With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
LAUSD Approves Deal To Move Extra Learning Days, With Unions Divided
A transitional kindergartener at Harding Elementary in Sylmar plays with blocks as Kelly Gonez, president of the L.A. Unified school board, looks on.
(
Kyle Stokes
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Los Angeles Unified School District students will have a normal day of school next Wednesday. It was supposed to be an optional, extra day of class to help students catch up. But school board members voted 6-0 on Tuesday to shuffle the district’s calendar and concentrate those days during upcoming breaks.
Background: In April, the district approved a calendar for the 2022-23 school year that included an extra week's worth of optional class time . The idea behind the plan was to give extra help to students who were struggling with school. District administrators expected at the time — correctly — that state testing would show a drop in district scores this fall, a consequence of two years of interrupted, pandemic-era learning.
The four “acceleration days” were designed as optional, which allowed administrators to avoid negotiations for a longer school year with the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles. UTLA took issue with that approach, threatening a boycott of the first acceleration day .
Sponsored message
The new plan represents a compromise between UTLA and LAUSD leaders: The district will still hold the acceleration days, but on the first two days of both winter break and spring break, not on Wednesdays throughout the course of the year.
The compromise between LAUSD and the teachers, however, did not receive an endorsement from the district's second largest union, SEIU Local 99, which represents many non-teaching employees in the school system. Local 99 objected, saying it supported the original calendar and resented the last-minute change to their work schedules.
Political dynamics: School board president Kelly Gonez acknowledged that SEIU feels like a second-class citizen, and that its concerns often take a back seat to those of the larger UTLA.
Gonez has SEIU's support in her ongoing reelection campaign , but she voted for the compromise because, she said, despite the fact that she shares its concerns about feeling spurned here, the district simply was not ready to pull off an acceleration day next Wednesday.
What's next: In a statement last week , Local 99 indicated that, in an internal survey, nearly 50% of members indicated they would not be available to work during the winter and spring break acceleration days because of previous commitments.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
