header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 28
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir


| Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019
United Teachers of Los Angeles members rally at a concert by Latin rock/hip hop group Ozomatli concert on Jan. 15, the second day of a teachers strike. | Photo: Nathan Solis/CNS.
United Teachers of Los Angeles members rally at a concert by Latin rock/hip hop group Ozomatli concert on Jan. 15, the second day of a teachers strike. | Photo: Nathan Solis/CNS.

 

By Nathan Solis

LOS ANGELES – On day two of the Los Angeles teacher strike, educators in red rallied outside a charter school’s headquarters on Tuesday to highlight their frustration over what they call the privatization of public schools.

The second largest school district in the nation said it lost approximately $25 million in state funding on Monday, the first day of the United Teachers of Los Angeles strike. But at a Tuesday morning press conference, LA Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner said the district saved $10 million because picketing teachers do not get paid, bringing the total loss for the district to $15 million.

“The painful truth is we don’t have enough money to do everything that UTLA is asking,” Beutner said. “The state and county, our regulators, have told us this repeatedly.”

Union members want the school district to use its $1.8 billion reserve to reduce class sizes, add nurses to every school campus and cap how much money charter schools receive across the district.

About 360,000 students at over 1,200 schools were absent Monday.

While nearly 20,000 union members, parents and students braved the rain to march to LAUSD headquarters on Monday, picketers decided to rally outside the Los Angeles offices of California Charter Schools Association on Tuesday.

Last December, UTLA members called for a cap on any new charter schools in the district, arguing the money that could go toward public schools ends up being used on privately run campuses.

In a statement, Charter Schools Association president Myrna Castrejón asked union representatives to not make the fight about pitting schools against each other.

“The funding pie can and should grow, but we know that LA Unified’s financial crisis is real,” said Castrejón, who also asked for peaceful demonstrations.

It was noisy, but a large swell of union members in red marched in Little Tokyo as the Latin rock and hip-hop group Ozomatli played a concert and educators marched through downtown Los Angeles.

Others rallied on street corners and the crowds spread out through the downtown core. Educators like Laura Bartholomew, Karin Grigsby and Morena Zelada from Toluca Lake Elementary School in North Hollywood carried signs with their school’s mascot wielding a lightsaber.

They said the strike is not about their pay.

Bartholomew said cutbacks in the district began in 2008 during the recession, but services that were cut were never restored. These include a full-time school nurse, counselors and teacher’s aides that are now shared by multiple classrooms.

Resources that would have once gone to public schools have been siphoned off by private charter schools, the teachers said.

“Our concern is that most of our school board and our superintendent have an agenda to privatize education,” said Bartholomew, who teaches first grade. “Part of this is the regulation of charter schools. They’re not held to the same standards that public schools are held to.

Zelada said special education teachers like herself only have a nurse available once a week, which means teachers are now required to administer medications.

Grigsby added: “I was trained a few weeks ago on how to administer an EpiPen. I have a student who has asthma and he might need his EpiPen and I’m nervous about that because I’m not a nurse, I’m a teacher.”

In the last decade, the number of charter schools has increased by 150 percent in California and show no signs of slowing down, according to the state Department of Education.

The union wants the district to use its reserve funding to help alleviate the exodus of students from public schools, but in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on Tuesday Beutner said the district will need all of reserve funding – nearly $2 billion – to avoid insolvency.

This is the first strike in 30 years at LA Unified. The 1989 strike lasted nine days before a deal was reached.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:
March 27 Ocean Water Warning
As an integral ingredient necessary to help the Santa Clarita Valley to flourish, feedback from the business community is the secret sauce for achieving great things.
SCVEDEC Asks For the Business Community’s Opinion on Santa Clarita
Raise your heart rate while raising funds for the Santa Clarita Sister Cities Dollars-for-Desks campaign to provide school desks for students in Sariaya, Santa Clarita's Sister City in the Philippines.
April 13: Sister Cities Zumba-thon Fundraiser
Remo, Inc. is is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of synthetic drumheads and shells. They’ve been in business for 60 years
SCVEDC Company Spotlight: Drumming Up Big Business with Remo, Inc.
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department  in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Los Angeles is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Pitch Competition for the cohorts of JCOD's Incubation Academy.
March 28: JCOD Incubation Academy Helps Grassroots Non-Profits For the Second Year
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
April 18: Children’s Bureau Hosts Virtual Orientation
The Sunburst track was constructed in 1887 by the Southern Pacific Railroad and was a part of the main line running between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Enjoy Spring With a Ride On The Sunburst Track
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a Personal Finance Summit today where he announced his support for Assembly Bill 2927 (McCarty), legislation that would require a personal finance education course for California high school graduation.
State Superintendent Announces Support for Personal Finance Graduation Requirement
1847 - Probable birth date of Pico Canyon oil driller Charles Alexander Mentry [story]
C.A. Mentry
The first Music Jam Session at The MAIN was held on Thursday, Feb. 22 and was a hit. Come out and join in for the next one on Thursday, March 28 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
March 28: The MAIN to Host Musicians’ Jam Session
Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman of the Office of Inspector General has issued a report entitled "Tenth Report Back on Implementing Body-Worn Cameras in Los Angeles County."
Office of Inspector General Issues Latest Report on LASD Body Cams
College of the Canyons women's tennis played to a convincing 7-2 conference win over Ventura College on Moica to strengthen its potential playoff resume.
Canyons Closes Out Ventura 7-2 in Final Home Match
Join the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce with the Latino Business Alliance at the Cinco de Mayo Networking Celebration on Tuesday, May 7.
May 7: Latino Business Alliance Cinco de Mayo Celebration
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control is hosting March Meowness promotion where all cat adoptions are just $15 from now until April 9.
Adopt a Cat During March Meowness at Castaic Animal Center
California State University, Northridge is partnering with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and the Tataviam Land Conservancy to battle the impact of climate change in disadvantaged communities throughout the San Fernando Valley by establishing “urban forests.”
CSUN Partners with Fernandeño Tataviam Band to Build Urban Forests
Join the Santa Clarita Artists Association on Monday, April 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 23630 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355, for the SCAA monthly meeting and guest demonstrator.
April 15: SCAA Presents Debbie Abshear Watercolor Demo
Residents are invited to join members of the Santa Clarita City Council for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of Santa Clarita's 38th park, Skyline Ranch Park, 18355 Skyline Ranch Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91351, to the Santa Clarita parks system on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m.
April 6: Grand Opening for Santa Clarita’s 38th Park
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is preparing for the annual fundraising event, Celebrity Waiter, with the theme “California Dreamin’” on Saturday, April 27 at Bella Vida, 27180 Golden Valley Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91351.
Table Sponsorships Still Available for Celebrity Waiter Dinner
Springtime in Santa Clarita brings not only vibrant blooms and opportunities to embrace the outdoors with warmer weather, but also an array of free, family-friendly events and this Saturday is no exception.
Ken Striplin | A Fun, Festive, Egg-Filled Day
SCVNews.com