Los Angeles teachers reach agreement with district leaders to end strike

Source: The Washington Post



Educators walked out last week, affecting 600,000 schoolchildren

By Moriah Balingit and Debbie Truong January 22 at 1:25 PM

Teachers in Los Angeles reached a deal with school officials Tuesday to end a strike that affected more than 600,000 students in the nation’s second-largest school system and raised questions about staffing and the future of the sprawling district.

The accord was announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Superintendent Austin Beutner and Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of the teachers union. It must be ratified by union members, but the officials said they expect teachers to be back in the classroom Wednesday.

About 30,000 teachers went on strike Jan. 14, vowing to remain out of classrooms and on picket lines until their demands for smaller class sizes and more support staff were satisfied. The teachers, having already secured a raise and free health care, focused their attention on staffing needs. They sought more instructors so that class sizes could be reduced and called for expanding the cadre of librarians and nurses, who rotate among schools. Educators also wanted more psychologists to better meet the needs of special education students.

But the teachers and their union, United Teachers Los Angeles, also viewed the strike as a fight for the future of education in the school system, where charter schools have drawn students and resources away from traditional public schools.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/01/22/los-angeles-teachers-reach-agreement-with-district-leaders-end-strike/