Photo by r_neches via Flickr

Yesterday, parents his the streets of downtown Los Angeles to protest decisions made by the Los Angeles Unified School District who denied space for charter schools, which are still public schools, but are run differently. The LA Times explains:

Charter schools are public campuses that are typically authorized by local school districts but run independently. There are more than 100 authorized by the Los Angeles Unified School District, and they have grown increasingly restive over their difficulty in finding sites for their campuses.

They say the district is violating the provisions of Proposition 39, a measure passed in 2000 that requires school districts to provide space for charters.

This week, Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines wrote a memo reaffirming a decision to deny space in district schools to seven charters, saying it would hamper the traditional schools' ability to function.

Additionally, another group of parents held a press conference at Roosevelt High School protesting Gov. Schwarzengegger’s plan to cut $3.8 billion from public education, which is expected to affect $350 million of LAUSD's budget (they put out a petition, which you can sign here). To that end, union teachers across Los Angeles will be protesting during the first hour of school instead of teaching today. LAUSD officials tried to stop the action, but a judge struck down the request and a state employees board decided not to file an injunction.

"Teachers will lose an hour of pay for protesting, which union leaders said is the best way to draw legislators' attention," says another Times report. Parent volunteers, administrators and school aides will watch over students while the protests occur outside.