LA Unified and teachers union at odds over reforms

The Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers union have been unable to find acceptable common ground in a contentious program after a November first negotiating deadline.

The program is called Public School Choice. For the last two years it has accepted bids over the administration of dozens of new and low-performing L.A. Unified Schools. Board members created the program out of frustration over improvements they said were taking too long.

In-district and outside groups, including charter school companies, have won those bids. Supporters of the reform say giving these groups a chance to improve schools will speed up improvement that'll spill over into neighboring, traditional schools.

Two months ago, school board members voted a significant change to Public School Choice. Under the modification, the campus plans submitted by in-district groups would get priority over those from outside groups. The change would also give campus administrators control over hiring, funding, and performance evaluations. That would be a major change over how schools in the system are usually run.

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The changes are generating controversy because L.A. Unified's powerful teachers' union, United Teachers Los Angeles, must agree to them before they can take affect.

A Nov. 1 deadline for such an agreement came and went. Neither side has said a deal is dead.

A coalition of groups calling itself "Don't Hold Us Back" have carried out a publicity campaign urging an agreement. Many of the groups in the coalition have sided with past reforms championed by L.A. Unified’s superintendent and the current board president.

The coalition doesn’t specify which side it supports even as it calls upon the district to reward teachers when their students excel.