the individual candidates and not of Educators 4 Excellence.Candidates are listed in ballot order, as determined at the January 22 Candidate Orientation and found online atutla.net/system/files/ListCandidatesFeb11.pdf.

97.5%

of E4E teachers vot

issue as import

or critical

Based on survey to selectteacher-leaders representinleadership roles within theirdistrict (41 respondents). EdExcellence,E4E-LA LeadeDecember 2013.


18/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Alex Caputo-PearlUTLA needs a relationship with LAUSD, an

the UTLA president should regularly meet w

the superintendent. These must happen fr

a position of UTLAs strength built throug

organizing around a contract/community

campaign for quality schools. The interests

of the LAUSD bureaucracy often conflict w

those of students and educators. For exam

at Crenshaw High, we built a nationally-rec

nized, educator-, youth-, and community-le

improvement model that was showing resu

The superintendent aggressively attacked model, and the unionists leading it, becaus

threatened his political priorities. We shou

constantly engage LAUSD as productively

possible but with strength, and no illusion

YES

Saul The Fighter LanksterI will challenge the district to cease fire in its

war against teachers that is being orchestrated

by Superintendent Deasy on behalf of his

former boss Bill Gates. I will challenge the

district leadership to co-sponsor town hall

meetings with UTLA in a joint attempt to save

public education and stop the charter school

take over.

YES

NO

Leonard SegalImproving relations with district leadership is

important but a minor part of the problem. All

District administrators and Union educators

what to see successful schools. LAUSD is one

of the largest business and economic engines

in LA County. The problem stems from the

opposing view of the educational employees

who view education as a process that develops

and empowers human beings versus very

powerful corporate interests and pressures

that look at education from a mechanistic,business oriented profit model. I think we need

to educate and improve relationships with those

powerful business interests.

YES

NO Kevin Mottus

I would insist on weekly meeting with the

Superintendent to discuss issues and work

through problems. I would reopen contract

negotiations and hire professional negotiators

to achieve a long overdue cost of living salary

increase retroactive to our last increase. I would

improve our health benefits by reinstating our

PPO coverage. I would insist that the district

redirect its wireless classroom program to a

safe and healthy wired program of internet

access to protect the health of all of ourstudents and teachers.

YES

NO

Marcos Ortega IIMost definitely, the union has an obligation

and a responsibly to get the most benefits for

its members and defend them, this cannot be

accomplished unless there is collaboration with

LAUSD. So it should be the job of the president

to be a mediator and find solutions that benefit

both parties. We must stretch out the olive

branch and work together for the benefit of ourcustomers, students. We shouldnt see LAUSD

as an enemy, but as a mother that wants her

children to grow up strong. We have one

unifying theme and thats childrens education,

together we can accomplish

YES

NO Innocent O. Osunwa

The media impression is out of touch with

the reality and not in furtherance of academ

excellence. UTLA owes no allegiance to th

media and must serve UTLAs lawful purpo

regardless of what the media impression is

the contrary, if the district leadership come

with unclean hands, UTLA has a duty to pr

its members.

YES


19/34


The Common Core State Standards were adopted in California in 2010, and yet many

teachers feel under-prepared and under-resourced for this transition.

Do you support the Common Core State Standards?

What role, if any, should the union take in the transition to Common Core?

Q4

Bill GaffneyYes, I support CCSS. It is essential that a

nation we can hold stakeholders account

for ensuring that all students are equippe

with 21st century skills no matter where t

live. UTLA is a professional union and it is

our responsibility to develop joint initiative

that support all teachers during the trans

process. However, both district and union

leaders have failed to develop an effectiv

system to scale the talent of their greates

resource: accomplished educators in the

LAUSD. I will work to build out a dynam

and evolving database of teacher-gene

lessons and resources right away.

YESDavid R. Garcia

As your acting president, I will focus on

supporting the enforcement and implementation

of all state mandates required of educators in

our profession. I support the new common core

curriculum, as required by California law, just

as I will uphold and support ALL state required

mandates.

I will consider it MY civic duty to report

suspected criminal activity to the appropriate

law enforcement agencies and punish those

who fail to meet the LAUSD high standards ofconduct, which includes LAUSD leadership

and its Superintendent. If you do something

wrong, like NOTreporting suspected child

abusers, you will be fired.

YES

NO Gregg Solkovits

But NOT the way that our district has rolled it

out. Like other district initiatives, the district

has rolled out Common Core in a top down,

unilateral manner, without UTLAs input. In

other California districts, unions and districts are

working together at a deliberate pace to insure

that ALL stakeholders understand Common

Core. In the LAUSD, implementation is being

rushed, as if to say we are the first in California

to do it! whether or not it was done well. This

MUST stop -- the district must look to its

teachers, and UTLA, as educational partners

and experts, NOT vassals.

YES

NO

Common Core


87.8%

of E4E teachers votissue as import

or critical



20/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Innocent O. OsunwaUTLA should assure teachers well prepare

and adequately equipped with the necessa

information, tools, and materials needed fo

transition. Furthermore, UTLA should work

getting LAUSD to lower class sizes and ho

all stakeholders, including students accou

for the standards, not just teachers.

Alex Caputo-Pearl

Union Power supports the goals of CCSS make curriculum and instruction more criti

thinking-rich for our students. However, CC

is fatally flawed when it is implemented wit

adequate support and tied to high-stakes

standardized testing. UTLA must aggressiv

organize against high-stakes testing, espe

cially when tied to evaluations. UTLA need

to demand, as part of a contract/communi

campaign, more educator control over pro

sional development and school improveme

As we support members to shape professdevelopment and school improvement, thi

re-asserts our expert role in schools and

us leverage to demand more resources, an

adequate preparation time, for both.

YES

Saul The Fighter LanksterI have used Common Core Standards in my

classroom; but I reserve judgment on the

imposition of an assessment system that is yet

to be defined, implemented and/or validated.

No implementation of Common Core Standards

will be successful without systemic Professional

Development for teachers and that ought to

include protected time during the school dayfor this effort. Instead of investing on electronic

devices, money should be invested in creating

protected time opportunities for teachers

to grow professionally. Most industrialized

countries that have high measures of student

academic achievement have invested in their

teachers first.

YES

NO

Leonard Segal

The Union should work with business and othercommunity organizations to teach life and job

skills and integrate the standards into those

lesson plans. Math should never be taught as

disembodied numbers. Math describes the

world. Warren Buffett, one of the richest men

in the world, bought his first stock when he was

in elementary school. Most of the students in

LAUSD come from poor homes. An example of

how to make school fun and relevant is teaching

students how to use math and other skills to

do extreme couponing which would save their

families thousands of dollars.

YES

NO Kevin Mottus

The consensus from teachers is that CommonCore represents a dumbing down of the

curriculum, which can be expected when you

use a program which has a goal of making

instruction uniform. This kind of system

naturally seeks to serve the average rather than

the excellent. In our new economy, we need

a focus on achieving real excellence utilizing

higher learning which emphasizes concept

formation, ingenuity, problem solving and team

work. The reality is that if students of the future

are going to have a satisfying and well paying

job they are probably going to have to create

it themselves.

YES

NO

YESMarcos Ortega II

What, I think, about common core is not

important, what is important is the district has

adopted it, thus we must implement it. So

our likes dont matter the ones that matter

are children. We wouldnt be trying Common

Core, if what we had in place was working.

So, as president, would request training and

work close with the experts, so we can meetthe challenges of the future. The Union should

never resist and be part of the solution. We

must embrace change and expect it to benefit

our students, ones tested we can determine

whether it was beneficial

YES

NO


21/34


Currently, teachers accused of misconduct are housed in alternate locations

with no teaching assignment and full pay.

Do you support reforming this process?

If yes, describe one significant change youd like to see in this process. If no,

why not?

Q5

Bill Gaffney

We must reform the time it takes to reaa just decisionfor the innocent and guilt

The issue has turned into a blame game

that is blurring the image of the vast majo

of educators who work relentlessly to pro

students a quality education within a safe

environment. The process is broken, but

dependent upon reforming outdated edu

codes. As President, I would reach out to

elected representatives directly, rather tha

solely relying on state-affiliate leaders, to

LAUSD leaders representing stakeholder

table to develop a collective vision to refo

this process.

YESDavid R. Garcia

Receiving full-pay while an investigation ofimpropriety is taking place needs to be re-

examined and dealt with in a timely manner.

Once elected, I will ensure accusations of

inappropriate conduct, sexual harassment, or

any other behavior not found to represent the

values of the Los Angeles School District would

face an immediate and swift condemnation!

No one will be exoneratedfor inappropriate

conduct such as sexually harassing co-

workers in a ranch in Kern county, suggesting

subordinates read explicit magazines orpornographic materials; falsifying professional

credentials, titles, doctoral work; or failing to

comply with mandated reporting to appropriate

law enforcement agencies.

YES

NO Gregg Solkovits

Dismissal laws should be changed, to shortenthe time needed to investigate, BUT due

process is a Constitutional Right and should

remain. The Buchanan bill passed last year was

so good, but it was vetoed. The Miramonte/

Telfair scandals were the result of LAUSD NOT

following its own protocols. Some wrongly

seize on these rare/horrible cases as a pretense

to strip educators of their constitutional rights.

LAUSD needs to follow its policies, investigate

accusations, and if the investigation turns up

evidence, then prosecute/fire perpetrators.

Those who are cleared by the police/DA, belong

back in the classroom.

YES

NO

Housed Teachers


85.36%

of E4E teachers vot

issue as import

or critical



22/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Innocent O. OsunwaI would like to see timely and thorough

investigation of each and every allegation

against each and every concerned individu

and I will work hard to see that justice prev

I will also like to see a limit placed on the

amount of time a teacher will be housed or

benefits without a hearing, and if no hearin

is conducted within that period, the chargeshould be dropped and the teacher returne

to his or her former position or similar posi

under the circumstances and free from any

of hostility at the location returned.

Alex Caputo-Pearl

Fighting for student safety and educators process must happen simultaneously. The

tricts current mass housed teacher strat

is a cynical attack on the profession and u

creating a climate of fear and draining unio

resources. UTLA must aggressively and pu

fight this while simultaneously taking the

on ensuring student safety and supporting

ucators professional conduct. Coalitions m

be built with communities organizing again

unjust teacher removals that have led to sc

destabilization. Coalitions must be built witopinion leaders who support professional c

duct and student safety, and who also dee

question LAUSDs motives with its housed

teacher strategy.

YES

Saul The Fighter LanksterI marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

andBull Connors Birmingham jailwas no

match for him. As UTLA President,I will close

John Deasys Teacher Jails. I will get rid

of our current lawyers and get topnotch legal

representation for every member of UTLA.

It is unjustifiable and indefensible to keep

professional educators in teacher jails. Theyare there without explanation or charges for

indefinite periods of time until they either

choose to resign, retire or be fired. A teacher is

guilty and removed from practice without due

process until proven innocent. This practice will

not be tolerated.

YES

NO

Leonard Segal

First I think something should be done aboutthere being no consequences for students

who traumatize a teacher by lying. A massive

outreach should be done for students about the

important role and hard work of teachers and

the importance of honesty and respect to all

school stakeholders. We should try to prevent

bullying of students and teachers. When there is

a need to investigate a teacher their time should

be used in professional development of helping

to grade papers, tutoring online, etc.

YES

NO Kevin Mottus

We need to give these teachers due processand either discipline them or return them to

the classroom and we need to do it in a timely

manner. There should be a time limit set and

if not met teachers should be returned to the

classroom.

In sum, as UTLA President I will empower

our teachers. I will give them a voice. I will

fight for their health and well being. I will

be their champion. I will demand that our

teachers get the respect, protection andcompensation they deserve for all they do

and sacrifice to serve our children.

YES

NO

YESMarcos Ortega II

I am in this predicament, they dehumanize

you, allow you no access to any of their

equipment, I thought I was still an employee,

and the equipment was the districts? We

should have access to a library, teaching

peraphanelia and other things needed. We,

in this process would love, for something to

do. We cannot even water the trees, that bythe way of dying of thirst. We want to work,

we need help, some one has to take a closer

look, and its humiliating.

YES

NO


23/34

Bill Gaffney

I support differentiated compensation onlyit is tied to a career pathways system fo

accomplished classroom educators. We s

pay teachers who take on challenging and

additional roles more that impact teaching

learning. I support financial incentives as o

means to get master teachers into hard-to

schools or to take on roles as mentors. UT

and district leaders have failed to develop

vision for pathways for teachers to advanc

teaching and learning. Any such vision mu

also rely on a multiple measure evaluat

system built on observations and multip

forms of student learning.

YES


The president of the National Education Association recently released a statement in

support of differentiated compensation.

Do you support differentiated compensation?

If yes, based on what factors? If no, why not?

Q6

David R. Garcia

I believein differentiated compensation!! Weneed to calculate an effective manner to reward

those who go above and beyond the call of

serving our public school children

I will promote district accountability for all Board

of Education members and the LAUSD Superin-

tendent. These people need to be paid accord-

ing to their qualifications and effectiveness, and

be recognized for their integrity and steward-

ship; financially rewarded for their academic

and professional qualifications and commended

for their honesty which we can maintain by

asking the L.A. County District Attorney to mon-

itor the LAUSD board of educations financial

expenditures and all campaign contributions.

YES

NO Gregg Solkovits

It depends on what you call DifferentiatedCompensation. I oppose merit pay. But I

DO believe educators who take on greater

responsibilities on a campus should be paid

more. For 18 years as chapter chair at a School

Based Management School, I helped run the

school in collaboration with the administrative

staff. My pay NEVER reflected the additional

work I did co-chairing the schools PD

Committee AND School Leadership Council.

Differentiated compensation for work of value

to the school/school community, but NOT

differentiated compensation based on test

scores, which were NEVER designed to provide

the basis of pay scales.

YES

NO

Differentiated Compensation


80.19%

of E4E teachers vot

issue as import

or critical



24/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Alex Caputo-Pearl

Union Power supports differentiatedcompensation based on earned degrees a

study, years of experience, and additional

duties taken on (for example, grade level o

department chair). Differentiation based on

student test scores, or on other elements

substantially outside of educators control

serves to amplify, not ameliorate, chronic

inequalities in public education. Moreover,

this type of differentiation undermines the

collaboration between educators that is at

core of building quality schools.

YES

Saul The Fighter LanksterI support differentiated compensation in limited

cases governed by agreed upon criteria and

objectively determined and implemented.

YES

NO

Leonard Segal

I do not support differentiated compensationlinked to student performance. There are

too many variables outside of the control of

teachers and it becomes too easy to manipulate

the impact on teachers. I think pay should be

linked to the workload involved in continuing

education and classroom responsibilities. If you

want to add students to a classroom, increase

program requirements or require more training

and preparation then pay the teacher more for

the extra work involved.

YES

NO Kevin Mottus

No but I do believe in providing bonuses orincentives for teacher achievement like we pay

for additional education, training, or additional

duties on site. I do not believe in evaluating

or rewarding teachers based on test scores

because there are simply so many factors

affecting student achievement outside of school

and outside of a teachers control. By focusing

on test scores we would be encouraging

teachers to vie for the highest achieving

students. We would be encouraging new

teachers to go to other school districts who do

not feel the need to use such a biased testing

based system.

YES

NO

Marcos Ortega IIAny one, that has ever taught, knows its much

more work, for the same pay, logic alone

should resolve this. The hardest thing is trying

to teach when kids are at different levels, this

requires different curriculum, different style,

and is extremely consuming. If, we cannot

make our classes homogeneous as far as

level or skill, then teaching them requires morework=more pay.

YES

NO Innocent O. Osunwa

It appears to be discriminatory and has a

potential to be unfairly applied. Furthermo

it fails to take into consideration any and

all other factors that contribute to or affect

students success.

YES


25/34

Bill Gaffney

Yes. In fact, educators at hard-to-staff schohave been utilizing Restorative Justice for ye

It still stands as a shiny policy that has not

led to a holistic set of measurable outcomes

In order to put teethbehind the policy, UT

must do more to negotiate for an effective

system of wraparound services for at-risk

students. Although I applaud the decrease

the number of suspensions, especially of ou

African American youth, we are far from plac

the right resources into the hands of school-

site stakeholders to implement and sustain

restorative justice practices in all schools.

YESDavid R. Garcia

Willful defiance is not an objective violation ofclassroom rules and pedagogy. Students should

not be punished for subjective classroom infrac-

tions, but suspended for legitimate violations

that cannot be refuted and can be substantiated

by facts. Under my leadership, willful defiance

will be limited to egregious violations of the law,

such as falsifying professional credentials, asso-

ciations with federally convicted felons, failing to

report alleged child abusers to the appropriate

authorities in Sacramento, embezzlement, or

misappropriation of district funds. Willful defi-

ance should only be limited to serious offenses,

and no one should be exempt from obeying the

law, including LAUSD leadership.

YES

NO


LAUSD recently moved to end suspensions for willful defiance and utilize

Restorative Justice practices by 2020.

Do you support this new district direction?What role, if any, should the union take in this shift to end student suspensions for

willful defiance?

Q7

Gregg Solkovits

The goal of reducing suspensions and keepingstudents in the classroom is an important

goal. As a 28+ years teacher who did NOT

send students out of a classroom much, I

understand how a flat policy of NO suspensions

for Willful Defiance makes it harder for to

maintain discipline in what are among the

most crowded classrooms nationwide. When

one students misbehavior takes away the

opportunity for other students to learn, that

is wrong. A top down approach to instituting

change was NOT the right way to go about

dealing with the issue of too many suspensions.

YES

NO

School Climate


72.5%

of E4E teachers vot

issue as import

or critical


O OS O


26/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

Innocent O. OsunwaUTLA should seek to ascertain whether thi

shift is reasonable and/or will have a detrim

effect in the classroom and/or school as a

whole. I believe there is a need to challeng

this move if there is evidence to show that

the benefits of such shift outweigh its burd

On the contrary, UTLA should work with

LAUSD to find better ways of handling thepotential burdens posed by the shift. Such

may include but not limited to lowering cla

sizes, increasing support services and prov

reasonable alternatives to suspension.

Alex Caputo-Pearl

Alternative discipline necessitates dramatimore staffing restorative justice builds co

nections between students and adults. As

of the Schools LA Students Deserve con

community campaign, UTLA should fight f

more HHS personnel decimated by LAUS

cuts along with lower class size, and edu

training/support. Educators need to be ab

guide students having difficulties to produc

tive, well-staffed places within school. LAU

has failed before, passing Positive Behavio

Support in 2007, but inadequately resourcit. Recently, sadly, the superintendents pr

interest around willful defiance has been

make headlines our interest, with parents

and students, is to actually make alternativ

discipline work.

YES

Saul The Fighter LanksterI do not agree with eliminating suspensions for

willful defiance. The individuals who came out

with this proposal have never stepped a foot

into todays inner city public school classrooms.

Teachers need to have options when willful

defiance can quickly escalate into other more

serious situations.

YES

NO

Leonard Segal

Suspension hurts the family and doesnt helpthe student. Classroom suspension where the

student is diverted to a campus program is ok.

Willful defiance is a call for help. The Impact

Program should be restored. More help and

services should be provided for parents and

family. We need to focus on programs and

services that heal people and prevent problems.

The Union should work with all stakeholders to

facilitate implementation of these programs.

YES

NO Kevin Mottus

I believe in focusing on the needs of the victimand the offender inherent to a Restorative

Justice approach because I understand that

there are real psychological, cultural and

societal issues that contribute to the reasons

that offenders offend and these issues need

to be addressed. However in the school

environment, there also has to be a definite limit

set for egregious offenses which suspensions

provide. The two do not have to be mutually

exclusive and ideally they can work together

in an environment that provides emotional and

physical safety for all while addressing the

needs of victims and offenders.

YES

NO

YESMarcos Ortega II

Spare the rod (suspension) spoil the child, is

what, I say. The union Should aggressively fight

this. As stated, I am in teacher jail; I Noticed a

young man sexually assault a young lady with

a foreign object. He wasnt suspended or even

arrested, I was moved to the Compound (we

inmates call it this), ECS North. The female

school police officer, said I should, walk aroundwith blinders, I became livid, thus they said I

was the problem, for I overreacted, really. My

daughter went to my school, my son goes to

this school, I was appalled.

YES

NO


27/34


The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides an opportunity for LAUSD to

invest differently in students and schools.

Should the majority of those dollars be spent locally by staff and parents at schools,or centrally by UTLA and LAUSD leadership?

Please explain your selection.

Q8

Bill GaffneyLCFF dollars must be spent locally on

student-focused initiatives. School-site

must be granted the autonomyto stab

class sizes for core classes that directly

student populations under the LCFF law

at the same time be held accountable to

implement additionalintervention progr

wraparound services, and resources for

students that are tied to their Single Plan

Student Achievement. The districts LCA

enough for parents to assess the impact

LCFF law. Parents should be able to eas

whether or not their tax dollars are servin

students needs at individual school site

LDavid R. Garcia

The billion dollar question really being askedhere is, can local control of budgetary spending

be more effective than district wide oversight?

Under LAUSD, there has been a continued

mismanagement of funds, everything from over

156 million dollars missing from a free lunch

programto the 2 billion dollar iPad experiment

and debacle unfolding before us.

The truth of the matter is, neither of these ideas

will ever work independently of themselves. A

new paradigm must be considered and that is,

both local budgetary control and centralized

oversight must be realized to effectively ensure

academic achievement and student success.

L C Gregg Solkovits

A combination. For 34 years I have advocatedfor local control. Shared Decision Making,

School Based Management, Pilot Schools,

Expanded School Based Management

AND the LIS model are ALL ideas UTLA

either suggested OR supported from the

start. HOWEVER, not all schools work in

collaboration, and not all schools Councils

work well. Often spending decisions at

school sites have resulted in basic services

NOT being funded at schools, services that

parents EXPECT our schools to provide for

their students, and yet, they dont. I would have

these services centrally funded, with other

spending decisions at the local school sites.

L C

School Funding


72%

of E4E teachers vot

issue as import

or critical



28/34

H t R


29/34


How to Run

Before filing,

make sure youve been ingood standing (with your

dues up to date) for the last

24 months, and in good

standing with your affiliate

(NEA or AFT) for the last 12

months. To inquire about your

standing, contact the UTLA

Membership Department at

(213) 487-5560.

File a Declaration

of Intent to Run Form

by the deadline (this

election cycles deadline

was January 17, 2014)

via mail or in person

(fax and email are not

acceptable).1

Submit one statement

and photograph to

UTLA for free distribution

on your behalf (but

check online to make

sure you meet all

conditions for

distribution).

Get the word out!

You can recruit volunteers to

help spread the word abou

your campaign,

collect donations to cover

the cost of the campaign an

distribute materials to

tell people what you

stand for and aim to

accomplish.

1utla.net/system/files/Declaration_of_Candidacy_Revised.pdf
http://utla.net/system/files/Declaration_of_Candidacy_Revised.pdfhttp://utla.net/system/files/Declaration_of_Candidacy_Revised.pdf


30/34

YOUR UNIONYOUR

For far too long, education policy has been created without a critical voice

at the tablethe voice of classroom teachers. Educators 4 Excellence (E4E),

a teacher-led organization, is changing this dynamic by placing the voices

of teachers at the forefront of the conversations that shape our classrooms

and careers.

E4E has a quickly growing national network of educators united by our

Declaration of Teachers Principles and Beliefs. E4E members can learn

about education policy and research, network with like-minded peers andpolicymakers and take action by advocating for teacher-created policies

that lift student achievement and the teaching profession.

Learn more at Educators4Excellence.org.
http://educators4excellence.org/http://educators4excellence.org/


31/34


32/34

YOUR UNION YOUR VOICE

Voter Guide

2014 UTLA Presidential Election

Addendum

NAME Position Race/Ethnicity GenderYears

Teaching

National

Board

Certified

Previous Union

Leadership PositionsDoes the union need to work to improve

its relationship with district leadership?

Do you support the Common

Core State Standards?

Do you support ending

willful defiance?

Should LCFF dollars be

spent locally or centrally?

Do you support

differentiated compensation?

Do y

proc


33/34

Warren FletcherEnglish Teacher on 3-year leave

to serve as UTLA PresidentWhite/Caucasian M

Board of Directors; House of Representa-

tives; Chapter Chair; East Area Treasurer;UTLA Parliamentarian; PACE Steering

Committee; State Council of Education

29

What inspired you to run for union president?

Warren Fletcher

I ran for UTLA President in 2011 because I

believed that the organization had drifted away

from its core mission and its core priorities:

protecting member pay, securing quality

benefits and safeguarding the professional

rights of teachers. In 2011, we all saw that

the union was in freefall. I chose to run for

president because I understood that LAUSD

teachers (and HHS professionals) needed and

deserved to have a union that is a serious

and credible advocate for them and for their

students. Since taking office, that belief has

animated and informed all of my work as

president.

Warren Fletcher

My core priorities, and those of the union will

remain what they always have been: salaries,

benefits and protecting member rights. But, in

the aftermath of the Great Recession, and with

the dollars from both Proposition 30 and the

LCFF now arriving, restoring full staffing must

be priority number one. This means bringing

class sizes back down to pre-recession levels,

most immediately in Middle and High Schools.

It also means restoring the vital library, nursing,

mental health and arts services that were sav-

aged. We cant allow the slashed staffing of the

last six years to become the new normal.

Warren Fletcher

Yes, but a qualified yes. UTLA and the District

both have an obligation to do what they can

to avoid counterproductive behavior, and to

interact in an efficient and adult manner. But

that can never be achieved by the union alone.

Respect is always a two-way street, and when

the senior leadership of the District intentionally

and deliberately pursues a policy of marginal-

izing the input and opinions of teachers, UTLA

must respond accordingly. UTLA will always

seek productive outcomes with the District, but

only within a relationship informed by respect

for our profession.

Too often, the union is painted in the media as

simply an adversary to the district. Although there

are steps both sides can take, as a candidate for

the unions highest office, do you think the union

has an obligation to work to improve its relationship

with district leadership?

If yes, what would you do to proactively improve

this relationship?

If no, why not?

If you were to win this election, what would

be the first three priorities you would take on

as president?

YES

NO

YOUR UNIONYOUR VOICEADDENDUM

YES n/a* n/a* n/a* n/a*

Warren Fletcher

CCSS will be a success or failure based on

whether teachers believe in them. The new

standards are being heralded as a revolution-

ary new magic bullet. They are not. They are

in some ways better than, and in some ways

inferior to, the standards they are replacing.

Nonetheless, they are upon us, and, as educa-

tors, it is our responsibility to make them work

for our students. Sadly, LAUSD has consistent-

ly treated CCSS implementation as a top-down

bureaucratic compliance activity, rather than as

an opportunity for teachers to collaboratively

improve instruction. UTLAs job is to reverse

that direction.

Warren Fletcher

The Housed Teacher system has, during the

era of John Deasy, devolved into an inefficient

and deeply unfair, illogical system. Unlike in

the past, teachers who are housed today can

expect to languish for months or even year

without even knowing what they are even

accused of. A nd, as the Districts own statistic s

have shown, the system now overwhelmingly

targets older, high earning teachers. In light of

this new statistical information, I have directed

UTLAs attorneys to initiate the filing of federal

and state age discrimination complaints.

Warren Fletcher

Differentiated compensation

column and NBCT differen

for many years. However,

compensation has, in recen

bling turn. It is one thing to

compensation for additiona

students and the school. B

ed compensation becomes

to leverage teacher pract

well-rounded curriculum, a

prep model of instruction, it

speak out against that tren

The president of the Natio

Association recently relea

support of differentiated c

Do you support di fferentia

If yes, based on what fact

Currently, teachers accused of misconduct

are housed in alternate locations with no

teaching assignment and full pay.

Do you support reforming this process?

If yes, describe one significant change youd

like to see in this process. If no, why not?

The Common Core State Standards were

adopted in California in 2010, and yet many

teachers feel under-prepared and under-

resourced for this transition.

Do you support the Common Core State

Standards?

What role, if any, should the union take in the

transition to Common Core?

YES

NO

YES

NO

*Candidate did not answer due to current position as acting UTLA President. YOUR UNION

*

LAUSD recently moved to end suspensions The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) How We Engaged the Candi


34/34

for willful defiance and utilize Restorative

Justice practices by 2020.

Do you support this new district direction?

What role, if any, should the union take in this

shift to end student suspensions for willful

defiance?

provides an opportunity for LAUSD to invest

differently in students and schools.

Should the majority of those dollars be spent

locally by staff and parents at schools, or

centrally by UTLA and LAUSD leadership?

Please explain your selection.

Warren FletcherThe debate over suspensions and willful

defiance ignores an important fact: while

Restorative Justice practices can, in the right

environment, foster good outcomes, they cant

do so in a vacuum. Since 2008, student coun-

seling and mental health services have been

slashed at every campus in the District, with the

deepest cuts coming at inner city schools. Sus-

pension should never be the first response, but

when counseling and supports are eliminated,and when it then becomes the only available

response, all students are harmed. UTLAs role

is to advocate for students, which means the

restoration of HHS professionals.

Warren FletcherDistribution must be balanced between local

funding and central funding. Over the last

decade, both UTLA and the District have placed

greater emphasis on local budgeting autonomy.

As we learned during the recession years, this

sometimes had unintended negative conse-

quences, as school communities were faced

with the painful choice of which vital functions

and services to save, and which to jettison.

There must be a Districtwide guaranteed base-line of services, like Arts instruction, libraries

and nursing, that every student, at every school,

has access to, regardless of local budgetary

decisions. Autonomy is important, but it cannot

trump student needs.

All presidential candidates who provcontact information to the UTLA ElectCommittee received the candidate suby email and were given at least two

weeks to respond. Candidates who mcontact with Educators 4 Excellence athe printing deadline are included in addendum.

All presidential candidates were infothat they had a limit of 100 words torespond to each question. To ensurefairness, any responses exceeding th

word limit were cut at exactly the 10word.

All responses in this addendum areprinted exactly as written by thecandidates, without edits for contentclarity. The responses submitted solereflect the opinions of each individuacandidate and not of Educators 4Excellence. Educators 4 Excellencetransmits the responses without anyknowledge, actual or constructive,regarding their truthfulness.

YES

NO L C

g g

* *

*Candidate did not answer due to current position as acting UTLA President.

your voice, your vote

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