The Countdown To Strike: UTLA Still Won’t Budge

09Jan
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

There was a lot happening yesterday regarding the impending strike at LAUSD, from a last-minute hearing in court this morning that could delay the strike to January 14th to the LAUSD School Board meeting to try to implement some last minute policies that could help increase volunteers by parents and extended family members while workers are out on strike. The union initially set Jan. 10 as its strike date, however, a legal snafu may force the union to delay the strike by a few days — to Jan. 14. (UTLA officials were in court yesterday on the matter.)

A meeting held Monday, January 7th, 2019 did not produce an acceptable offer for UTLA negotiators. However, another last-minute meeting to continue that conversation is scheduled for January 9th.

LAUSD proposed the following offer on Monday, and it was rejected as “inadequate” by UTLA:

Additional note:  LAUSD has just sent out the agenda for another special board meeting called for today (January 9, 2019) at 12:00 p.m.  Yesterday, the Board voted 4-1 to allow family members who have been checked against a sex offender database to volunteer — with a principal’s permission – during times of crisis, without having to get TB tested and fingerprinted, as long as they are supervised at all times by school staff.

Additionally, the board voted yesterday in preparations for the strike, on a new policy which creates a three-tiered system:

* One-time, single-event volunteers would also be exempted from fingerprinting and TB testing but would still need to be checked against the sex offender database.

* Room parents, classroom and office volunteers can help at schools without getting fingerprinted. They would still need TB tests and a sex offender check.

* Any parent that works one-on-one with a child as a tutor, cafeteria volunteer, overnight field trip chaperone or sports/after school activity volunteer would still need fingerprinting and TB testing, as well as a sex offender check.

What do you think?

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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