AB 221 Won’t Address the Chronically Low Performing Schools in California, But It Will Worsen the Teacher Shortage

05Apr
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Tell me why we are having a conversation in the legislature about taking teachers and administrators out of “low-income” schools? Why are some legislators actually advocating to ignore the teacher shortage crisis by adding to it? Are unintended consequences of larger class sizes is being completely ignored in the current conversation, which directly affects thousands of Latino and African American students?  

For those who are complaining about Betsy DeVos wanting larger class sizes, I say to you, behold Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D – Bell Gardens) who is essentially calling for the same thing in California. Garcia’s reckless anti-teacher bill (AB-221 Teach for America teachers: assignment prohibition in low-income schools) would gut teachers and administrators in schools across the state.  

A quick review of the schools in her district tells a story of neglect and ongoing low performance.

For example, take a look at these struggling school districts within her neighborhood/district:

El Rancho Unified

Downey Unified

Bellflower Unified

Montebello Unified

Many of the schools and districts in Assemblymember Garcia’s district are chronically low performing and are in dire need of reform. Additionally, most are also classified as “low-income” schools. Where is the accountability for these schools that are failing kids every single day!?  Where is the bill that will hold these all teachers, regardless of where they trained, accountable for persistently failing to teach kids in these schools? Let me answer that for you. Legislators like Garcia think it is more important to pander the biggest lobbyists in the state (California Teachers Association) due to self-preservation and re-elections rather than address the real crisis in education.  

Again, we repeat #fixfailingschoolsfirst.

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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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