1. Art and Diseño

Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles •
www.utla.net Volume XLIV, Number 5, January 30, 2015
United action key to progress
Recalcitrant District must feel the pressure to do the right thing and offer a fair contract.
UTLA members are getting ready for
the most intense weeks of action since
contract negotiations and the campaign
for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve
began. Chapters are hosting site visits
from UTLA staff and leaders, prepping for
parent outreach through school-site picketing, signing up to work for the School
Board campaigns, and committing with
their colleagues to attend the massive rally
downtown on February 26.
To build member engagement and keep
staff informed, the Emerson Middle School
chapter has been meeting biweekly and
sending regular emails with updates on
negotiations and reminders of key actions.
“Our school had 100% participation
on the UTLA issues priority survey, so
it’s pretty clear what we want,” chapter
chair Noriko Nakada says. “We need pay
restoration and full staffing—a full-time
nurse, a full-time librarian—so we can
serve our students. Our school library has
been closed for two years, and we’ve been
without a teacher-librarian for four.”
Nakada knows that to achieve what her
school and all schools deserve, the UTLA
bargaining team must be backed by the
power of 35,000 UTLA members.
“If we want a fair contract, we have
to be willing to show up,” Nakada says.
“We’d rather show up at these early actions
than have to go on strike. We are willing
to strike, but we’d rather not.”
At Wadsworth Elementary, chapter
chair Sharlyn Williams says that under
the new UTLA leadership, more members
are wearing red on Tuesdays, and she is
talking with staff about UTLA history as
a way to appreciate important rights won
along the way and to connect progress
with member activism.
“Member involvement is so important,”
Williams says. “It shows ownership. It’s
the same concept as showing up to vote
for who you want in office. Participating
in actions makes the connection that our
voice is palpable, our voice is important,
and it has to be heard.”
Staff priorities at Wadsworth parallel
priorities at all LAUSD schools, including
a long-overdue pay increase and class-size
reduction.
“They also want to be treated as professionals,” Williams says. “This staff goes
the extra mile. Every day after school I see
teachers walk off campus and down the
street to parents’ homes to talk about what
their children need to succeed. Teachers
need to be treated with respect and dignity
for the awesome job they do.”
That dignity and respect was not on
display in the letter Superintendent Ramon
Cortines sent to employees January 26. In
it, he claimed that the only way to fund a
UTLA Strike Fund to prepare for escalating actions, or to UTLA’s ongoing work
connecting with parents and the community over our broad platform of proposals
to help student learning conditions and
improve educator working conditions.
The reality is that the District’s current
salary offer of 4% is lower than many other
bargaining agreements in L.A. County and
Action timeline
January-February: School
site visit blitz
UTLA leaders & staff visit schools to
connect with members about bargaining
and our contract action plan.
February & March: Strike
readiness trainings
Workshops for chapter chairs will cover
how to prep for a major job action.
February 5: News conference
with Randi Weingarten
AFT President Randi Weingarten will join
a school-site blitz visit and show national
support for UTLA’s campaign for the
Schools L.A. Students Deserve.
Put the power of 35,000
members into action
February 10: Sticking Up
for Health Care Day
Labor solidarity will be on display as
LAUSD employees wear “Standing Up
for My Health Care” stickers to support
bargaining for benefits.
February 12
Picketing and parent leafleting at school sites
February 12: School-site picketing
February 26
UTLA members will reach out to parents
about the Schools L.A. Students
Deserve. We need to blanket the
District with picketing at every site.
Citywide rally in downtown L.A.
February 26: Mass rally at Grand
Park in downtown L.A.
fair compensation package for educators,
fully staff schools, and lower class size is
with thousands of layoffs—a false premise
that UTLA does not accept and that contradicts the increase in funding coming
from the state ($4 billion boost proposed
for K-12 in California in 2015-16).
“As offensive and full of fabrications as
his letter was, it’s a sign that our intense
organizing efforts are working,” UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl says. “Cortines says
there is no money, but our schools should not
be held hostage to an LAUSD budget that
has been shaped by the multimillion-dollar
MiSiS crisis and other legal debacles that
run into hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Cortines could also be reacting to the
decision by the UTLA House of Representatives to dedicate $3 million from the
would still leave UTLA members among
the lowest-paid educators in the state. Additionally, Cortines and his LAUSD bargaining team have failed to make legitimate
proposals on class size, health and human
services hiring ratios, due process for educators that have been unjustly housed, or
elimination of the illegally implemented
Teacher Growth and Development Cycle
(read more on TGDC on page 5). UTLA’s
salary demand is currently 8.5% for the
2014-15 school year, with automatic reopeners, along with a $1,000 stipend per
member for supplies, agreement to explore
retirement incentives, and six voluntary
Common Core planning days for 2014-15
to be used at educator discretion.
Negotiations with LAUSD are scheduled weekly through February.
This will be our biggest action event yet,
and to show the District we are serious about our contract demands and
the Schools L.A. Students Deserve, we
need every UTLA member to attend. We
will be providing information on buses,
parking, and more at utla.net in the
coming weeks.
March 3: School Board elections
These races are vital for educators, students, parents, and the community. See
page 7 for how you can get involved now.
For more details on bargaining: Read
the President’s Perspective on page 2
and go to www.utla.net/contractdemands,
where proposals from both UTLA and
LAUSD are posted. UTLA is sending weekly “News to Use” updates to members. If
you are not receiving these, be sure we
have your non-LAUSD email address by
sending it to [email protected].
March 3 School Board elections:
Vote and volunteer
Page 7
Bennett Kayser for District 5
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
United Teacher
UTLA ELECTED OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Alex Caputo-Pearl
NEA AFFILIATE VP
Cecily Myart-Cruz
AFT AFFILIATE VP
Betty Forrester
ELEMENTARY VP
Juan Ramirez
SECONDARY VP
Colleen Schwab
TREASURER
Arlene Inouye
SECRETARY
Daniel Barnhart
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NORTH AREA: Interim: Kirk Thomas, Chair (Eagle
Rock ES), Blanca Mejia (EEC Center),
Rebecca Solomon (RFK UCLA Comm.
School), Julie Van Winkle (Logan Span School)
SOUTH AREA: Ingrid Villeda, Chair (93rd Street ES),
Ayde Bravo (Maywood ES), Ayesha Brooks
(Markham MS), Maria Miranda (Miramonte ES)
EAST AREA: Gillian Russom, Chair (ESP Academy),
Ingrid Gunnell (Lane ES), Gloria Martinez (Rowan ES),
Adrian Tamayo (Lorena ES)
WEST AREA: Erika Jones Crawford, Chair (Angeles
Mesa), Noah Lippe-Klein (Dorsey HS), Rodney Lusain
(Los Angeles HS), Jennifer Villaryo (Grand View ES)
CENTRAL AREA: José Lara, Chair (Santee EC),
Kelly Flores (Maya Angelou), Paul Ngwoke (Bethune
MS), Zulma Tobar (Harmony ES)
VALLEY EAST AREA: Scott Mandel, Chair (Pacoima
Magnet), Oleetha Mae Arnold (Grant HS),
Victoria (Martha) Casas (Beachy ES),
Alex (David) Orozco (Madison MS)
VALLEY WEST AREA: Bruce Newborn, Chair,
Melodie Bitter (Lorne ES), Wendi Davis
(Henry MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS)
HARBOR AREA: Aaron Bruhnke, Chair (San Pedro
HS), Elgin Scott (Avalon Gardens ES), Steve Seal
(Eshelman ES), Mary Tello (De La Torre Jr. ES)
ADULT & OCCUP ED: Ernest Kettenring (Roosevelt CAS)
BILINGUAL EDUCATION: Cheryl L. Ortega (Sub Unit)
ECE: Juanita C. Garcia (San Fernando EEC)
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Linda Gordon
SPECIAL ED: Darrell Jones (Byrd MS)
SUBSTITUTES: Fredrick Bertz
PACE CHAIR: Marco Flores
UTLA RETIRED: John Perez
AFFILIATIONS
American Federation of Teachers
National Education Association
STATE & NATIONAL OFFICERS
NEA DIRECTOR: Sue Cirillo
CFT PRESIDENT: Joshua Pechthalt
CTA PRESIDENT: Dean Vogel
CTA DIRECTOR: David Goldberg
CFT VICE PRESIDENT: Betty Forrester
NEA PRESDIENT: Lily Eskelsen Garcia
AFT PRESIDENT: Randi Weingarten
UTLA COMMUNICATIONS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Alex Caputo-Pearl
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Suzanne Spurgeon
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS:
Kim Turner, Carolina Barreiro, Tammy Lynn Gann
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Laura Aldana
EDITORIAL INFORMATION
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UTLA main line: (213) 487-5560
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2
January 30, 2015
County. Over the next five years, there will be
a major shift in the educator force, necessitating the recruitment and retention of a new
generation of educators. LAUSD will not be
able to do this without proper investment.
We understand that LAUSD has some
real financial limitations. Declining enrollment and state-mandated increases in reYet, the District has spent hundreds of tirement contributions are key pieces of this.
By Alex Caputo-Pearl
millions of dollars on iPads, MiSiS, and un- But, in this context, why would Cortines
UTLA President
necessary legal costs—not to mention the actively further open the door, through the
As I visit schools in the current school six-figure salaries paid to Deasy-appointed misnamed “Parent Trigger,” for corporate
visit blitz, I often meet with educators in downtown administrators and consul- charters (as opposed to charters attempting
classrooms. At Canyon School on the West- tants. Moreover, Governor Jerry Brown’s to provide equity and access) to expand,
side, chapter chair Akimi Sujishi-Watson budget, released in early January, ensures even though they often exclude our highorganized a meeting not only
est-needs students? And, why
with educators, but also with
make these financially destrucparents, in what became a standtive moves at a time when UTLA
ing-room-only event in her classleadership has brought to the
room. During these site visits, as
bargaining table concrete ideas
we discuss the UTLA escalating
on how LAUSD and UTLA can
action commitment cards and
collaborate to take the lead in
as completed cards pour in, it
curriculum, instruction, school
is such a pleasure to see vibrant
improvement, and increasing
classrooms like Akimi’s. It conenrollment?
nects me with my 22 years of
Perhaps most disappointteaching in South Los Angeles.
ing, Cortines’ letter cast UTLA
It is also a good reminder of
members as selfish and as opwhat we’re fighting for in the
posing the interests of students,
Schools L.A. Students Deserve
parents, and unions representing
campaign: safe and top-flight Alex Caputo-Pearl speaks with parents at a community forum at RFK other LAUSD employees. This is
learning conditions for students, Community Schools. Read more about UTLA’s community work—in- a defensive reaction to our unquality working conditions for cluding a new Public Education Roundtable and a grant to support precedented level of engagement
educators, and authentic input undocumented students—on page 9.
with all of these groups.
for parents and community.
The number of schools idenThe bargaining proposals that we have that there will be at least an 8% increase tifying members as Chapter Parent Action
brought to LAUSD reflect these very basic in K-12 spending next year.
Liaisons to work with parents in school
LAUSD has refused to give us a counter communities is increasing daily.
concepts. Our work to secure full funding
for employees’ health benefits reflects these to our proposal to reduce class size and
We are meeting with the presidents of
basics. Our support for Bennett Kayser and increase the number of nurses, librarians, all unions representing LAUSD employees
George McKenna in the March 3 School counselors, and social-emotional/restor- every month, and are jointly beginning
Board races is founded
negotiations with the
upon these basics.
District over health benAs strange as it may
efits, and jointly planning
seem, in today’s political
the February 10 “StickOur upcoming events represent our escalation toward mass
climate, we have to fight
ing Up for Health Care”
action, and we need 100% member participation in them:
tooth-and-nail to make
action, which will build
• February 10 “Sticking Up for Health Care” at school and work
progress on these basic
unity across all workers
priorities. We have to orsites in partnership with all other LAUSD unions.
at sites (more on page
ganize intensively, build
6). In addition, we have
• February 12 picketing and parent leafleting at school and work
power and coalitions,
been working with these
sites to build community support.
and apply pressure to deunions in support of
• Now through the March 3 elections, work to get Bennett Kayser
cision-makers. That’s the
living wages, immigrant
elected in Board District 5 and to have the Schools L.A. Students
only way we will make
rights, and an innovative
Deserve campaign drive the debate in Board District 3.
progress—not through
effort to build a Teacher
• February 26 citywide rally at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.
a few small-room negoAssistant Career Ladder
tiations between officers
that would support our
and superintendents, but through mass ative justice supports for our students. In great teaching assistants who want to
action of our members, parents, and com- the superintendent’s first week back on become educators and contribute to comthe job in October, as UTLA organized a munity economic development.
munity together.
citywide “Sticking Up for Smaller Class
We have convened a path-breaking
Sizes and Increased Staffing” action, and Public Education Roundtable with 15 comCortines letter shows our
as he saw a science class with more than munity and advocacy organizations that
organizing is working
We were disappointed to see Ramon 70 students, and a visual and performing meets monthly, exploring opportunities for
Cortines’ letter to all employees on January arts teacher who had almost 500 students joint work in support of educational justice
26—a letter he wrote in response to our on her roll, Cortines stated that class size (read more on page 9). One outgrowth of
organizing and that attacked us. We have was a priority. But, we have yet to receive this has been the work of UTLA leaders
been meeting with Cortines regularly, a counterproposal—not even a rescission Ayesha Brooks, Rosa Jimenez, Noah Lippeoften in productive problem-solving mode, of the fall District memo clearing the way Klein, Alex Orozco, and Gillian Russom
and we have been engaging in good-faith for class sizes to increase to 33 students in in building a “Black Lives Matter in Our
Schools and Classrooms” event for Februbargaining. We have adjusted our salary kindergarten through third grade.
Two weeks ago, LAUSD increased its ary 23 that is co-sponsored with the Calidemand and other proposals, as we toss
the ball back and forth with District nego- pay offer to 4% on-the-scale, in addition to fornia Conference on Equality and Justice,
tiators in hopes of making progress on an full-rate-paid buy-back days. Though not the Labor/Community Strategy Center, the
agreement for this academic year, some- sufficient, this was encouraging movement Schools L.A. Students Deserve Grassroots
thing we know our members deeply want. in the right direction. Yet, a few days later, Coalition, and Youth Justice Coalition.
Cortines should step out of defensive
In this context, we were surprised to Cortines sent his letter stating that LAUSD
receive Cortines’ letter, which many of our had no more room to move. This is not only mode, stop using scare tactics, and direct
members took as an insult. It used scare a surprising level of intransigence, but also his bargaining team to come to the table
tactics and the threat of layoffs to make very much out of step with cross-district with a willingness to negotiate around
the argument that our demands for fair comparisons, research, and what we know not only salary, class size, and staffing, but
compensation, smaller class sizes, full staff- about the future of the educator force. In also around TGDC, teacher jail, and other
ing, and improved working and learning maximum salary for educators, LAUSD cur- UTLA proposals. The recent PERB decision
(continued on next page)
rently ranks 47th out of 47 districts in L.A.
conditions are not fiscally possible.
President’s perspective
Time to step it up
Critical next steps
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
(continued from previous page)
finding that LAUSD illegally implemented
TGDC is another support for our demand
that it be permanently suspended (story
on page 5). The ongoing findings that John
Deasy inappropriately removed educators from schools are a consistent reminder
that our demand to tighten up contract
language that will protect student safety,
employee due process, and school stability
is a righteous demand (read about a housed
teacher’s return to the classroom on page 5).
School Board races are
deeply linked to our fight
Lauren Weiss and John Lincoln teach
at schools that are about 32 miles apart—
Mulholland Middle School and Southeast
Middle School, respectively. Across the distance, Lauren and John have in common that
they are leaders in coordinating work on the
absolutely critical 2015 School Board races,
which will shape our contract, who the permanent superintendent will be, and much
more. We very much need you involved.
John Lincoln is pounding the pavement,
and recruiting others to do the same, for
Bennett Kayser, in the Board District 5 race,
spanning from the southeast cities to Los
Feliz and Eagle Rock. For his entire life,
Kayser has stood for the principles of the
Schools L.A. Students Deserve campaign—
as a classroom teacher and UTLA activist, a
neighborhood leader, a national advocate in
the movement building awareness around
Parkinson’s Disease, and a member of the
LAUSD School Board. Through the most
intense times of John Deasy’s reign, Bennett
Kayser stood strong for students and educators. He has battled relentlessly for quality
public schools for all students, from early
childhood to adult education, and for respect
for the education profession. Kayser is up
against a candidate with major funding from
the corporate “reformers” and who has been
a leader in the corporate charter movement,
which has undermined equity and access
in public schools. We need you involved.
See page 7 for details on how to volunteer.
Lauren Weiss is pounding the pavement, and recruiting others to do the same,
to build awareness around the Schools
L.A. Students Deserve campaign, so that
its principles become the guiding frame
in the Board District 3 election in the San
Fernando Valley. The incumbent, Tamar
Galatzan, has fallen short of supporting
these principles and needs to account for
this. There are several viable candidates
running against Galatzan, all of whom
have UTLA members, in unofficial capacities, working vigorously for them. To get
more information on this race, please
contact Valley area chairs Bruce Newborn
([email protected]) and Scott Mandel
([email protected]).
January 30, 2015
Letters to the editor
Deasy’s new gig
When I first read the L.A. Times headline
“Ex-schools Chief Deasy to Work for Leadership Academy of Eli Broad,” I thought
I was reading the satirical newspaper The
Onion. Then I remembered the Times editorial board backed Mr. Deasy to the very
end, so I guess they can take comfort in
their hero’s rapid career resurrection.
It’s very telling that the side article attached to this story is about the recent FBI
raid on Beaudry (LAUSD HQ) to take the
files related to Deasy’s iPadgate debacle,
which was the final straw that led to him
“resigning” in disgrace at the end of last year.
What a difference three months make
as now Deasy’s patron rewards him with
a lucrative position “training” others to
replicate the damage he did here. Seriously,
if all of this didn’t have such a negative
effect on L.A.’s youth, public education as
a whole, the livelihoods of tens of thousands of dedicated educators and support
staff, and cost the taxpayers billions of
dollars, all this would be very funny.
—E.R. Winston
UTLA member
Members react to LAUSD’s 4% offer
UTLA members took to our Facebook page
(UTLAnow) to share their reactions to the 4%
raise offer from the District.
Clean, safe schools, well staffed, and a just
and a deserved cost-of-living increase—that
is what we demand. Our students deserve
qualified professionals; they cannot believe
how little we get paid! We know smaller
Members ask: Strike Q&A
Will a strike affect my retirement?
Your CalSTRS service credit for retirement may be reduced because you are not
being paid while on a strike. To earn a full
year of service credit, a CalSTRS member
must earn his or her full annual salary,
but there are ways to gain service credit:
1. California law allows CalSTRS to
use up to 2/10 of one year of unused
sick leave credit to qualify for a benefit
enhancement that comes from unused
full-pay illness (approximately 40 days
of full-pay unused illness days). Examples of benefit enhancements include
the 0.2 percent career factor if a member
retires with at least 30 years of service,
and the one-year final compensation
factor (rather than an average of the
best three years) if one is retiring with
at least 25 years of service credit.
2. Service credit is earned for additional work beyond the contract school
year, and such credit goes into the member’s Defined Benefit Supplement (DBS)
Account. If the member does not have
a full year of service credit, CalSTRS
will supplement credit earned from the
DBS account to the member’s Defined
Benefit Account. This credit can only
be done within the same fiscal year the
credit was earned. Examples of additional work include Summer School,
Saturday School, Replacement Pay, and
Auxiliary Pay.
Yes, we are very grateful to have a career
with a pension and health insurance. But
you can’t get a toe hold into the middle class
in Southern California with the salary that
LAUSD is currently paying its teachers.
—Andre Noble
Didn’t the District just spend months
first trying to convince us they were offering something close to 8%, then 6% (they
weren’t really but that’s what they were
claiming), and now they’re coming at us
with 4%, plus a little more for actually
working extra days, and we’re supposed
to believe they’ve “upped” their offer?
—Jean Caravella
Not good enough! Strike! Strike! Strike!
—Grace Sarmiento
Fight for what is right! We can do this!
—Sylvia Garcia
It is time to kick it up and stop the gameplaying and stalling around! We deserve
to be compensated! We are all so overdue
for a fair and equitable raise that reflects
the years of pay cuts and lack of cost of
living increases! PD days are NOT a raise
and should not be entertained as such!
—Julie Schaller
How about a one-day job action?
—William Mernin
UTLA is awakening! We don’t have time
for games anymore.
—Matty Lopez
In this issue
4
UTLA members lead the nation again in new NBCTs
Rigorous and prestigious program requires both commitment
and dedication.
6
Q&A on organizing for our health benefits
How do they fit into contract talks?
7 School Board 2015
9
Speaking out: Are we teachers or prison guards?
Being forced to search our own students damages classroom
morale and does not make our schools safer.
11 Milestones
5 UTLA wins ruling on
teacher evaluation
6 Unity in red
20 House of Representatives
results
21 Union dues for tax
purposes
22 Involvement opportunity:
CTA State Council
We must do this together
We need 100% participation to win a
good contract and to move forward on
the Schools L.A. Students Deserve campaign. In preparation for this fight and
to support the necessary organizing, the
UTLA House of Representatives voted 212
to 13 to move $3 million from the strike
fund to the general fund. Take a look at the
critical next steps listed on the facing page
and make a commitment to participate.
Relish the connections you feel and the
unity you build as you take part in this
work at your sites, and I will look forward
to seeing you on February 26 downtown!
class size works. Continue the fight!
—Haydee Licari
27 Grapevine
Get connected to UTLA
Facebook: facebook.com/UTLAnow
Twitter: @utlanow
YouTube: youtube.com/UTLAnow
New National Board Certified educators sign the UTLA banner in support of the
Schools L.A. Students Deserve campaign. See the list of new NBCTs on page 4.
3
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
UTLA members lead the nation again in new NBCTs
Rigorous and prestigious program requires both commitment and dedication.
At an annual event held at the UTLA
building, UTLA and the Support Network
celebrated on December 11 the amazing
accomplishments of the 128 LAUSD
teachers who have met the rigorous standards as National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards. This
year, LAUSD again gained the largest
number of newly certified NBCTs in the
nation. Since 1997, there have been 2,509
educators who certified while teaching
in LAUSD. UTLA is proud to have an
NBCT on its current leadership team:
UTLA Secretary Dan Barnhart has been
certified for 10 years.
National Board Certification is a voluntary high-stakes assessment program
designed to recognize and reward accomplished teachers. It is one of the profession’s
highest distinctions. The process involves
written exercises that probe the depth of a
candidate’s content knowledge and pedago-
On December 11, UTLA and the Support Network celebrated the accomplishments of the 128 LAUSD teachers who achieved National Board
Certification this year. For the second year in a row, our district led the nation in the number of newly certified teachers.
National Board Certified Teachers
Class of 2014
James Aardema
Maria Elena Aguilar
Yelda Aguilar
Mariana Astorga
Teary August
Lisette Blanco-Varela
Brian Bleser
Fabiola Caicedo-Garcia
Laura Casares
Adriana Castelo
Maureen Catapia
Marian Ceja
Jennie Chacon
Fernando Chavez
Jorge Chia
Erika Coronado
Zachary Cue
Danielle Dagilis
Michal Danin-Kreiselman
Mariam Davidian
Wesley Degracia
Michael Dutra
Liza Elcayam
Maria Elizondo
Parrish Erickson
Oscar Espinoza
Yanira Estrada
Darlene Faraone
Tiffany Francis
Katharina Franck
Wendy Fudale
Jane Fuller
Yosi Garcia-Aguilar
Martha Garibay
Ramona Gedney
Jean Gennis
Roman Gomez
Alejandra Guillen
Jessica Guinn
Esther Hamm
Leslie Hayden
Charlotte Higuchi
Marjorie Hollander
4
Yvonne Huang
Tamuka Hwami
Adrienne Johnston
Cristina Kelesides
Faiza Khanmohamed
Nina Klein
Michiyo Kobayashi
Samantha Laine
Felicia Linares
Patricia Lomeli
Rachael Lopezlavalle
Jennifer Mack
Arno Madathian
Elva Madrigal
Laura Mageary-Mayoral
Shayleen Mallick
Kelly Maloney
Jackelyn Mandel
Joseph Masia
Marla Mattenson
Marcelina Maynor
Hannah Mcdowell
Kimberly Mclean
Jonna Meamber
Betty Mephors
Judy Miller
Patricia Min
Lizbeth Noemi Montana
Karen Mullin
Dora Munoz Andrade
Karen Nelson-Holguin
Laura Neustaedter
Priyanka Nirmal
Rachel Oh
Linda Orijel
Eva Orozco
Josefina Palma
Janet Patton
Monica Pedroza
Abigail Pena
Maricris Perez
Jyson Pham
My-Chi Pham
Lisa Picarella
Violeta Preciado
Edgar Pulachet
Laura Quintanar
Shekiba Rahh
Jane Raphael
Douglas Reisgen
Elia Reyes
Ceila Rios
Inez Rivera
Carmen Rodriguez
Marta Rodriguez
Mar Ruiz
John Ruppenthal
Candice Ryu
Thuy Sarmiento
Elliot Scaife
Rory Schaefer
Chunchi Shen
Stacey Simmons
Lissette Sisco
Su Yong Song
Allison Speight
Angelo Spyropoulos
Julianne Thongma
Nicolette Tiberio
Charles Toots
Claudia Torres
Jennifer Trickett
Kristine Tserunyan
Courtney Valencia
Andrea Vandunk
Perla Vega
Angelita Vestuto
Raquel Villalta
Cecily Vizas
Nivia Vizurraga
Jamie Weeks
Erika Whittemore
Derek Willard
Teresa Marie Williams
Kennis Wong
gy. Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board
Certification have met rigorous standards
through intensive study, expert evaluation,
self-assessment, and peer review. The work
amounts to 200 to 400 hours on top of an
already full teaching load. Candidates can
take up to three years to certify.
Corona Elementary teacher Alejandra
Guillen decided to try for certification after
getting involved on many levels at her
school, including being a mentor and RSP
teacher, leading school councils, and, at her
previous school, serving as UTLA chapter
chair for five years.
Guillen had colleagues who had gone
through the National Board process and
knew it would be challenging.
“It’s a rigorous process but well worth
it,” Guillen said. “It puts student achievement, your impact on students, at the
center of everything, whether it’s decisions made in the classroom or a school
site council meeting. It also made me stop
and reflect over and over on my teaching.
As educators, sometimes we don’t do
that enough.”
UTLA Secretary Daniel Barnhart successfully renewed his certification this
year. He spoke at the ceremony at the
UTLA building, thanking the new NBCTs
for pursuing a process that embraces what
teachers know to be true about best professional practices.
“The corporate reform movement sends
so many destructive messages—that
getting to know students and their communities in a deep and meaningful way,
that your years of experience and depth of
knowledge aren’t worth much,” Barnhart
said. “Going for National Board certification is a stand against the movement that
seeks to devalue what teaching means and
that says that almost anyone, with a high
GPA and a few weeks of training, can do
what we do, and make a meaningful difference in kids’ lives.”
Only 43 percent of NBCT candidates
achieve certification each year on average.
To help teachers through the process,
many LAUSD candidates join the Support
Network, a joint UTLA-LAUSD program
headquartered at UTLA that offers facilitated workshops and peer support. It is
Support Network coordinator Michael de la
Torre congratulates a new NBCT on achieving
National Board certification.
the largest union-sponsored program of
its kind in the country.
“These extraordinary results confirm
the dedication of LAUSD teachers who
demonstrated their willingness to take on a
challenge in tough times,” said Michael de
la Torre, NBCT, coordinator of the Support
Network. “Their efforts show their commitment not only to their students and
to their practice, but also to the teaching
profession.”
Successful LAUSD candidates receive
a 15 percent salary increase (for which
they must work an additional 92 hours
a year), a benefit negotiated by UTLA
to encourage accomplished educators
to stay in the classroom. Achieving
certification also pays off for students
and the profession. Studies show that
NBC teachers have a positive impact
on student learning and achievement
and that nearly half work in high-needs
schools in the U.S.
If you are interested in pursuing National Board Certification, please visit
www.thesupportnetwork.net for more information or contact Michael de la Torre
at [email protected].
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Art teacher returns to class after eight months in teacher jail
After standing up to administration, Stuart Lutz was housed over minor allegations.
South Gate Middle School students are
once again painting watercolor wildlife
scenes—along with other art projects—
now that art teacher Stuart Lutz is back
in the classroom after spending eight
months in “teacher jail” for minor allegations related to school fundraising.
His was yet another case that exposed
the District’s misuse of teacher jail for issues
that have nothing to do with student or
staff safety. In the months leading up to his
removal from school, Lutz, as the chapter
chair, had been asking administration tough
questions about a number of issues, including the insufficient number of restrooms,
“Stuart was using the same desire to
help kids to raise important issues with
administration,” current chapter chair
Tobie Priest said.
Within days of alerting the LAUSD
Inspector General’s office to a potential
misuse of student funds at the school, Lutz
found himself removed from his classroom.
“For standing up and speaking out on
behalf of both our teachers and our students for what I felt was right, I was sent
to teacher jail,” Lutz said.
Pulling Lutz from South Gate, where
he coordinates beloved events such as
South Gate Idol, Teachers Got Talent, and
Dancing With the
Students, destabilized the school
and deprived students of a top-level
arts education.
“What
our
school experienced was devastating,” teacher
Bo Adler said.
“By losing Stuart,
we lost our visual
arts program. We
lost a friend and
colleague.”
The South Gate
The community put pressure on LAUSD to return Lutz to the school
with protests such as this one in front of the school in May. Parents, community and
students, and educators worked together and planned rallies, met with the UTLA South
elected officials, spoke before the School Board, and circulated a petition Area did not stay
calling for Lutz’s return.
silent when Lutz
was pulled from
questionable budget expenditures, and the the school. Parents, students, and educaarbitrary cancellation of student programs. tors worked together and planned protests,
His activism was appreciated by his col- met with elected officials, spoke before the
leagues and acknowledged as another way LAUSD School Board and South Gate City
Lutz was dedicated to the school.
Council, and circulated petitions calling for
Committee bulletin board
Upcoming meetings
The following committees also meet
on the same day as the House of Representatives from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (unless
noted) in the UTLA building: Arts EducaElementary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA tion Committee, Asian-Pacific Education,
building.
Bilingual Education Committee, Chicano/
Secondary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA Latino Education, Gay & Lesbian Issues,
building.
Health & Human Services, Human
African-American Education Commit- Rights, Inner City, Instructional Coaches,
tee: 4 p.m., UTLA building.
Kindergarten Teachers, Library ProfesCapably Disabled Teachers Committee: sionals (4:45-6 p.m.), Middle Schools,
4 p.m., UTLA building.
Multi-Track/Year-Round Schools, NonPACE Committee: 6:30 p.m., UTLA Classroom/Non-School Site, Options
building.
Committee, Physical Education Action
and Dance, Professional Rights & Responsibilities, Pre-Retirement Issues, Salary &
Finance, School/ Community Relations,
UTLA/AFT 1021 General Membership
School Readiness Language Development
Meeting: UTLA building.
Program, Secondary School Counselors,
Special Education, Substitutes, Violence
Prevention & School Safety, Women’s
Unjustly Housed Teachers Committee: Education. The National Board Certified Teachers Standing Committee: For
3:05 p.m., UTLA building.
meeting dates please check calendar at
www.utla.net.
FEBRUARY 4
FEBRUARY 5
FEBRUARY 17
FEBRUARY 18
UTLA House of Representatives: 6
p.m., UTLA building.
Substitute Committee General
Meeting: UTLA building.
FEBRUARY 20
Adult and Occupational Education: 5:30
p.m., UTLA building.
Lutz’s return.
Parent Luz
Ruiz, who had a
son in Lutz’s class
and a daughter
who won South
Gate Idol, was one
of the many who
rallied in front
of the school last
spring.
“I hope this
sends a message
that we won’t
allow this,” Ruiz
said. “We will
make our voices Stuart Lutz speaks with the media on December 17, the day he returned
heard.”
to his classroom after eight months in teacher jail. “It’s so great to know
That community that so many people were working so hard on my behalf for this homesupport, along with coming,” he said. “I’m extremely delighted to be back where I belong,
consistent UTLA and to do what I love doing most—teaching.”
pressure and a
change in LAUSD leadership, led to a posi- file cases—including the removal of science
tive outcome. At UTLA’s urging LAUSD took teacher Greg Schiller and choir instructor
a second look at allegations and evidence Iris Stevenson—that sparked outrage in the
against Lutz and then sent him back to his community and increased scrutiny of the
ongoing abuse of teacher jail.
school.
Lutz’s case follows several other high-pro(continued on page 25)
UTLA wins ruling on teacher
evaluation
PERB finds LAUSD violated law by imposing four-level
evaluation rating system.
UTLA has scored another legal victory
on a key issue for members. In late December, a Public Employment Relations Board
administrative law judge ruled that L.A.
Unified violated state bargaining laws by
unilaterally imposing the Teacher Growth
and Development process on educators.
This decision provides an opportunity to
organize even more strongly to end TGDC.
UTLA filed an unfair labor practice
complaint with PERB against LAUSD in
June 2013, after the District, under thenSuperintendent John Deasy, implemented
the TGDC observation process without negotiating with UTLA. Specifically, LAUSD
tried to implement a four-level teacher
rating system for classroom observation:
ineffective, developing, effective, and
highly effective. These ratings are not part
of the UTLA-LAUSD contract or the supplemental evaluation agreement approved
by a vote of UTLA members in 2012. As
required by law, changes to the evaluation
process must be negotiated with UTLA
before they can be implemented.
If the PERB judge’s ruling against
LAUSD stands, the District would have
to stop the evaluation process and would
have to compensate UTLA members for
any financial losses incurred as a direct
result of the four-level observation rating
system. PERB also ordered the District to
cease and desist from:
• unilaterally implementing policies
within the scope of representation.
• interfering with employees’ right to
be represented by their union.
• interfering with the right of UTLA
to represent its members in negotiations.
The District has until February 17 to
appeal the ruling to the full five-member
PERB board, and it can continue using the
four-level system pending the outcome of
that appeal.
The unilateral implementation of the
four-level system is yet another example of
former superintendent Deasy’s top-down,
autocratic leadership style, which continues
to cost LAUSD resources and money. As
the search for Deasy’s successor continues,
the PERB case underscores the need for a
superintendent who supports collaboration with educators and who obeys the
law without being drawn before a judge.
The PERB ruling follows UTLA’s legal
victory last month against the L.A. Times, in
which the Court of Appeal found that it’s
not in the public interest to publish teacher
names and scores, rejecting the newspaper’s effort to print the Academic Growth
Over Time results and names of individual
teachers. The California Supreme Court
denied review of the appellate court decision, effectively affirming the court’s ruling.
No changes to evaluation system right
now: Pending an appeal or a new agreement
at the bargaining table, there is no change
to the way teacher evaluations currently are
being done at your school. Although there
are no changes now, it is a top priority to
permanently suspend TGDC, which UTLA
is pursuing in negotiations. We also have a
proposal on the table to let teachers opt out
of TGDC this year if they choose. In addition,
our proposal would combine all systems that
support and develop professional learning:
new teacher induction, mentors, PAR, NBCT,
and professional development.
5
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Q&A on organizing for our health benefits
How do they fit into contract talks?
A major focus of UTLA’s organizing efforts
is standing in solidarity with all eight LAUSD
employee unions to make sure the District does
not cut our health benefits. The unions, representing more than 60,000 District employees,
have agreed to start negotiations now on health
benefits for 2016.
Are employee health benefits
part of the current UTLA-LAUSD
contract negotiations?
No. Negotiations for health benefits are
separate from UTLA’s contract talks with
LAUSD and are conducted jointly with all
eight LAUSD employee unions through
the Health Benefits Committee (HBC).
Is employee health care
coverage secure for 2015?
Yes, it is locked in for the 2015 calendar
year, due to a provision in the 2012 health
benefits agreement that rolled over coverage provided there were sufficient funds
in the Health Benefits Reserve. The HBC
successfully managed the funds to have
the necessary surplus.
That 2012 three-year agreement was a
major achievement. It secured the benefit
programs with no monthly costs to employees from 2012 to 2015 and provided
health care stability during volatile economic times.
When do negotiations
begin for 2016?
Negotiations for the 2016 calendar year
will begin soon. UTLA is meeting regularly
with the leadership of all of the other LAUSD
employee unions to develop a joint strategy.
What is the goal for health
benefits negotiations?
We will continue to negotiate aggressively with the District to ensure that sufficient
funds are used to maintain our coverage
and maintain our ability to choose from
multiple health care provider plans. We will
fight, as we have successfully in the past,
Unity in red
Thanks to the 300-plus
schools that have sent in their
red T-shirt pics since the first
Big Red Tuesday on September
30. The input has been amazing.
We will keep using as many as
we can in the coming months.
When we wear red on Tuesdays, we tell the District that we
are united behind our bargaining demands and the Schools
L.A. Students Deserve. Keep the
red growing!
any District attempts to roll back benefits,
such as eliminating lifetime coverage or instituting monthly payroll deductions from
members for health care premium costs.
LAUSD employees continue to be
covered by a strong and reliable plan, and
we have bucked the national trend to slash
coverage and/or shift a greater share of
costs for premiums and co-pays to employees. UTLA is one of the few teacher unions
in the state where members pay no monthly
premium for individual or family coverage
and are eligible for lifetime health care upon
retirement, depending on length of service.
Our health care package is relied on by tens
of thousands of active and retired members
and it serves as an effective employee retention and recruitment tool.
How does our organizing for the
contract campaign link with health
benefits negotiations?
They are inextricably linked, and success
in health benefits negotiations will take the
Sticking Up for Health Care Day: Join your
brothers and sisters in other LAUSD employee
unions and wear a sticker on February 10 in
support of our fight to keep our health care.
Stickers were distributed to chapter chairs at
the January 28 Area meetings.
same game plan as success in contract
talks: organized school sites, full member
engagement, and meaningful alliances
with parents, community members, and
other LAUSD unions.
Are health benefits paid
for out of a special fund?
No, health benefits are part of our
overall compensation package and are
paid for out of the LAUSD general fund,
which is the same fund that pays for
potential salary increases and class-size
decreases.
What is the Health
Benefits Committee?
L.A. Academy Middle School
The union-majority Health Benefits
Committee, which was negotiated and
established in 1993, is comprised of one
representative from each of the nine employee unions and one representative
from the District. The HBC was born out
of the idea that union representatives,
working together, could make better decisions about benefits for employees than
the previous District-led committee with
token union representation.
How does the Health Benefits
Committee help keep strong
plans for employees?
Charles Kim Elementary
Sun Valley Magnet School
6
Northridge Middle School
The HBC has been key to maintaining a
strong health benefits program for active
and retired employees in a number of ways:
• The HBC is empowered to negotiate with health insurance companies,
which it does so aggressively to keep
costs down.
• Having all the unions bargain together
for health care gives us added strength at
the table.
• The HBC established the Health Benefits Reserve, which has proven invaluable in keeping coverage when plan costs
go up. Any money saved as a function
of the HBC’s actions is placed in this
reserve. LAUSD has attempted at times
to raid the reserve to help balance its
budget in other areas, but the HBC held
firm, because the fund exists expressly to
absorb increased benefit costs from the
providers and to ensure that member
benefits continue.
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
March 3 Primary Election
Help reelect UTLA-endorsed Bennett Kayser to the School Board
UTLA-wide support will help keep a veteran educator in office.
On March 3, voters will be casting
ballots in primary elections for School
Board District seats 1, 3, 5, and 7. In District 1, UTLA has endorsed Dr. George
McKenna, who is running unopposed
after winning a special election with
concerted support from UTLA and our
state and national affiliates. UTLA’s foremost focus for the primary election is the
reelection of stalwart public education
advocate Bennett Kayser in District 5.
The voters had it right in 2011
In his original run for School Board,
Bennett Kayser fought an uphill battle
against a well-funded opponent. UTLA
concertedly engaged District 5 voters in
support of Kayser through phone banks,
precinct walks and mailers. Voters saw
the importance of electing an experienced
LAUSD classroom veteran to the Board. Over the past four years, Bennett
Kayser has led the fight to make sure that
our education dollars are going into classrooms, not the bureaucracy of the school
district. Kayser has targeted wasteful
spending on computer programs that
don’t work and led the fight against the
costly student iPad purchases. Kayser
believes that LAUSD must successfully
serve students from early childhood education to career tech and adult education.
He helped bring back a committee structure that promotes more transparency for
our communities and other stakeholders.
Kayser has championed class-size reduction and fully funded schools with the
services students deserve.
A man who understands
special needs
Kayser is proud to be one of very
few elected officials nationally who is
serving with Parkinson’s disease, and
he is honored to represent the millions
of Americans with disabilities and the
more than 70,000 LAUSD students (15%
of the student population) with special
needs.
He has led efforts to grow the District’s
supper program and to serve 80,000 additional students, many of whom would go
home hungry otherwise. Kayser has been
an advocate for undocumented students
and their families around such issues
as student access to work visas, calling
for a halt to deportations and breaking
up noncriminal undocumented families,
and promoting access to driver’s licenses
under the new AB 60 law.
YES! I’LL VOLUNTEER
Volunteer now to help elect School Board members who protect students, public education and our rights as teachers and health & human
services professionals.
UTLA Building Phone Bank & Phone
Bank-In-A-Box Operations
Member to member outreach
These are some of the reasons
why Bennett Kayser is endorsed
by fellow LAUSD veteran educators and School Board members
Dr. George McKenna, Monica
Ratliff, and Steve Zimmer.
Kayser is part of a team whose
history of service within LAUSD
enables them to understand that
our schools need to improve,
not by being turned over to corporate operators and privatization promoters, but by steering
LAUSD to greater success based on what
works in the classroom.
Reelecting Kayser will take UTLAwide participation by members
Bennett Kayser faces two challengers
in the primary election. Andrew Thomas
is a Marshall High School parent who is
an educational researcher and teaches at
Walden University. Ref Rodriguez is a
charter school operator. The backers of
corporate charters and privatization have
targeted this race, and spending will yet
again be a big factor.
Where will we stand if corporate interests and political ambitions are able to buy
this election? Reelecting Bennett Kayser in
March will take UTLA-wide participation by members who volunteer their
time to engage the voters in School
Board District 5. On this page you will
be able to locate a number of avenues for
campaign participation; these include
UTLA-based phone banking, phone
banks-in-a-box, and phone banking
and precinct walking at the North Field
Office in Eagle Rock and the South Field
Office in Huntington Park.
By volunteering just three hours
you can help reelect a veteran classroom teacher and dedicated School
Board member. See info below on how
to sign up.
UTLA recommendations for March 3 Elections
LAUSD School Board
District 1.......................................................... Dr. George McKenna
District 5.................................................................. Bennett Kayser
Community College Board of Trustees
Seat 1......................................................................Francesca Vega
Seat 3................................................................... Sydney Kamlager
Seat 5...................................................................... Scott Svonkin*
Seat 7..............................................................................Mike Fong
3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
To volunteer, contact Susan Douglas at (213) 368-6230 or [email protected]
Los Angeles City Council
District 6................................................................. Cindy Montañez
Mondays-Thursdays, Jan. 27-March 3.......................................4:30-8 p.m.
Bell City Council
General Municipal Seat................................... Fidencio Joel Gallardo
Saturdays & Sundays, Feb. 21 & 22 – Feb. 28 & March 1.......12:30-4 p.m.
North Field Office
5015 Eagle Rock Blvd., 2nd Floor, Room 226, Los Angeles, CA 90041
To volunteer, contact Shaun Henson at (323) 250-6304
Mondays-Thursdays, Jan. 26-March 3.......................................4-7:30 p.m.
(phone banking & precinct walking)
Saturdays & Sundays................................................................12-4 p.m.
(phone banking & precinct walking)
South Field Office
5960 Santa Fe Ave., Huntington Park, CA 90255
To volunteer, contact Julian Zatarian at (323) 841-6380
Huntington Park
General Municipal Seat................................................Graciela Ortiz
General Municipal Seat...............................................Jhonny Pineda
General Municipal Seat........................................... Marilyn Sanabria
*Friendly incumbent
Vote by mail: Applying is quick and easy
Voting by mail is the easiest way to cast your ballot on March 3: After
your application approved, a vote by mail ballot will be mailed to you,
and you can either mail back the ballot or drop it off at any polling
place on Election Day. Applying is quick and can be competed online.
Mondays-Thursdays, Jan. 26-March 3.......................................4-7:30 p.m.
(phone banking & precinct walking)
Register to vote: http://registertovote.ca.gov
Deadline to register is February 17
Saturdays & Sundays................................................................12-4 p.m.
(phone banking & precinct walking)
Apply to vote by mail: http://bit.ly/1x6E9VB
Applications accepted February 2-24
Paid for by Political Action Council of Educators (United Teachers Los Angeles) and Political Action Council of Educators, Sponsored by Teachers Unions, Including United Teachers Los Angeles (3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los
Angeles, CA 90010; 213-487-5560). Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
7
No matter what your resolution is this year — whether it’s getting healthier or building stronger
relationships — physical activity can help you focus and achieve your goals. It’s a win-win.
Celebrate fitness
This month, start the habit of waking up early to move that body. Try these 3 tips for success:
Place your alarm far away.
The farther, the better
(within earshot). By the
time you turn it off, you’ll
be up on your feet.
Get some sunrays.
When your eyes sense light, your brain
starts to feel alert and energized, so soak
up those rays by standing near an open
window or by placing your bed to face east.
For inspiration, visit kp.org/fitness.
Services covered under a Kaiser Permanente health plan are provided and/or arranged by Kaiser Permanente health plans: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan,
Inc., in Northern and Southern California and Hawaii • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Nine
Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-364-7000 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., in Maryland,
Virginia, and Washington, D.C., 2101 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite
100, Portland, OR 97232. Self-insured plans are administered by Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company, One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612.
Please recycle. 60245209 November 2014
Prepare the night before.
Get your workout clothes,
shoes, and favorite playlist
ready, so you’re good to
go first thing the next day.
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Speaking out
Are we teachers or prison guards?
Being forced to search our own students damages classroom morale and does not make our schools safer.
By Vitaly
Central High School
In 2007, I began teaching in a self-contained classroom located within a Section
8 housing community. I am the only credentialed person at this location. As part
of a larger LAUSD continuation school,
this classroom serves students who have
been kicked out or pushed out of traditional schools. Many of our students have
been stereotyped as criminals and abused
by police, parents, or other adults, and
they come to us with a profound distrust
of authority. Having survived the many
pressures that compel students in similar
circumstances to drop out of school permanently, they are giving adults like me
a second (or a third, or fourth) chance to
prove our trustworthiness and integrity.
It requires a great deal of patience, con-
sistency, trust, and respect to soften their
initial defensiveness.
With much effort on all sides, the environment these students have created
in our classroom is the safest, most welcoming, and inclusive campus I have
experienced in my 14 years of service
with LAUSD and my 21 years as an educator. In many ways, it is a model of
safety and support for students’ academic
progress and for healing from psychosocial trauma. Contrary to the prevailing
stereotypes, my students have never acted
out violently in class. By implementing
student-centered dialogue, restorative
practices, and conflict transformation
models, we have developed an atmosphere that is truly enjoyable and one
that promotes students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and grow as human beings.
This tranquil sanctuary is recognized and
UTLA secures grant to support
undocumented students
NEA Minority Community Organizing and Partnerships
funds will go to establish the Dreamers Network Project.
UTLA and our partners have been
awarded a $50,000 NEA Minority Community Organizing and Partnerships
Grant for a wide-ranging project to
support undocumented students and
their families.
The grant will go toward establishing the Dreamers Network Project, a
group of trained educators, counselors,
administrators, parent coordinators, and
youth organizers who will offer support
to undocumented students and lowincome students of color on a variety of
issues—from help with higher education opportunities and scholarships to
outreach on immigration reform measures that could prevent deportation
and allow legal employment.
The Dreamers Network Project will
also seek to support existing Dream
Centers at local high schools and colleges and establish Dream Centers at
additional sites. Creating Dream Centers
in schools that are supported by community partners will provide lasting capacity to provide services and resources for
undocumented youth and low-income
students and their families.
“Dreamers” is the term used for undocumented people who were brought
to the U.S. as children. LAUSD is home
to thousands of Dreamers, who after
high school graduation often find themselves with limited college and workforce options because of their undocumented status.
UTLA applied for the grant in
partnership with the CSUN California Faculty Association Chapter, the
Alhambra Teachers Association, and
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los
Angeles (AAAJ-LA), the largest Asian
American civil rights organization in
the country. AAAJ-LA has secured additional funding to support the project.
“As an undocumented person, being
able to live without the fear of deportation is relieving,” said a student leader
and intern working with AAAJ. “It is a
weight lifted off my shoulders because I
can work and live in California without
feeling like a criminal. The immigration
reform measures, including the ability
to get a driver’s license, may not be full
legalization, but they have opened many
doors for me, my family, and many other
undocumented families.”
The NEA gives Minority Community
Organizing and Partnerships grants to
support local unions in engaging with
community organizations around increasing student achievement and creating union roles to build capacity to
engage community partners. “We are so gratified to be awarded
this grant to do this important work and
enhance our partnerships with communities and parents,” says Arlene Inouye,
UTLA treasurer and one of the grant
writers. “Immigration reform is bringing
new hope to our students, a great number
of whom are undocumented, and we want
to make sure they have the tools and resources to seize these opportunities.”
Look for more information in a future
UNITED TEACHER on how you can be
part of the Dreamers Network Project.
respected by students, parents, and the
broader community.
A couple of years ago, I was told we
had to implement the LAUSD Random
Metal Detector Search Policy (BUL 5424.1).
School administrators intermittently travelled to our classroom to conduct random
metal detector searches, and our students
not only lost class time that could have
been spent on academic work but also
consistently reported feeling anxiety and
anger, which kept them from being able
to refocus on their academic coursework
long after the searches were completed.
In each case, the random search brought
about a palpable tension in class that
interfered with our students’ academic
progress and triggered past trauma of
encounters with threatening authority
figures who abused their institutional
power. These searches never resulted in
the discovery of weapons. Implementing
this policy in our classroom had the opposite effect of the District’s stated intention; namely, the positive school climate
was compromised and students felt more
unsafe as a result.
Until recently, I felt largely supported
by my administration in co-creating this
respectful and peaceful environment
with students. Earlier this school year,
however, I was told by my administration that implementing this policy was
now my responsibility. I am now being
required to search the students in my
classroom.
I have explained to my administrators
that given my relationship with my students and the safe, trusting, and respectful classroom dynamic we have created,
implementing this policy would have
detrimental effects on classroom morale
and student motivation. This directive
conflicts with my responsibilities as an
educator and is counter to the policy’s
own stated purpose. Additionally, this
directive compromises the sense of home,
family, and community felt by everyone
who enters our space. My administration
is now threatening disciplinary action
against me for not implementing this
policy, including a Notice of Unsatisfactory Act/Service, suspension without
pay, and/or dismissal. This is ostensibly
being done in the name of promoting
school safety.
There is no way for me to both conduct
this kind of search and honor my professional responsibility of providing meaningful instruction. I am not trained as a
security guard and acting like one would
certainly undermine the already safe environment my students and I have created.
Let us suppose for a moment that I
conducted this type of search in my classroom and found a lethal weapon on a
student with ill intent. I understand that I
must call school police. This would require
me to use the classroom phone and then
wait for however long it takes an officer to
drive to my site, find my classroom, and
(continued on page 15)
UTLA and partners convene
public education roundtable
Monthly sessions draw prominent groups together to
talk about equity in education.
A public education roundtable—the
first of its kind in Los Angeles linking
labor union and community organizations—has begun meeting to discuss how
to improve educational opportunities
for students.
The Roundtable on Quality Public
Education was convened by UTLA, the
Advancement Project, and UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access
(IDEA) to bring together groups concerned
with historic inequalities in our schools
and delivering a quality public education
to all children.
Participants are meeting monthly
during the 2014-15 school year for six
two-hour sessions, moderated by UCLA
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies professor John Rogers.
Each session will examine one facet of
the theme: How can Los Angeles public
schools address inequality and expand
opportunity?
Organizations taking part include the
Alliance of Californians for Community
Empowerment (ACCE), Advancing Justice,
Black Clergy Community and Labor Alliance, Community Asset Development
Redefining Education (CADRE), Community Coalition, Community Rights Campaign/LCSC, Inner City Struggle, One LA,
Pacoima Neighborhood Council, Schools
L.A. Students Deserve Grassroots Coalition,
SEIU 99, UCLA Labor Center, Union del
Barrio, and Youth Justice Coalition.
Through the sessions, UTLA will be able
to engage regularly with prominent community organizations, including groups
we have not always agreed with. Some
of these organizations have been on the
opposite side of important issues due to
external forces—such as the consistent
underfunding of public education—that
have divided potential natural allies from
one another.
As part of the Schools L.A. Students
Deserve campaign, UTLA is committed
to embracing new ways to build deep and
ongoing relationships with community
groups and other District unions.
9
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Practical matters: Overpayment notices
What triggers them and how to respond.
By Judith Bruner
UTLA Compensation
and Benefits Specialist
You’ve gotten an overpayment notice
and are in a panic. Why did this happen to
you? First, let’s talk about annualization.
Annualization and
overpayments
Simply put, annualization is the process
by which your annual salary is spread
out over 12 months while you work a 10month period of time. Annualized employees (which most LAUSD employees are)
are paid in advance of actually working
and for the third week of winter recess as
well as other unassigned days, such as
Labor Day Monday in September.
To earn your annual salary, you are required to be in paid status for 1,224 contract hours (for C basis, which most UTLA
members are) as noted on your pay stub in
the box headed “Hours Summary.” Those
hours include actual work days, illness
time in place of a work day, and holidays.
When employees do not complete the required number of contract hours to earn
their pay, they will find that they have
been overpaid as a result, and they’ll get
an overpayment notice from LAUSD or
perhaps from a collection agency if they
are former employees.
Causes of overpayments
Separation from service and unpaid leaves:
There are various reasons why employees
may not have earned their annual salary.
One of the most frequent causes is when an
employee retires or resigns or is separated
from service by LAUSD prior to the end
of the contract year. Another cause can be
when an employee takes an unpaid leave,
such as the unpaid portion of a maternity
leave, an FMLA leave to care for a member
of their family, or when serving a disciplinary suspension.
Time adjustments: In some cases, the
overpayment involves some type of time
adjustment, which usually means a correction of previously reported time for a
prior pay period. That one is particularly
difficult to figure out. The overpayment
notices give only very general information
and do not go into detail. Some past cases
have involved people inadvertently being
paid more full-pay illness time than they
are eligible for, so the time is adjusted to
half-pay illness and the employee owes
the difference between the full-pay and
half-pay illness. Some are due to changes
made by LAUSD Human Resources. On
occasion, Human Resources may not
process a retirement or resignation in time
to avoid the issuance of additional paychecks. LAUSD Payroll Services is totally
dependent on what HR program codes
are entered into the computer system.
Payroll Services does not do things of its
own volition.
Split assignment: Some overpayments
come as a result of a split assignment
wherein the schools do not correctly report
the time served at each location. Employees on split assignments need to carefully
track the hours reported from each location
each pay period to be sure they are correct
and keep a daily log of which sites they
report to each day. If they find a location
has not reported their hours, they need to
contact that school.
It is highly recommend that all employees access their time statements on
the District’s payroll system and compare
them against their pay stubs for accuracy.
If an employee does not know how to
access the time statements, call the LAUSD
Employee Service Center at (213) 241-6670
for assistance.
What to do if you receive
an overpayment notice
The first step if you get one of these
notices is to review your paycheck stubs
for the time period in question and be
aware of any status changes that may
have occurred because of the various
situations noted above. If your situation
mirrors one of the above scenarios, the
odds are that you’ve been overpaid. If
the notice indicates the overpayment is
the result of time adjustments, contact
your site’s time reporter for the details
because it may be the result of a reversal of prior reported time. If it indicates
the overpayment is due to HR (Human
Resources) adjustments, contact the
LAUSD Certificated Personnel Specialist
who services your location. The general
phone number for Certificated Personnel
is (213) 241-5100.
The second step is to contact LAUSD
Employee Services at (213) 241-6670 and
file what is known as a “service request.”
They will assign a “ticket number,” and a
staff member from LAUSD Payroll will get
back to you. It is critical that you not ignore
the overpayment notice but do respond
to it. Be aware that failure to respond can
result in the case moving on to a collection
agency or being referred to the County
Counsel’s Office for a possible court action.
Active employees need to be aware that
LAUSD has the right to begin repayment
deductions from their paychecks whether
or not the employees agree to it.
Check out the Grapevine page:
Workshops, exhibits, and more
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10
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
Milestones
Passings
Kenion is survived by his mother, sister,
and brother as well as seven nieces and
nephews.
After deadline, UT learned that
UTLA members Juliette Henry and
Sterling Rachootin have passed away.
Look for obituaries on these longtime
members in the February UT.
Marriages
In memoriam: Marc Sosniak
JAY GEHRINGER
Retired math teacher Marc Sosniak has
passed away. Marc was a true California
boy, born in Los Angeles, attending Crescent Heights Elementary, Pasteur Junior
High, and Hamilton High School. He graduated from UC Irvine and began his teaching career at Mount Vernon Junior High
(now Johnnie Cochran Middle School)
from 1974 to 1994, where he taught math
and worked with the stage crew.
From Mount Vernon he transferred to
Grant High, where he continued teaching
in the Math Department as well as being
involved with stage crew and theater. He
retired in 2008, carrying with him fond
memories of the many students he guided
and the multitude of theater productions
he helped put on. Some of his best times
were guiding students in the production
of live newscasts of school events.
Marc is survived by his wife, Christine;
his sister, Shelley; his son, Gregory; his
grandson, Erevis; his stepson, James; and
his grandson, Pharoah. Marc passed away
peacefully with his family by his side.
In memoriam: Jonathan Kenion
Longtime LAUSD instrumental music
teacher Jonathan Kenion passed away on
December 13 at the age of 52.
Kenion, who used music to bring out
the very best in young people, taught for
30 years at schools including Sun Valley
Middle School, Cortines High School for
the Visual and Performing Arts, and North
Hollywood High. At North Hollywood,
Kenion was director of concert band, jazz
ensemble, and orchestra, and took his students to play at the Playboy Jazz Festival,
among other noteworthy performances.
Jonathan joined the Walter Reed Middle
School community this year, but left when
he required hospitalization.
The Walter Reed Jazz Band, upon learning
of Kenion’s death only hours before, dedicated their performance at the Winter Family
Fun concert to Kenion, and a public concert
in Kenion’s honor was held last month at
North Hollywood High School, which is also
starting a scholarship in his name.
Newlyweds Dina Melendez and Rito Canales at
their wedding (above) and together at a UTLA
rally. Their bridesmaids, including Rosa Melendez (left) and Nicole Mitchell, wore UTLA
red for the wedding.
January 30, 2015
Four UTLA members have been selected to receive a Raytheon Engineering Is
Elementary teacher scholarship for 20142015. The scholarships will help the educators implement Engineering Is Elementary STEM curriculum from the Boston
Museum of Science in their classrooms.
The award covers tuition and travel to
attend a professional development workshop in Boston and has a value of $2,500.
The recipients are LaNelle Harvey of 93rd
Street Elementary School, David Owens of
96th Street Elementary, Robyn Tirschel of
96th Street Elementary, and Anna Gaiter
of Plainview Charter Academy.
Salvin Special Education Center’s
adapted physical education program,
taught by Barbara Hupp, Garrie Katznelson, and Joel Steingold, has won the exemplary program award from the California Association for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance’s
State Council on Adapted Physical
Education. The award acknowledges
exemplary people, programs, or services who have contributed to the field
of physical activity for individuals with
exceptional needs.
Salvin Special Education Center adapted P.E.
teachers Barbara Hupp, Garrie Katznelson,
and Joel Steingold, with Principal Joyce Sellers,
show off their exemplary program award from
CAHPERD.
To submit an item: Send details to Milestones, UNITED TEACHER, 3303 Wilshire
Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 or
[email protected]. Material must arrive at
least three weeks before publication date, and
please include a daytime phone number. Photos welcomed. We reserve the right to edit text
for length and clarity.
Sun Valley Magnet School students
create California native plant garden
Proud sister and Mulholland Middle
School teacher Rosa Melendez is happy
to share the news of the marriage of her
sister, Dina Melendez, to Rito Canales.
The couple, both UTLA members, met
at the 2010 UTLA Leadership Conference and, four years later, after continuing to be involved in and supporting
UTLA, they were married on December
13, 2014. Rosa says it is only fitting that
they chose UTLA red as their wedding
colors. Dina Canales (Melendez) is a
substitute teacher in the San Fernando
Valley and Rito Canales is the chapter
chair at Bertrand Elementary.
Professional achievements
Cleveland High School social studies
teacher Ferial Masry won the Indie Fest Film
award for Ode to My Mother, a documentary
on the life of her mother, who overcame
strict cultural barriers (including a marriage at age 14) to become an accomplished
Saudi Arabian artist and fashion designer.
Masry traveled to Lebanon last November
to receive her award for the film. The Indie
Fest is an international competition to recognize films that demonstrate exceptional
achievements in craft and creativity or contribute to positive social change. Masry has
released the movie within LAUSD as well as
to various universities and colleges, and it is
being used by women’s groups and ethnic
studies, art, and design classes. For more
information on the film, contact Masry at
[email protected].
Sun Valley Magnet
School’s Environmental Studies Through
Arts and Sciences
Academy collaborated with the Theodore
Payne Foundation
to create a California
Native Plant Garden on
the school’s campus.
The California Native
Plant Garden is part of
the academy’s projectbased learning.
The Theodore Payne
Foundation is dedicat- Theodore Payne Foundation director of outreach Lisa Novick and
ed to promoting and Sun Valley Magnet School Environmental Academy lead teacher
encouraging the use of Matthew Lesniak partnered in bringing a new California native
drought-tolerant Cali- plant garden to the school.
fornia native plants.
The garden was made possible by a grant materials and began soil preparation and
provided by the academy’s work with the planting the native plants. The California
Theodore Payne Foundation.
native plant garden is located in the library
As part of the project, more than 800 patio area.
academy students attended a presentation
Maintenance of the garden will occur
by Theodore Payne’s director of outreach, biweekly. To develop student ownerLisa Novick, and Matthew Lesniak, SVMS ship and pride, each academy classroom
Environmental Academy lead teacher. has been assigned specific maintenance
The presentation included detailed in- duties, such as weeding and watering. The
formation demonstrating the importance academy has plans to implement several
and positive impact that planting a Cali- lessons developed by the foundation, and
fornia native plant garden has on the local all teachers have been encouraged to use
environment and economy.
the garden area as a classroom learning
The following day academy students and center for their classes.
teachers participated in the preparation and
actual planting of the garden. Students and
To view Sun Valley Magnet School’s Califorclassroom teachers reviewed the garden nia native plant garden or to ask about steps to
rendering designating the location of specific create your own garden, please contact academy
plants. Students were provided the needed lead Matthew Lesniak at [email protected].
Share your school’s good news!
Send details on awards, honors, special events, and
great schoolwide programs to [email protected].
11
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
NEA & AFT affiliate actions
Affiliates target overtesting
National push is on to end the abuse of high-stakes tests.
NEA takes on “toxic testing”
By Cecily Myart-Cruz
UTLA/NEA Vice President
In 2009, almost five years ago to the
day, I was teaching sixth-grade students at
Emerson Middle School. That January, we
held a press conference on the steps of our
school to formally boycott periodic assessments and speak publically about overtesting our students. Parents as well as students spoke about the damage this excessive
testing can do to a child. We mounted a very
successful campaign that lasted months and
had the local district on edge.
We know that teaching to the test robs
students of valuable in-class learning
time. Educators spend days, weeks, and
sometimes months administering these
tests, and to top it off, you may run into
a bully principal who demands that you
grade those tests quickly “because it can
tell you what you need to focus on” so
your students can pass the test. The testing
craze is out of control and has become
a billion-dollar business, with profiteers
like Pearson seeming all too eager to cash
in. We know that educators assess their
students in many ways outside of standardized testing; the difference is, these
educator assessments are done authentically. So it begs the question, is the end in
sight? How do we persuade the public that
standardized testing is not the answer?
Last year, at the 2014 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver, Colorado, almost
9,000 delegates voted for the NEA to take on
new measures to drive student success and
take the lead in calling for a moratorium on
standardized testing—a national campaign
that included crafting legislation and a plan
to roll it out in every local in America. NEA
conducted research that shows that excessive
testing has a huge impact on our youth and
can be particularly harmful to poor, minority,
and special needs students. Lifelong learning
happens when we inspire creativity, foster
critical thinking, and engage in rich discussion with our students. It doesn’t happen
with a magic wand, potions, or a poison
pill—like teaching to the test.
When NEA President Lily EskelsenGarcia took office in September 2014, her
first task was to take on “toxic testing” to
end the overuse and abuse of these highstakes tests and, in doing so, put the focus
back on student learning. The NEA has
also been calling on the legislature to do
its part by repealing federal requirements
that state standardized tests be used to
evaluate educators and implement a place
where all stakeholders put student needs
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January 30, 2015
By Betty Forrester
UTLA/AFT Vice President
high-stakes testing. Now, with all signs
pointing toward Congress reauthorizing
the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) this year, we have a chance to
reduce the consequences of this testing in
our schools. Both of UTLA’s national affiliates—the AFT and the NEA—are working
on this issue, with the AFT pressing for the
following changes:
• End the use of annual tests for highstakes consequences and instead use
annual assessments to give parents and
teachers the information they need to help
students grow.
• Use the data collected to provide the
federal government with information to
direct resources to the schools and districts
that need extra support.
• Ensure a robust accountability system
that judges schools looking at multiple
measures—including allowing real evidence of student learning.
• And finally, the federal government
should not be the human resources department for local schools and should not
be in the business of regulating teacher
evaluation from Washington, D.C. Teacher
evaluation is the district’s job.
AFT President Randi Weingarten also
has been reminding the public of the original purpose of the ESEA. When President
Lyndon Johnson, a former Texas schoolteacher, signed the ESEA in 1965 as part of
the War on Poverty, the law was designed
to ensure that every school got the resources
to teach students, particularly in neighborhoods or districts that were not wealthy.
But, over the past 13 years, the core principles of equity and opportunity have been
overshadowed by a devastating obsession
with high-stakes testing and the ever more
damaging effects of test-based “accountability.” It’s time to return the ESEA to its original purpose and end the test-and-punish
obsession started with NCLB.
We know that our students, educators, and schools are suffering from the
corrosive influence of the obsession with
Read Betty’s previous articles on testing
in the September 2008 and September 2012
issues at utla.net/unitedteacher
at the forefront of all efforts.
The time is now to work collaboratively
with our community and natural allies—
our parents—to expose what the testing
industry is, start speaking up about the
overuse of testing, and take back control
of student learning time. How powerful to
have parents speak up and announce publicly that these tests steal instructional time
from students and are a waste of money to
produce, with no real value to educators or
students. Parents and educators recognize
the truth: Testing is not teaching.
Check out NEA’s Time to Teach, Time to
Learn campaign at www.nea.org/timetoteach.
This site is dedicated to testing issues and
includes vital resources for educators and
parents, ways members can share testing
stories and take action with Congress, and
updates on testing news reports.
Ending the test-and-punish
obsession
ESEA authorization: Join the fight
to reduce testing
UTLA’s two national affiliates, the NEA and the AFT, have been staunch critics
of the failed No Child Left Behind law since its implementation more than 12
years ago. Under NCLB, educators have seen the quality of education corrupted
by the overemphasis on standardized tests. This year, with signs pointing to the
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the umbrella law
under which NCLB was implemented), our affiliates are pushing for changes that
would address the damaging deficiencies of NCLB. Under serious consideration
is to slash the number of federally required tests or even do away with them all
together. The action around the ESEA is only one part of the larger nationwide
movement building against the testing regimes that have come to dominate public
schools for the past decade.
• Sign the NEA’s open letter on toxic testing: www.nea.org/stoptoxictests
From the letter: “We now spend almost a third of our time in schools preparing
students to take standardized tests, giving those tests, and reviewing the results
of those tests. There are hundreds of subjects that are not tested. Many are no
longer taught at all or have been defunded and de-emphasized. We did not become
educators to drill students in standardized test taking. Our children’s education
should not be about learning how to fill in the bubbles on standardized tests.”
DAYS, AFTER SCHOOL, SAT.
Sherman Oaks
(818)501-1129
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12
• Sign the AFT petition to reduce the use of high-stakes testing: http://bit.ly/1L1BdD3
From the petition: “Over the last 13 years, the core principles of equity and opportunity have been overshadowed by a devastating obsession with high-stakes
testing and the ever more corrosive effects of test-based ‘accountability.’ Now, along
with parents, educators, and legislators, we are standing up to ask for change.”
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
From the treasurer
A budget for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve
Finding the resources to build power and organize our schools.
By Arlene Inouye
UTLA Treasurer
What does an organizing budget look
like? Especially a budget that supports the
Schools L.A. Students Deserve organizing
campaign, which is comprehensive and
compressed into a very tight timeline? Considerations include the financial challenges
of declining UTLA membership, which
has resulted in a loss of approximately $1
million each year in dues, and a structural
budget deficit cash flow problem (expenses
exceeding income) on a monthly basis. Even
though we have driven down expenses to
the lowest spending level in UTLA history
and found some new sources of revenue,
this still leaves us at a disadvantage for a
massive organizing campaign. Add to that
the further challenge of the corporate education reform movement that is defunding
public education while attacking the profession and rights of educators nationwide.
The challenges are great, and sometimes feel overwhelming, but there is a
movement growing in Los Angeles, a
movement for the Schools L.A. Students
Deserve that is supported by our state and
national affiliates, labor and community
allies, students and parents. But most of
all, our members have wanted UTLA to
proactively fight for what we need in our
classrooms, in our profession, and for us
to survive (salary and benefits) and thrive
as educators. We know that this is the right
time and we are serious as more UTLA
members take leadership in our schools
and community to join this movement.
So it is with excitement, anticipation, and
privilege that as your treasurer, together
with the officers and Board of Directors (the
fiduciary body of UTLA), we are finding the
resources and solutions to build power and
organize our schools around the Schools
L.A. Students Deserve. Some of the components of what we have needed and how
we are funding them are listed below.
Creating new staff positions focused on
organizing: Organizations and unions that
have engaged in these battles know that
staffing with specific skills and experience
is essential for this organizing work. We
have created new positions to fill the gaps
needed for our organizing campaign and
to enable UTLA to be a stronger union. We
have included the following new positions:
• an organizing director to head up the
organizing work;
• a parent/community organizer to
build strong partnerships in our schools;
• a political director to cohesively
connect the School Board candidates
and other legislators to our campaign
demands; and
• a strategic researcher who is analyzing
LAUSD’s budget and providing the data
for our own actions.
UTLA appealed to our state and national affiliates, and they responded by providing 80 percent of the financial resources for
these positions. (The 20 percent that UTLA
is funding was already approved and in
the budget years ago.) Our affiliates can
tangibly see what we are doing, are supportive of our actions, and have given us
unprecedented financial assistance.
Tapping the UTLA Strike Fund to build
power: At the January 14 House of Representatives meeting, there was overwhelming support for the unanimous motion by
the Board of Directors to move up to $3
million from the UTLA Strike Fund established 25 years ago into our general fund
to be used for organizing for the credible
threat of a strike. The Strike Fund, which is
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funded by 3 percent of member dues every
month, was created to cover defaulted loans
of UTLA members who received UTLAarranged financial assistance during a job
action. It has grown to $11.6 million, since
strike funds are typically rarely needed.
Ninety-four percent of the 225 members
of the House of Representatives, UTLA’s
policy-making body, supported this motion,
which essentially funds all of the organizing
that in previous years was funded by our
general fund (which then had a surplus).
UTLA is fortunate to have this resource and
a decision-making body that strongly supports the Schools L.A. Students Campaign.
Some of the specifics of the organizing
budget presented to the House include but
are not limited to spending on:
• Strike trainings for members and town
hall meetings for the community (flyers,
language translation, and so on).
• Data and social media projects (group
texting, website redesign, membership
database update).
• Printing of internal and community
flyers, yard signs, and mailers.
• Extra legal costs (for example, consultation on legal actions).
• Rallies (picket signs, robo calls, truck
rental, sound system, parking).
• Special meetings for all the governance bodies of UTLA.
• Robocalls and phone banks to keep
members updated.
The bottom line is that organizing does
cost a great deal of money. At the House
meeting, former UTLA presidents John
Perez, Day Higuchi, and Wayne Johnson
all spoke in favor of this motion and gave testimony to what we have done in the past to
support our strike preparation and organizing. They acknowledged that back in those
days, we had more members and resources,
and today there are more challenges.
Along with the financial resources, we
have already begun to put into place the
organizational structure and systems to
carry out this work. For example, an Organizing Team comprised of rank-andfile UTLA leaders from every area has
been developing the organizing plan and
timeline. Chapter parent action liaisons
(CPALs), who are volunteers from each
school focused on strengthening relationships with parents, are being trained, and
chapter political coordinators (CPCs) are
organizing the political arm of the Movement for Schools L.A. Students Deserve.
Organizing engages and unites the
diverse and large membership of UTLA
in an action plan necessary to build power
through coordinated and escalating activities. Our bargaining at the negotiations table must be visibly supported by
our 35,000 members and financed in our
budget. Prioritizing organizing in our
budget will enable us to carry out the
actions for a successful campaign for the
Schools L.A. Students Deserve.
For questions or comments, please email
Arlene Inouye at [email protected].
Tax fairness & income inequality: Prop. 13
117,000 Square Feet
Assessed at: $25 Million
$214/Square Foot
201,000 Square Feet
Assessed at: $2.3 Million
$11.44/Square Foot
Under Prop. 13, some corporations benefit from ridiculously low property tax obligations.
School funding has not been the
same since 1978, when voters passed
Prop. 13. Before the measure passed,
California schools were among the best
funded and top rated in the country.
Afterward, state public school funding
was slashed, and now California regularly ranks near the bottom in per-pupil
funding in the nation.
Prop. 13 cut the property tax assessments for homeowners, businesses,
and corporations but it also has had
unintended consequences and created
loopholes that unfairly benefit corporations. The California Teachers Association has put together a quick PowerPoint, “Proposition 13: Commercial
Property Tax Facts,” that explores how
the measure—especially the commercial tax provisions—is shortchanging
our schools. Check it out at http://bit.
ly/15aLHPk.
13
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
UTLA counselor appreciation
dinner on February 19
UTLA is holding an appreciation
dinner for K-12 school counselors on
February 19, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., at the
UTLA building. The event, designed by
counselors, for counselors, will have
time for networking and remarks from
invited special guests, including School
Board members, California Association
of School Counselors Executive Director
Loretta Whitson, and UTLA officers. All
counselors are invited to come and break
bread with your colleagues and engage
in discussions on the issues that matter
to you most.
To RSVP, see the flyer on page 16.
January 30, 2015
It’s time again to honor our own with UTLA’s
16th Annual
Platinum Apple
Awards
for Excellence in Education
Each UTLA chapter may submit a nomination for this great award,
Removed from the classroom?
given by our own, for our own, for excellence in education. Your school
UTLA support for housed teachers.
are encouraged to participate. Winners will be honored at Taix French
should hold a nomination meeting to select your nominee; all members
Restaurant in Los Angeles on Friday, May 15, 2015.
Many teachers continue to be the
victims of former superintendent John
Deasy’s “teacher jail” system. Caught off
guard and often falsely accused, they languish and suffer alone, under house arrest
and unsure of what to do.
Don’t be a victim of unfair job actions and
false charges. UTLA wants you to know:
You are not alone. We are here for you.
Call or email the UTLA officers listed
below and attend the Unjustly Housed
Teachers Committee Meeting to get the
assistance and support you deserve.
UTLA officer contacts: If you’ve been recently removed from the classroom, please
contact UTLA Secondary Vice President
Colleen Schwab (213-368-6237, cschwab@
utla.net) or UTLA Treasurer Arlene Inouye
(213-368-6218, [email protected]).
Unjustly Housed Teachers Committee:
UTLA provides support, guidance, and assistance to all rehoused teachers through
the Unjustly Housed Teachers Committee.
The committee meets monthly at the UTLA
building. The next meeting is Tuesday, February 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Room 904. The
UTLA building is located at 3303 Wilshire
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213-487-5560).
UTLA is ready, willing, and able to help
its falsely accused and unfairly treated
members. Make the call, attend the
meeting, and let UTLA help you.
14
Please note: Nominees must be current UTLA members
Nominations are due in the UTLA office no later
than Friday, March 13, 2015, at 5 p.m.
Nomination forms and additional information is available
on the UTLA website at www.utla.net.
__________________________________
For more information or questions, contact Princess Sykes at
(213) 368-6220 or [email protected]
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
PRISON GUARDS
(continued from page 9)
intervene. I do not understand what I am
expected to do in the interim. I would not
feel safe trying to detain this student on
my own, nor removing the weapon from
the student’s possession. It would seem
that having conducted this search and
finding this weapon would now pose an
even more serious safety risk to me and to
the other students in my care. I have not
been trained as a law enforcement officer
and do not feel that I could safely handle
a situation where one of these random
searches yielded a dangerous weapon.
Numerous reputable sources have done
extensive research on random searches and
other security measures that do not work,
including the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, National
Association of School Psychologists, and
others. U.S. Secret Service research into
school shootings concluded that schools
were taking false hope in physical security, when they should be paying more
attention to the concerns and behaviors
of students. While fear of Columbine-like
tragedies has turned some schools into
fortresses, Columbine itself, after much
investigation and real healing, chose a
more enlightened approach to safety. Most
notably, administrators decided against the
tougher measures now being implemented
at some schools, such as metal detectors
and backpack searches. Instead, Columbine deployed more guidance counselors
and security officers who acted more like
advisors. School officials promised that inhumane behavior to other students would
not be tolerated, a hopeful antidote to frictions that may have played a role in the
tragedy. The Columbine tragedy forced
educators to reconsider school safety,
emphasizing how to spot dangerously
troubled teens and how to provide security that protects but does not imprison
students.
Researchers have found that the existence of metal detectors, security cameras,
and policing in our schools actually
creates the kind of climate that increases
the likelihood of violence and disorder
among students. In other words, if we
treat students as suspects and create a
school environment that is more prisonlike, they will behave in ways that reflect
our expectation.
Perhaps the most shocking statistics on
the use of the random search policy is that
students of color are 12 times more likely
and low-income students are 13 times
more likely to be searched randomly with
a metal detector than their white and/or
affluent peers.
The imposition of arbitrary and discriminatory policing and prison-like security measures teaches young people
a very undemocratic political science
lesson: that government authorities have
total power and can violate constitutional
rights on a whim. Furthermore, these
measures dramatically interrupt the
learning process, punish young people
in unfair and disproportionate ways,
increase anxiety, and promote feelings
of distrust between students and adults.
LAUSD’s most recent BUL 6321 and
School Climate Bill of Rights emphasize
“developing a culture of discipline based
January 30, 2015
on positive behavior interventions and
away from punitive approaches that infringe on instructional time.” These documents stress positive interventions, like
counseling, restorative justice, and peer
mediation, which have had significant
results in making our schools as a whole
safer in recent years.
Furthermore, numerous District publications, in line with the U.S. Department
of Education’s Guiding Principles for Improving School Climate and Discipline
released last year, direct educators away
from “indiscriminate zero tolerance policies” and toward “locally developed approaches to promote positive school climates and equitable discipline practices.”
Simply stated, conducting these searches undermines our capacity to meet our
professional responsibilities as educators
while making our schools less safe. This
requirement is not in our collective bargaining agreement, which is the controlling document for all of our rights and
responsibilities.
This policy abandons our true
mandate—to provide a safe educational
environment where students and teachers
feel trusted and respected for who they are
and where an individual has the right to
speak up and challenge injustice.
I am proud of our individual and collective efforts as educators to serve all
of our students’ unique needs, supporting each other as we struggle to create
healthy, meaningful educational alternatives to the failed practices of yesterday. I
look forward to engaging in further dialogue with colleagues and School Board
members regarding this matter in order to
create the kinds of safe, supportive, and
inspiring classroom environments and
campuses that our students desperately
need and deserve.
UTLA supports this bargaining unit
member, who refuses to conduct the metal
detector search for the ethical, moral, and
safety issues expressed in this article. This
is consistent with our Schools L.A. Students
Deserve Contract campaign that calls for more
counselors, support services, and restorative
justice programs.
ESTATE PLANNING
Want to avoid probate?
Don’t do it yourself. Let a fellow teacher be
your lawyer. Sheila Bayne is a full time
teacher with LAUSD and has been an active
member of the California Bar for over 25 years.
Complete Estate Planning Package:
Living Trust
Living Will/Advance Health Care Directives
n Power of Attorney
n Trust Transfer Deeds
n Pour-over Will and supporting documents
n Personal consultations
n
n
Discount for UTLA Members:
$649
(A-B trust for spouses: $ 895)
Contact the Law Office of Sheila Bayne
at 310-435-8710
or e-mail: [email protected]
DON’T JUST WORK
IN EDUCATION.
LEAD IT.
If you’re an LAUSD teacher in search of a career challenge beyond teaching, why not
lead the transformation in education?
Every year, the Graduate School of Education at California Lutheran University
prepares the next generation of teachers to become the educational leaders of the
future, right from our Woodland Hills Center.
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a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership in an
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Learn more.
1.888.CLU-GRAD
[email protected]
CalLutheran.edu/GSOE
15
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
ENT?
PRES
T TO
WAN Please
e
Inquir
Secondary / Elementary Committees
Present
Best Teaching Practices & Salary Point
A Critical Look at Common Core and NGSS
*1 Salary Point
Which Do You Need? *Salary Point * GATE Hours * PD Hours * NBC Hours *Common Core * NGSS* Networking*
(* March 11 will be at UTLA location for those seeking salary point)
Chatsworth High School
10027 Lurline Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Workshops:
Math, STEM, ELA, P.E., History,
Lesson Study, Advocacy, School
Climate, Parent Ed., Life Skills,
Technology and more……
*Friday, Fe
b.20 th @
Chatswor
th SH
4-9pm (li
Sat., Feb. st te dinner)
21 @ Ch
atsworth
8 am – 4
SH
pm (b
*Wed., M reakfast/ lunch)
arch 11 th
@
U
TL
4:30- 6:30
pm (dinne A
(*all 3 da
r)
tes for sa
lary point)
Please complete form and return as soon as possible with $20 check payable to UTLA for:
UTLA Secondary/Elementary Conference, c/o Secondary VP Colleen Schwab,
3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
Name (print)____________________________________________________________________________________________________Employee #_________________________________
Home Address_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Zip_________________________
School _________________________________________________________________________email address: ______________________________________________________________
Best Phone ___________________________________________________________________________________Meal type: Reg __________Veg ______________other_______________
Please make checks out to UTLA, $20
Interested in salary point credit _____yes _____no
Please RSVP by: faxing this form to (213) 251-9891 or call (213)368-6220 (ask for Princess) or email:
[email protected]
16
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
EDUCATORS……
KNOW YOUR BENEFITS……
ASIAN PACIFIC COMMITTEE CONFERENCE
BUS TRIP TO MANZANAR
Saturday, April 25, 2015 6 AM – 9:00 PM
(Details below)
WORKSHOP SESSIONS (2):
Are you new, in the middle or towards
the end of your career in Education?
Saturday, March 14, 2015 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
(Includes light breakfast, dinner & instructional
materials) – Tentative Date
&
Monday, April 20, 2015 4 PM – 9:30 PM
(Includes light dinner & instructional materials)
This conference is for you!!!!!!
•
•
•
•
Learn about ……..
CALSTRS Benefits….
Social Security Windfall and Offset Acts
LAUSD Health Benefits
403b and 457 Retirement Benefits
Please bring your most recent CalSTRS Retirement Progress Report
UTLA Headquarters
3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
2 blocks west of Vermont Ave. at Berendo.
Parking structure is off Berendo
46th Anniversary Pilgrimage
BUS TRIP TO MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
(Includes lunch/dinner, snacks, bus transportation, conference materials & point credit information)
UTLA
Pre-Retirement Conference
Saturday, February 7, 2015
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
(Registration starts at 7:00 AM)
Saturday, April 25, 2015 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Bus pick up: UTLA Parking Lot
3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
OR
SE corner of Laurel Plaza
@ Laurel Canyon and Oxnard
Cost: $120.00 - Deadline: March 11, 2015
Enrollment Limited to the first 45 participants ~ all others will be put on a waiting list
No refunds after March 11, 2015
LAUSD Approved, two salary points available. Article 3.3 Multicultural Specific Conference.
To qualify for 2 salary points, you must attend all 3 sessions.
United Teachers Los Angeles
(Auditorium)
3303 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Floor, Los Angeles
Directions: 2 blocks west of Vermont at Berendo.
Name___________________________________________________________________Employee#_______________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Free Parking Available*
*UTLA Parking Structure located off Berendo.
Registration at the door - $5.00 per person
Please enroll me in the UTLA Asian Pacific Committee’s Manzanar Conference. Enclosed is my check to register me in
your conference. Sign up on the Learning Zone, keyword: manzanar
Open to all UTLA Members
Conference is limited to the first 300 attendees
* Access for the disabled is available through the elevators in the UTLA basement.
Home Phone ____________________________________________________School Phone______________________________________________
E-Mail__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SALARY POINTS NEEDED ⎕YES
⎕NO
Please make check payable to UTLA Asian Pacific Committee. Send check and this form to Jenny Lam, c/o UTLA, 3303
Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 via U.S. Mail with proper postage affixed. For information, contact
Jenny Lam at [email protected].
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gsep.pepperdine.edu
17
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Involvement opportunity
2015 NEA Convention set for Orlando
UTLA holding elections for convention delegates.
By Erika Jones
UTLA/NEA Election Committee
Ready to become involved in education
issues at a national level?
The NEA Representative Assembly will
meet in Orlando, Florida, July 1 to 6, 2015,
during which delegates representing their
local unions from throughout the United
States, including overseas locations af-
NEA Representative Assembly Annual
Convention slated for July 2015 in Florida
Would you like to become a UTLA/NEA delegate to the 2015 Representative
Assembly Annual Convention in Orlando? From July 1 to 6, 2015, UTLA
members affiliated with the NEA/CTA will be in attendance at that convention.
For a member to be eligible not only to become a delegate, but to serve in the
UTLA/NEA Representative Assembly, a self-nomination form must be completed and returned to Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA President, by 5:00 p.m.,
February 6, 2015. There will be two categories of delegates: local and state.
Local delegates will be elected on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at the eight
UTLA Area meetings. State delegates will be elected Tuesday, April 7, at the
UTLA/NEA Service Center Council meeting from 3:30 to 7:30. A complete set
of election rules will be sent to each person submitting a self-nomination form.
Term of office for local delegates is three years, beginning July 2015. State
delegates are elected yearly.
UTLA/NEA Representative Assembly Self-Nomination Form
Please Print
filiated with the Department of Defense,
will give input, gather information, and
formulate and update NEA’s positions
on various legislative and policy issues.
Educational concerns affecting local,
state, and national unions may be brought
to the floor by any delegate. The excitement of deliberation and voting begins
each day at 7 a.m. during the California
state caucus and never slows down. This
excitement, plus the numerous CTA- and
NEA-sponsored activities, serves to entertain and educate exhausted but inspired
delegates.
UTLA/NEA members who run for the
2015 Representative Assembly and receive
the highest number of votes (by a plurality)
will have an opportunity for a three-year
term at the local level. One-year terms are
available for state delegates.
Election process for delegates
The process for the NEA Representative
Assembly delegate elections will be as
follows: Voting for local delegates will take
place at the March 4 UTLA Area meetings.
The top vote-getting candidates will be
named as delegates following the counting
of votes on March 6.
The UTLA/NEA election committee
will then formulate the state candidates’
ballot from those names of people who
UTLA/NEA RA election
absentee ballots available
UTLA/NEA members on formal leave will be able to vote in the 2015
NEA Representative Assembly election by absentee ballot. The ballots
are available to any teacher on formal leave from a school or worksite
and can be obtained by completing an absentee ballot request (below)
and submitting it to UTLA by U.S. mail (no faxes/e-mail) by February 6,
2015, no later than 5:00 p.m. All ballots will be due back at UTLA by
5:00 p.m. on the appropriate date (use timeline).
Name
UTLA/NEA Members on Formal Leave Request for Absentee
Ballot for UTLA/NEA Representative Assembly Elections
Employee Number
Mailing Address
Please Print
Name
Home Telephone
Employee Number
Non-LAUSD Email Address
Mailing Address
School
UTLA Area (Circle One)
N
S
E
W
C
VE
VW
H
Name of School
Ethnicity (Circle One)
Non-LAUSD Email Address
Asian/Pacific IslanderAfrican American
UTLA Voting Area
Check one:
Caucasian (not Spanish origin) Chicano/Hispanic
I wish to have my name placed on the (check one):
Local and state ballot
Local delegate ballot only State delegate ballot only
CTA/NEA Board member
Formal LAUSD leave
I am requesting an absentee ballot for the following election:
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 (ballots due back 3/4—Local)
Wednesday, April 7, 2015 (ballots due back 4/7—State)
All above information must be completed for this request to be valid.
If my name appears on the local delegate ballot, and I am elected as a
local delegate, I hereby give my permission to have my name removed from
the state ballot.
I certify that below is the signature of candidate whose name appears above.
Signature
This request is due by 5:00 p.m., by mail (no faxes or emails) by February 6,
2015, at UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010, Attn.:
Cecily Myart-Cruz. Until 5 p.m. on February 6, forms may also be dropped off
at UTLA headquarters (see the receptionist on the 10th floor) during regular
business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
18
I hereby declare that the above information is accurate.
Signature
This request is due by 5:00 p.m., February 6, 2015, at UTLA, 3303 Wilshire
Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010, Attn.: Cecily Myart-Cruz. Until 5
p.m. on February 6, forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters
(see the receptionist on the 10th floor) during regular business hours from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All absentee ballots will be due back to UTLA by 5:00 p.m. on the appropriate
date (see timeline).
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
turned in self-nomination forms for only
the state delegate ballot (a one-year
term) and those who self-nominated
for both the state and local delegate but
did not receive top votes in the local
delegate election.
The voting for the one-year state delegate term will take place the UTLA/NEA
Service Center Council meeting on April 7,
from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the counting of
the votes will follow on April 10.
Any teacher on dues-paying leave, yearround teachers who are off track, and early
childhood education teachers who are off
track may vote by absentee ballot, accord-
January 30, 2015
ing to CTA election rules.
Ballots can be requested by completing the form below. Note: Our timeline is
set in accordance with CTA submission
requirements.
UTLA/NEA members running for the
2015 Representative Assembly must be
sure to use the self-nomination form on the
facing page instead of the form supplied by
CTA. No faxes or emails will be accepted.
UTLA/NEA election committee members
are Erika Jones (chair), Fredrick Bertz, Lisa
Dinwiddie, Reina Gallardo, Ingrid Gunnell,
Shirley Hardley, Tanya Hildreth, Thomas
Rubio, and Deborah Schneider.
Delegates with terms expiring in 2014
Ricardo Abreu
Marisol Anaya
Edgar Angulo
Wanetta Ashton
Ana Barber
Susana Betancourt
Lois Bradford
Robin Branch
Ayde Bravo
Emma Breslin
Aaron Bruhnke
Regina Bryant
Ray Clark
Jeanne Contreras
Frances Copeland
Janet Davis
Jose Delgadillo
Stephan Early
Jorge Estrada-Segundo
Veeda Fernandes
Haidee Fierro
Amalia Flores
Kelly Flores
Marco Flores
Tomas Flores
Kimberlee Furgess
Reina Gallardo
Patricia Gillikin
David Goldberg
Andrea Jones
Sandy Keaton
Steven Kofahl
Corlis Lewis
Hermila Lopez
Thomas Louie
David Lyell
Gloria Martinez
Abel Mata
Laura McCutcheon
Cherita McFrazier
Rosa Melendez
Cheryl Ortega
Mary Rose Ortega
Phillip Pearson
Carole Peterson-Vandusen
Cecelia Powell
Juan Ramirez
Gwendolyn Richards-Baker
Mary Jan Roberts
Argentina Rodriguez
Mary Janice Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez
Thomas Rubio
Theressa Sams
Deborah Schneider-Solis
Elgin Scott
Mark Seigle
Shelita Shelley
JC Smyth
Alfreda Soriano
Adrian Tamayo
Mary Tello
Karen Ticer-Leon
Sebastian Torres
Martha Vela-Martinez
Thelma Walker
Sylvia Wolf
Hal Wolkowitz
Marc Wutschke
UTLA/NEA RA 2015 election timeline
NEA/RA Local Delegate election
December 19, January 30: Nomination forms, timeline, and absentee
ballot request forms in UNITED TEACHER.
February 6: Self-nomination forms and absentee ballot requests due to UTLA
building by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail (no faxes or emails). Until 5 p.m. on February
6, forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters (see the receptionist
on the 10th floor) during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
February 9: Letters sent out acknowledging receipt of nomination forms.
February 17: Absentee ballots sent out.
March 4: Local RA delegate elections at all UTLA Area meetings and at
UTLA headquarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 4: Absentee ballots due back to Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA Vice
President, at UTLA building, 10th floor by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail only (no
faxes or emails).
March 6: Area and absentee ballots counted, 9 a.m. Letters sent to winners
and results will be posted at www.utla.net by the end of the next business day.
March 16: Deadline to submit election challenge in writing to Cecily MyartCruz, UTLA/NEA Vice President, provided a runoff election is not required.
Please contact Vivian Vega for appropriate form at (213) 368-6259.
NEA/RA State Delegate election
March 20: State RA delegate absentee ballots sent out.
April 7: State RA delegate election at UTLA/NEA Service Center Council
meeting at UTLA headquarters, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
April 7: State absentee ballots due back to Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA
Vice President, at UTLA building, 10th floor, by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail only
(no faxes or emails).
April 10: Election Committee meets at 9 a.m. to count all ballots. Letters
sent to winners and results will be posted at www.utla.net by the end of
the next business day.
April 20: Deadline to submit election challenge in writing to Cecily MyartCruz, UTLA/NEA Vice President, provided a runoff election is not required.
Please contact Vivian Vega for appropriate form at (213) 368-6259.
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19
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
UTLA House of Representatives
for 2015-17
UTLA/NEA “WHO” Award Nomination Form We Honor Ours (“WHO”) Awards are awarded annually to UTLA/NEA members who have given exemplary service to UTLA/NEA and its membership. Award recipients are to be determined by the UTLA/NEA “WHO” Awards Committee based on UTLA/NEA member nominations. The “WHO” Local Award is for active UTLA/NEA members who have given outstanding service in support of UTLA/NEA and its members. The “WHO” State Award is for active UTLA/NEA members who have given outstanding service in support of UTLA/NEA and its members at the state or national levels of UTLA, CTA and NEA. The UTLA/NEA Community Gold Award may be awarded to any person or organization whose leadership, actions and support have demonstrated that the person or organization is a true friend of public education, educators or students and merits UTLA/NEA recognition of their accomplishments. Circle one award category: Local State Community Gold Name _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________________________________________ State __________ Zip ________________ Employee Number ________________________Work Location _______________________________________________ Years at Current Site ___________ Total Years LAUSD __________ UTLA/NEA Member? YES NO Home Phone ________________________________________Work Site Phone _____________________________________ N S E W C VE VW H Please circle the Nominee’s active UTLA roles and responsibilities: * Chapter Chair * Area Steering Committee * Area Cluster Leader * House of Representative * PACE * UTLA Board of Directors * UTLA Committee * CTA State Council * NEA Representative Assembly * NEA Appointed Committee * CTA Caucus * CTA Appointed Committee NOMINATOR INFORMATION (Please Print) To the best of my knowledge the information in this nomination is accurate. S ignature ______________________________________________ Name __________________________________________________ Phone _______________________________________ Personal E-­‐Mail __________________________________________________ Work Location ________________________________________ UTLA Area ___________ Date ____________________________ Please attach to this application a written statement (maximum of 150 words) detailing why you believe the nominee is deserving of this recognition, including examples of activism at the local, state and/or national levels in support of UTLA/NEA members. Deadline for Nominations (NO Exceptions) is Friday, February 13, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Return to: UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Attention: Vivian Vega, UTLA/NEA “WHO” Awards Committee Fax: 213-­‐251-­‐9891 nine times a year at the UTLA building to
propose and vote on motions that determine
UTLA’s direction. The next elections for the
House will be held in late 2016.
North Area
Joy Kushner
Jose Lara
Arthur Lopez
Paul Ngwoke
Robin Potash
Catherine Proctor
David Rapkin
Howard Stone
Zulma Tobar
Edwin Umana
Stacie Webster
Omar Araiza
Pearl Arredondo
John Aston
Daniel Barnhart
Joseph Benstock
Michael Blasi
Alicia Brossy de Dios
Jenny Chomori
Janis Cohen-Milch
David Dandridge
Janet Davis
Warren Fletcher
Rubin Garcia
Linda Guthrie
Karen Hasson
Emilie Hill
Carolyn Jacobson
Scott Johnson
Lisa Karahalios
Christina Kim
Craig Knapp
Matthew Kogan
Hinda Joy Laury
Elaine LeBoeuf
James Lopez
Blanca Mejia
J.C. O’Gabhann
Gary Pearlson
Jeff Pott
Jessica Rodarte
Marina Salas
Bianca Sanchez
Maya Schaeffer
Greg Schiller
Rebecca Solomon
Arielle Starkman
Kirk Thomas
Beth Trinchero
Julie Van Winkle
Lauren Walters
Anne Zerrien-Lee
NOMINEE INFORMATION (Please Print) UTLA Area (Circle One) The following UTLA members will serve
on the UTLA House of Representatives
for 2015-2017. The 350-member House is
UTLA’s policy-making body. Members meet
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Ricardo Abreu
Gwendolyn Baker
Ana Barber
Ayde Bravo
Ayesha Brooks
Susan Campodonico
Laura Carls
Juan Catalan
Ana Cox
Betty Forrester
Oliver Garcia
Ted Hampton
Greg Jenkins
Michael Jones
Misti Kemmer
John Lincoln
Stuart Lutz
Martha Maitchoukow
Grecia Marroquin
Francisco Martinez
Gladys Mazariego
Petrina Miller
Maria Miranda
Jeremy Mohr
Maeli Montecinos
Louann Novak
Sandra Ponce
Juan Ramirez
Argentina Rodriguez
Gloria Simosky
Sue Sloan
Larry Strauss
Karen Ticer-Leon
Ingrid Villeda
East Area
Susana Casas
James Cazares
Marcela Chagoya
Randall Childs
Marisa Crabtree
Jorge Estrada-Segundo
Rose Marie Gonzalez
Ingrid Gunnell
Arlene Inouye
Fernando Ledezma
Benny Madera
Gloria Martinez
Rich Monk
Rosa (Anaceli) Morfin
Dolores Munoz
Brandon Nakama
Nutan Pawa
Gillian Russom
Francisca Salazer
Adrian Tamayo
Amelia Velazquez
Mark Wilkins
West Area
Lynette Bickham
Arielle Bourguignon
Alex Caputo-Pearl
Stephen Cordova
Tony Gatel
Sarah Graeber
Melanie House
Erika Jones
Wade Kyle
Audrey Linden
Noah Lippe-Klein
Rodney Lusain
David Lyell
Robert McGill
Cecily Myart-Cruz
Anthony Robinson
Kiechelle Russell
Wendy Sarnoff
Larry Shoham
Don Tarquin
Dawit Tegegne
Charles Tripp
Jennifer Villaryo
Nancy Vinicor
Jeffrey Williams
Central Area
Brandon Abraham
Josefina Aguilera
Frank Cooper
Frances Copeland
Nick D’Amico
Tomas Flores
Kelly Flores
Ron Gochez
Paul Hernandez
Valley East
Oleetha Mae Arnold
Eric Bidna
Van Boudreaux
Denise Campell
Victoria Casas
Sue Cirillo
Anthony Dahl
Linda Everhart
Bill Gaffney
Pamela Gibberman
Regina Hanrahan
Greta Ionita
Dawn Kowalski
Scott Mandel
Brian Muller
David Orozco
Fern Romans Ray
Deborah Schnieider
Chris Serrano
Josefina Trujillo-Gomez
Rachel Vidaure
Valley West
Lucia Arias
Jill Balogh
Melodie Bitter
Patricia Churchill
Michael Cranshaw
Wendi Davis
David Feldman
Michael Fuoroli
Richard Gibbons
Betzabe Gonzalez
Leslie Gordon
Ronald Harris
Sandy Keaton
Brett Lewis
Peter Martin
Bruce Newborn
Diane Newell
Jeni Nudell
Karen Peters
Javier Romo
Greg Russell
Colleen Schwab
Leonard Segal
Brian Simily
Alfreda Soriano
Alan Torralba
Stephanie Wall
Mary Wynn
Harbor
Henry Behrens
Aaron Bruhnke
Jeanne Contreras
Paul Craig
Jennie Duggan
Eduardo Famiglietti
Ginger Fox
Phil Gross
Phylis Hoffman
Cynthia Kimble
Williams
Cheryl Kono
Stacey Michaels
Ralph Ortolano
Adam Paskowitz
Jeff Ponce
Elgin Scott
Steve Seal
Catherine Skubik
Mary Tello
Betty Vick
Essie White
Donald Willis
Additional
categories
Martha Bayer
Fredrick Bertz
Cecelia Boskin
Lorraine Butler
JP Cabrera
Blair Carroll
Julie Carson
Carol Conner
Norlon Davis
Mike Dreebin
Emily Joy Ettinger
Marco Flores
Reina Gallardo
Juanita Garcia
Jeff Goldberg
Linda Gordon
Richard Grasso
G. Annie Grenseman
Christie Harris
Donna Horowitz
Darrell Jones
Ernest Kettenring
Lisa London
Maria Isabel Molina
Daniel Moran
Karen Morgan
Cheryl Ortega
John Perez
Eloise Porter
Kennon Raines
Virgie Sajor
Jane K. Sakamoto
Arlene Schery
Julie Schoenfeld
Andrew Schwartz
Linda Shields
Ardith Smith
Pat Stanyo
William Taxerman
Loretta Toggenburger
Lorena Valenzuela
Laura Vasquez
Jeff Vollmer
Delores West
Hal Wolkowitz
Jimmie Woods Gray
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Bilingual education issues
Organizing for language rights: Californians Together
UTLA is a member of a nonprofit organization called Californians Together,
a coalition of 23 statewide organizations
proactively and collaboratively promoting
language rights of students. Founded in
1998 after the passage of Prop. 227, the antibilingual proposition, to help protect the
rights of English learners and their parents,
Californians Together has gone far beyond
that original goal. Linguists, language researchers, language educators, and civil
rights groups now form the nucleus of those
working with legislators, the California Department of Education (including the superintendent of instruction), school districts, and
universities not only to access the research
regarding the benefits of language learning,
but to lobby at every level to ensure student
access to those language programs that can
only benefit them.
Californians Together aims for an educational system that is “funded and structured so every child will have full access
to a high-quality 21st-century education
and will graduate from our public schools
fully prepared for success in college and
career and full civic participation including
cross-cultural skills and knowledge, connections to their families and communities,
informational and technological literacy,
communication and literacy skills in more
than one language.” Additionally Californians Together promotes the recognition
of bilingualism and biculturalism as valuable assets to our state. The State Seal of
Biliteracy was developed by Californians
Together to recognize graduating seniors
who gain proficiency in English and at least
one other world language. Additionally,
more than 200 school districts in California
as well as eight states have developed seal
programs. The District of Columbia and 11
more states are working toward one.
As a member of the group, UTLA meets
quarterly with Californians Together to keep
abreast of what is happening legislatively,
professionally, and academically in the
world of language learning so that we can
work to bring to our own LAUSD students
those programs and policies that will benefit
them. At the latest meeting in November,
Californians Together met with the interim
staff person working on the initiative to
learn about the content and strategy regarding the campaign for the passage of
Senator Ricardo Lara’s “Multilingual Education for All” bill slated to appear on the
California ballot in November 2016. This
work group consisted of Thomas Saenz,
president of MALDEF; Jesse Melgar; Mikki
Cichocki-Semo, secretary-treasurer of CTA;
and representatives of all of the Californians
Together member groups, including myself
from UTLA.
Some of the member organizations of
Californians Together are the Asian Pacific
American Legal Center, Asian Pacific Islanders California Action Network, Association
of Mexican-American Educators, Association of Two-Way Dual Language Education
!
ATORS
C
U
D
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WHOLs, DEoctorate, or Advanced
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gn
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(formerly Two-Way CABE), California Association for Bilingual Education, California
Federation of Teachers, California Latino
School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, Center for Equity for English
Learners at Loyola Marymount University,
Centro Latino for Literacy, National Council
of La Raza, and more.
UTLA, working together with these
language advocates, can present a united
front to LAUSD to help promote cultural
pride, the ability to connect to family and
heritage, and the potential to succeed at a
high level in college and in future careers.
If you are interested in knowing more
about Californians Together, go to www.
californianstogether.org.
Next Bilingual Ed Committee meeting:
All teachers, especially those in dual
language, transitional, or maintenance
bilingual programs, are warmly invited
to attend the next meeting (February 18,
Room 828, 4:30 p.m.) of the Bilingual Education Committee to begin strategizing on
the “Multilingual Education for All” bill.
—Cheryl Ortega
Director of Bilingual Education
[email protected]
2014 union dues tax
deduction information
The following are deductions for union dues that you may be qualified to make on your 2014 federal income tax return. These figures are
meant as a guideline and may not reflect the actual deductions that were
taken. Always consult your tax adviser before taking any of these deductions.
$689.04 $347.04 $590.04 $484.20 $243.84 $414.60
$1,495.08 $171.00 Full-time UTLA member and agency fee
Part-time substitute member and agency fee
Children’s center member and agency fee
Full-time fair share
Part-time substitute fair share
Children’s center fair share
Dual full-time UTLA member
Associate member
Aflac is an extra measure
of financial protection.
When you’re sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits directly to
you, unless otherwise assigned, to help you and your family
with unexpected expenses.
For more information about policy benefits, limitations, and
exclusions, please call your Aflac insurance agent:
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(844) 255-4999
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¡ Contact an admission advisor:
805.898.4026
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21
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Involvement opportunity
CTA State Council Elections
By Erika Jones
UTLA/NEA Election Committee
UTLA/NEA members will elect CTA
State Council representatives and one Minority At-Large representative in annual
elections scheduled this year for the April
8 Area meetings. These delegates will join
the other UTLA representatives when the
council begins for the 2015-16 school year.
The State Council acts as CTA’s policymaking body, meeting four times a year.
Each representative is expected to serve on
a standing com­mittee, which debates business items involving academic freedom,
retire­ment, civil rights, political action,
teachers’ rights, and statewide nego­tiation
issues. State Council represen­tatives also
vote for CTA’s statewide officers. In the
2015-16 school year, all State Council meetings will be held in Los Angeles. For duties
of the Minority At-Large seat, please see the
self-nomination form on the facing page.
All necessary expenses for represen­
tatives are covered by CTA, including
hotel, mileage, and food costs. Meetings
begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, 7:15 a.m. Sunday,
and usually end around 4 p.m. both days.
Subcommittee meetings on Friday evenings
and voluntary caucus meetings before and
after the general weekend meeting times
can enrich the representative’s knowledge
of issues facing California educators. UTLA
del­egates are rewarded for their time and
effort by getting a chance to make a statewide difference in education.
If you find the idea of participating
on a statewide level intriguing, fill out
and mail in the self-nomination form on
this page to run for CTA State Council.
Forms are due by March 13 via U.S. mail
(no faxes or emails). Forms may also be
dropped off at UTLA headquar­ters on the
10th floor (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz,
UTLA/NEA VP) during regular business
hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CTA State Council and Minority At-Large
Year-Round Absentee Ballot Request
I am requesting an absentee ballot for the CTA State Council Election.
My vote will correspond to CTA’s election guidelines, which allow for voting by
mail for CTA members on formal leave. This request must be received by 5:00
p.m., March 13, 2015, by U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los
Angeles, CA 90010, Attn: Cecily Myart-Cruz UTLA/NEA VP. I understand that
my request will be checked for accuracy by election committee members. Absentee
ballots will be mailed March 23, 2015, and must be received via U.S. mail by 5:00
p.m., April 8, 2015.
Employee number
Address
Home phone
Non-LAUSD email address
School
School Phone
N
S
E
W
C
VE
VW
H
CTA State Council
April 8
CTA/NEA Board member
Minority At-Large
May 13
Formal LAUSD leave
I hereby declare that the above information is accurate.
SignatureDate
Return this request to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz by 5:00 p.m., March
13, 2015, via U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA
90010. Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters on the 10th floor
(attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA/NEA VP) during regular business hours
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. NO FAXES OR EMAILS.
Form must be received by UTLA by March 13, 2015.
22
Name
Employee number
Address
CityZip
Home phone
Non-LAUSD email address
School
School Phone
I certify that below is the signature of the candidate whose name appears above.
SignatureDate
(Required)
Return this request to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz by 5:00 p.m., March
13, 2015, via U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA
90010. Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters on the 10th floor
during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz).
NO FAXES OR EMAILS.
Form must be received by UTLA by March 13, 2015.
March 13: Self-nomination forms and
absentee ballot requests due to UTLA
building by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail (no
faxes or emails). Forms may also be
dropped off at UTLA headquarters
(see the receptionist on the 10th floor)
during regular business hours from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 16: Letters sent out acknowledging receipt of nomination forms.
Absentee ballot requested for:
Check one:
Self-Nomination Form
January 30, February 27: Nomination
forms, timeline, absentee ballot request
forms in UNITED TEACHER.
CityZip
Are you interested in representing UTLA/NEA members at the state level? CTA
(California Teachers Association) State Council, a policy-making body that meets
quarterly, has openings for representatives to fill expired terms. If you wish to run
for one of these positions, complete and return the self-nomination form by U.S.
mail to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz at UTLA. The form must be received
by 5:00 p.m. on March 13, 2015. The election will be held at the April 8, 2015, Area
meetings. For those members who cannot vote at their Area meetings, voting will
also be held at the UTLA building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 8, 2015.
CTA State Council and
Minority At-Large election timeline
Name
UTLA area (Circle one)
CTA State Council Election
Notice for 2016-18 Term
March 23: Absentee ballots sent out.
April 8: Elections at all UTLA Area
meetings and at UTLA headquarters
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
April 8: Absentee ballots due back to
UTLA building by 5 p.m. by U.S. mail
only (no faxes or emails).
April 10: Area and absentee ballots
counted, 9 a.m. Letters sent to winners
and results will be posted at www.utla.
net by the end of the next business day.
April 20: Deadline to submit election
challenge in writing to Cecily MyartCruz, UTLA/NEA Vice President, provided a runoff election is not required.
Please contact Vivian Vega for appropriate form at (213) 368-6259.
April 21: Absentee ballot for runoff sent.
May 13: Runoff election, if needed, at
Area meetings and at UTLA headquarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May 13: Deadline for absentee ballots
to be received back by U.S. mail (no
faxes or emails).
May 15: Election Committee meets at
9 a.m. to count all ballots. Letters sent
to winners and results will be posted
at www.utla.net by the end of the next
business day. Those who are not elected
delegates will become alternates.
May 25: Final date for challenges to be
submitted in writing to Cecily MyartCruz, UTLA/NEA Vice President, provided additional runoff election is not
required. Please contact Vivian Vega
for appropriate form at (213) 368-6259.
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
CTA State Council delegates
with terms expiring in 2015
Jeanne Contreras
Janet Davis
Norlon Davis
Ginger Rose Fox
Juanita Garcia
Erika Jones
David Lyell
Cheryl Ortega
Robin Potash
Juan Ramirez
Steve Seal
Gregg Solkovits
Mary Tello
Minority At-Large State Council
Seat for 2016-18 term
UTLA has an opening for a three-year term for the CTA State Council Minority
At-Large position. The Minority At-Large position can only be filled by an ethnic
minority meeting qualifications set forth by the CTA EMAC Advisory Committee.
Members must come from one of the following ethnic caucus groups: 1. African
American; 2. American Indian/Alaska Native; 3. Hispanic; 4. Pacific Asian American. The State Council Minority At-Large is responsible for active participation in
the UTLA/CTA programs and activities, including attending scheduled Service
Center meetings, presenting information pertaining to ethnic minorities, and assisting in the recruitment of ethnic minorities to participate in CTA. If you wish
to run for this position, complete and return the self-nomination form to Cecily
Myart-Cruz at UTLA. The form must be received by 5 p.m. on March 13, 2015.
The election will be held at the April 8 Area meetings. For those members who
cannot vote at their area meetings, voting will also be held at the UTLA building
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 8.
January 30, 2015
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE 11TH ANNUAL
SAT. FEBRUARY 28TH
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UTLA BUILDING
3303 Wilshire Blvd.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
WORKSHOPS ON HOW TO CREATE SALARYPOINT CLASSES FOR HOURS, AND HOW TO GO
ABOUT NBC 10 YEAR RENEWAL!!!!
NO RSVP NEEDED—JUST COME AND ENJOY!
THIS CONFERENCE COUNTS FOR 6 HOURS TOWARDS YOUR
92 HOUR COMMITMENT
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT A SESSION FOR ADDITIONAL
HOURS, CONTACT SCOTT MANDEL, CHAIR OF THE NBC-UTLA
STANDING COMMITTEE, [email protected]
SPONSORED BY THE NBC-UTLA STANDING COMMITTEE
CO-SPONSORED BY THE TEACHER SUPPORT UNIT—L.A.U.S.D.
PEGGY PRESLEY, DIRECTOR
Self-Nomination Form
Name
Employee number
. com
Address
City Zip
Cell Home Phone
School
Non-LAUSD email
I certify that below is the signature of the candidate whose name appears above.
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Return this request to UTLA/NEA VP Cecily Myart-Cruz by 5 p.m., March 13,
2015, via U.S. mail to UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA
90010. Forms may also be dropped off at UTLA headquarters on the 10th floor
during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (attention: Cecily Myart-Cruz).
NO FAXES OR EMAILS.
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United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
GRAPEVINE
(continued from page 27)
rights to District. Informational meeting
on Thursday, February 12, at 6 p.m. at
Fairfax High School. (Please call if attending.) Contact Dan at (818) 943-1627 or send
an email to [email protected].
Low-cost tech salary
point workshops
QuikiTech.com is offering eight classes,
with each class being only $50 per salary
point. Classes include Microsoft Office,
Excel, Word, Gmail and Google Tools,
Teaching Students 21st Century Technology Skills, Technology for Math, the iPad
Enabled Classroom, and Keynote. Go now
to http://quikitech.com. For any questions, contact Donny Wise, instructor at
QuikiTech, at (424) 256-9789.
Free PD at UTLA
UTLA is proud to offer free, engaging, and
valuable professional development opportunities with funding from California Credit
Union. All new and veteran educators/
members of UTLA can learn about proven,
research-supported practices to further
impact their students’ learning through the
three-hour American Federation of Teachers’
modules. The workshops will be conducted
by Susie Chow, National Board Certified
teacher, who has been a certified AFT trainer
since 2006. Here are the next two classes:
Thursday, February 26, 5 to 8 p.m.: “Engaging Students’ Long Term Memory”
By interacting with content they have
learned, students will retain new information for a longer time.
Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.:
“Second Look: Using Questions/Depth Of
Knowledge”
Understand how to determine the surface
and deep structures of questions and discover how to use questioning models to
support teaching and learning.
Professional development hours for salary
points or credits offered where applicable.
Sign up for one or more classes at
http://bit.ly/1sNAijj.
LA Plaza holds teacher training
session on repatriation
Beginning in 1929, the U.S. government forcibly removed people of Mexican
descent from the United States. During this
forced removal, known as repatriation, approximately 400,000 American citizens and
residents of Mexican decent in California
were deported to Mexico. Registration is
now open for LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes’
teacher training session exploring repatriation. The session will take place on Sunday,
February 22, at 10 a.m. and will explore
the context and methodologies (including
Common Core) for teaching about repatriation. The training will be held at LA Plaza
de Cultura y Artes, located at 501 North
Main Street, Los Angeles, 90012. Registration fee is $10. For event information and to
purchase admission, visit www.lapca.org.
LAUSD conference on
classroom integration for
students with disabilities
The LAUSD’s Division of Special Education and LAUSD’s Intensive Support and
Innovation Center (ISIC) are sponsoring the
first annual “One Conference “on Saturday,
February 21, at the RFK Campus at 701 S.
Catalina Street, Los Angeles, 90005 from
Stepping up
for the health of the community
January 30, 2015
7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This conference is
open to all LAUSD general education teachers, special education teachers, paraeducators, parents, and administrators. While
individuals can attend, it is encouraged
that schools bring teams. The “One Conference” is a learning opportunity focused
on furthering the efforts in integrating our
students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Workshop sessions are
being designed with the practitioner in
mind. This conference is limited to the first
300 participants so please register early at
http://bit.ly/oneconference2015.
Free workshop on
American Imperialism
“American Imperialism: A CCSS Workshop” is a free session by the History Project
at CSU Long Beach that will provide content
and a Common Core-aligned model lesson.
The workshop will take place February 11
from 4 to 6 p.m. Books will be raffled. To RSVP
go to www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/projects/
historyproject/programs/current-programs.
Autonomy trainings
for LAUSD schools
The Local School Stabilization and Empowerment Initiative offers options for
schools interested in having more autonomy
over local decisions to meet the needs of
their students. The Local Options Oversight
Committee (LOOC) is conducting a series
of autonomy workshops for those schools
interested in exploring the three current
autonomy models: Local Initiative Schools
(LIS), Expanded School Based-Management
(ESBM), and Pilot. Workshop 1 is “Overview: Becoming an Autonomous School”
and Workshop 2 is “RFP: Walkthrough and
Model Specific Information.” For dates, locations, and times and to register, go to http://
achieve.lausd.net/looc. Questions? Call the
Local Options Oversight Committee (LOOC)
at (213) 241-8700 or email [email protected].
CAHPERD state conference in March
“Step Up, Speak Out, and Move into
Common Core” is the theme for the 2015 state
conference for the California Association for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance (CAHPERD). UTLA member Chad
Fenwick, LAUSD physical education advisor,
is CAHPERD state president and will be
presiding over the conference, which will
be held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott
from March 5 to 8. Find more info at www.
cahperd.org/stateconference.html.
Capably Disabled Committee
Meeting at Abilities Expo
The Los Angeles Abilities Expo will take
place March 6, 7, and 8 at the Los Angeles
Convention Center (West Hall). This free
event for people with disabilities features
interesting booths with giveaways plus
special demonstrations, entertainment, and
health-oriented presentations. The UTLA
Capably Disabled Teachers Committee will
hold a meeting at the expo on Saturday,
March 7, from noon to 1 p.m. in the lunch
area at the West Hall A. Bring your $15
parking fee ticket to the meeting and you
can be reimbursed for that plus receive a
free lunch. Look for the UTLA Capably Disabled Teachers Committee Co-Chair Janis
Lukstein in her pink sparkly hat. Lukstein
can be reached at [email protected] or
(310) 375-8160. For free registration for the
Abilities Expo, go to abilitiesexpo.com/
losangeles/vregister.html.
United Teachers
Los Angeles
African American
Education Committee
Announces its
40h ANNUAL
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Scholarship Contest
We encourage you to apply to our scholarship program.
UTLA/African American Education Committee/Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarships give
financial help to young people who desire to
“Keep the Dream Alive” by continuing their education.
See your teacher for an application and guidelines.
At UnitedHealthcare, we’re dedicated to the communities we
serve and believe nothing should stand in the way of quality,
affordable health care.
We provide a broad portfolio of health care plans as well as
dental, vision, life and disability offerings to help you get the
right coverage at the right price.
For more information, call Anthony Campbell at
415-778-3845.
©2014 United HealthCare Services, Inc. Health plan coverage provided by or through
UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company and UnitedHealthcare of California. Administrative services
provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc., OptumRx or OptumHealth Care Solutions, Inc.
Behavioral health products are provided by U.S. Behavioral Health Plan, California (USBHPC) or
United Behavioral Health (UBH).
UHCCA691267-000
24
Submit the Application Form and your Essay or Poem about the life
and/or writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. no later than
5:00 pm, Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Applications may be submitted by mail to:
United Teachers Los Angeles
3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1794
c/o Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee, Attn.: Debbie Reid
or they may be dropped off at the above address between 8 AM – 5 PM
Winners will be notified by Friday, April 10, 2015
Scholarships will be presented at the Awards Dinner
on
Friday, April 24, 2015
at 5:30 pm
the L. Ron Hubbard Community Center
8039 South Vermont, Los Angeles 90044 (corner of 81st & Vermont)
(310) 419-8230
If further information is needed, please call Debbie Reid, Scholarship Secretary
at UTLA 800/556-8852 ext. 232 (9-4)
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
Note from UTLA-R President
By John Perez
UTLA-Retired President
Mobilization update: The UTLA campaign to achieve a good contract and to
negotiate for the Schools L.A. Students
Deserve is in full swing. In January a
second school visit blitz has been carried
out to inform as many schools as possible
about what UTLA is doing and negotiating for. There are plans for a major mass
demonstration on February 26 at Pershing
Square, and we hope that as many UTLA-R
members as possible will take part in
that demonstration and other actions the
union will be engaged in. We will keep
you informed about demonstrations via
postcard.
Social Security and pension updates:
The new Republican-dominated Congress
wasted no time in going after Social Security. The Republicans voted to change the
rule that allows money from the pension
side of Social Security to be used for the
Social Security Disability program. This
rule change will ultimately lead to a 19
percent cut in Social Security Disability
payments. The Republicans are hoping
to create a “crisis” in Social Security so
they can impose cuts in other Social Security programs. This is the same type of
anti-middle class, anti-worker rule that
the Republicans instituted a number of
years ago when they required the U.S.
Postal Service to pay more into the post
office pension system than was necessary
to cover the system’s obligations. That rule
change has caused the U.S. Postal Service
to be in the “red” for the last few years
and has allowed the Republicans to call
for the elimination of the Post Office and
to totally privatize all mail delivery. If the
Postal Service had been allowed to only
increase its contributions to the pension
fund by what was necessary to stabilize
it, the system would be in the “black.”
The U.S. Postal Service predates the U.S.
constitution and has been a benefit to all
generations of Americans. The attacks
on Social Security and the Postal Service
come from the same people with the same
ideas as those who have been attacking all
defined benefit pensions, including our
CalSTRS pensions. We must remember that
defined benefit pensions, Social Security,
and the Post Office benefit workers and the
middle class and that these programs are
always in the cross hairs of the privatizers.
The Koch Brothers and you: The notorious Koch brothers’ combined wealth of
$82 billion is more than the individual
wealth of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. In
last fall’s elections, they contributed close
to $300 million to big business and antienvironmental, anti-social services causes.
That’s like a person making $50,000 contributing $182 to a pro-worker PAC like
PACE. This year UTLA is in a fight to keep
the School Board out of the clutches of the
privatizers who want to destroy public
education as we know it. If you can, please
make a contribution to UTLA PACE in
care of UTLA-R V.P. Cecelia Boskin at 3547
Federal Ave, L.A., CA 90066.
Finally the New York Times Gets It: The
New York Times, like the L.A. Times, has been
TEACHER JAIL
(continued from page 5)
a cheerleader for the corporate “reforms”
that people like Antonio Villaraigosa and
Eli Broad have been calling for. The New
York Times has pushed for more testing
and has decried so-called failing public
schools. But now, in giving advice to New
York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the New
York Times said if Cuomo wants real reform
he will have to go beyond his fight with the
teachers’ unions and address the “racial and
economic segregation that has gripped the
state’s schools, as well as the inequality in
school funding that prevents many poor
districts from lifting their children up to
state standards.” Perhaps the L.A. Times will
finally realize that poverty is a major cause
of educational inequality in Los Angeles
and the country. Perhaps people will finally
look at the fact that the U.S. has the greatest
percentage of kids living in poverty of any
major economy in the world.
Perez can be reached at [email protected].
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Under former Superintendent Deasy,
teacher jail turned into an out-of-control
system where dozens of teachers were
pulled from their classes and kept out of
work for long periods of time for minor
infractions unrelated to student safety. In
some cases, administrators who felt empowered by Deasy’s support of teacher jail
targeted employees they didn’t like but who
were not guilty of significant misconduct.
Lutz hopes that his case helps bring to
light the need for a complete overhaul of
LAUSD’s teacher jail system. “It should go without saying that the
welfare and safety of our students are
paramount,” Lutz said. “Our kids need
to be protected. Teachers should indeed
be removed—those who are credibly suspected of serious abuse or misconduct.
And even for those who are legitimately
‘housed,’ there needs to be a much speedier
investigation. It should not be guilty until
proven innocent.”
UTLA has been pressing for LAUSD to
agree to a case-by-case review, with UTLA,
of housed teacher cases. The fact that Lutz’s
case was proceeding to dismissal but now
has been resolved—without any discipline
beyond a conference memo—underscores
how much this review is necessary. At
the bargaining table, UTLA is pressing
proposals that would prohibit employees
from being housed for issues unrelated
to student safety or credible allegations
of serious misconduct. UTLA’s contract
demands also call for swifter investigations and for employees to be notified of
allegations in a timely manner.
Earn Salary Points
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United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
January 30, 2015
UTLA Classifieds
CLASSIFIED AND DISPLAY AD POLICY: UNITED TEACHER will not accept ads for legal services in the areas of worker’s compensation or personal injury; nor
advertising for tobacco or alcoholic beverages; nor advertising deemed misleading or offensive to members; nor advertising inconsistent with the programs and
purposes of United Teachers Los Angeles.
TRAVEL
LAUSD JOB SHARE
Job share partner needed. I teach Social Studies
2015-16 school year. We are a high-functioning, estab-
at a Southside high school. Looking for a partner
lished, collaborative department and we are looking for
Travel to Colombia: Witness for Peace delegation to
Job Share with an enthusiastic, experienced teacher
to teach in the spring of 2015 and possibly longer.
a candidate who loves to be in the classroom and is
northwest Colombia in solidarity with communities
starting 2015-2016 in District 1 in the West Valley. This
Please contact Sarah at [email protected].
primarily focused on student learning! If you’re interest-
nonviolently resisting displacement. Physically and
elementary school position is at a National Blue Ribbon
emotionally challenging trip. Commitment to nonvio-
and California Distinguished school in Chatsworth that
lence. COST: $1450 plus airfare to Colombia. July 8 to
has a 10 out of 10 rating on greatschools.org. There is
18, 2015. Contact Patrick Bonner, pkbonner@earth-
synergy among the teachers at my school. I am also
link.net, (323) 563-7940. www.witnessforpeace.org.
open to teaching at your school in the West Valley area
as well. Please contact me, Kerri at (818) 497-1282 or
BLACK PARIS - TEACHERS & OTHERS - See How
[email protected].
Josephine Baker, Miles Davis, Paul Robeson, etc.
enriched French Culture - July 6-15, 2015...Join
Job share partner wanted for 2015-2016 for a RSP K-4
us! E-Z Payment Plan. Visit www.equator3Tours.
program at a traditional school in Local District 4. My
com, (212) 348-5449.
partner teacher went back to full time. Position is for
the afternoons, split days. Great program, assistant,
EXPERIENCE GHANA PANAFEST JULY 26-AU-
and school! Must have a special education credential.
GUST 7, 2015. An African Heritage Cultural Jour-
Thanks! Contact M. Abraham at [email protected].
ney...Join us! E-Z Payment Plan. Visit www.equator3Tours.com, (212) 348-5449.
Job share partner needed for the 2014-2015 school
year to share my RSP position. I am at a wonderful school in Highland Park (East Area). I would like
LAUSD EMPLOYMENT
to split days. Must have experience with Special
Job share/employment
available ads in LAUSD
employment section are FREE.
tial and knowledge of Welligent to complete IEP’s.
Education, have a clear Special Education CredenForms must be submitted by April of 2015. Please
contact Leandra at (323) 304-8045.
ed, please email your resume to: [email protected].
The mathematics department at Downtown Magnets
High school is seeking a job-share candidate for the
How To Place Your UT Classified Ad
Print your ad from your computer or use a typewriter. Count the number of
words in your ad. Area code and telephone number count as one word. Email
and web address count as one word. Street address counts as one word.
City and state, including zip code, count as one word. Abbreviations and
numbers are considered words and are charged individually. The classified
ad rate is $1.50 per word for each time your ad runs (there is no charge for
LAUSD job share/employment available ads). Multiply the number of words
in your ad by $1.50. This is the cost for running your ad one time in UNITED
TEACHER. If you’re running your ad in more than one issue, multiply the
one-time total by the number of issues you wish the ad to appear. We have
a ten word minimum ($15.00). All ads are payable in advance by check or
money order. Please make check payable to UTLA. The deadline to receive
your classified ad at the UTLA Communications Dept. is noon on the Monday that falls two weeks prior to the publication date. Any questions? Call
(213) 637-5173. Mail ad and payment to Classifieds, UNITED TEACHER,
3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
C R E AT I V I T Y
IN THE
CLASSROOM
Join us at our beautiful campus
for five fun and engaging
workshops for K-12 classroom
teachers and teaching artists.
EARN 2 LAUSD
SALARY POINTS
OR 2 MSMC
EXTENSION UNITS*
“I see this work has impacted my own passion for
teaching and connecting art and other subjects
together.”- Alison, 6th-8th grade teacher
“This was an
amazing experience
and one of the
most useful I’ve had
as an educator.”
-Griselda, 9th-10th
grade, Social
Studies teacher
SPRING 2015
SATURDAYS
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
FEB 28TH
MAR 7TH, MAR 21ST
APR 11TH, APR 18TH
HANDS-ON CLASSES
Visual Arts | Ceramics
Music | Dance | Drama
Poetry | Playmaking
Program
Cocktails
Dancing
Dinner
Common Core Connections
ELD Strategies
Community Building
Integration of the Arts
Across the Curriculum
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Center at Cathedral Plaza
REGISTER SOON!
Los Angeles
Space limited to
30 participants
“Full of
brain–compatible
strategies to help
our students
achieve in all
subjects.”
-Johanna, 4th
grade teacher
Registration due by
February 20
FEE: $175 (including materials)
FREE PARKING
REGISTRATION FORMS:
www.inner-cityarts.org
Work-study scholarships available.
*Additional $78 fee to
Mt. St. Mary's College for 2 units.
Retirees and one guest compliments of UTLA
If you are retiring between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, request a formal invitation online at
www.utla.net/2015retirementdinnerinvite or complete coupon below and mail before April 3, 2015
to UTLA, Attn: Rosa Beasley, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
For more information, contact Rosa Beasley at [email protected] or (213) 637-5146
FORMAL INVITATION REQUEST FORM
Limited Seating. Reservations Required
Name_________________________________________________________Emp.#_____________
Address _________________________________________________________________________
City __________________________________________________State________ Zip___________
INFORMATION
ANNENBERG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
26
[email protected]
(213) 627-9621 ext. 114
720 KOHLER ST.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90021
Phone (
)_______________________________Retirement Date:______________ / ________
(month)
(year)
School/Retiring Site _______________________________________________________________
Email address (non-LAUSD)________________________________________________________
United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net
U N I T E D
January 30, 2015
T E A C H E R
GRAPEVINE
Computer science workshops for
elementary school teachers
Code.org has partnered with LAUSD
to enrich K-12 curriculum with computer
science concepts. Code.org is offering zerocost, one-day workshops to prepare educators and content-area teachers to introduce
computer science basic concepts in a format
that’s fun and accessible to the youngest
learners (grades K-5). Teachers will receive
the supplies they need to teach the course at
no cost. Go to http://code.org/educate/k5.
Salary point class on
cultural competency
“Cultural Competency” is an interactive seminar on cultural diversity, family
history, media and societal impacts, and
effective communications. The salary point
workshop covers the important role your
own culture plays in day-to-day interactions and includes interactive exercises in
which participants review various issues
from a variety of viewpoints. The next
session is February 28 and March 1 (Saturday and Sunday). The workshops run from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee is $75. Location:
8339 W. 3rd Street, L.A., CA 90048. One
salary point available. For more information or to register, call Kari Bower at (323)
653-3332 or email [email protected].
Math for America Los Angeles
accepting Early Career
Fellowship applications
Math for America Los Angeles was
launched in 2008 with the goal of raising
student mathematics achievement by recruiting and supporting highly skilled
secondary school mathematics teachers in
the greater Los Angeles area. Applications
are currently being accepted for our Early
Career Fellowship Program. The Early
Career Fellowship is a four-year program
designed to help beginning teachers in
public secondary schools grow into effective instructors and school leaders.
Selection criteria includes:
• must teach mathematics in grades 7-12
in a high-need public or charter school in
the greater Los Angeles area
• have completed (or be on track to complete) BTSA within one year of July 1, 2015
• have completed at least 18 credits or six
courses of post-Calculus or related courses
• hold state teaching certification and
spend at least 65 percent of time teaching
mathematics courses
• demonstrate high content knowledge
and a love of mathematics and exemplary
teaching and leadership skills
• enjoy collaborating with colleagues
Applications are due March 16, 2015. For
more information, visit http://ec.mfala.org.
Free session on experiential
Holocaust education
Registration is now open for Session
Two: Experiential Holocaust Education of
ADL’s Los Angeles Holocaust Education
Institute for teachers on Friday, February
27.This session will feature an exploration
of two of the unique Los Angeles-based
resources for experiential Holocaust education, the Museum of Tolerance and the
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.
Participants will receive VIP tours of both
museums (including the Museum of Tolerance’s Anne Frank exhibit), as well as
survivor testimony. At the Los Angeles
Museum of the Holocaust, participants
will also be able to experience the limitedtime West Coast engagement of “Holocaust
By Bullets: Yahad in Unum,” which tells
about the work of Father Patrick Desbois
to uncover sites of mass execution in Nazioccupied Eastern Europe. Educators who
attend Session Two may apply for a $50
personal stipend and for their schools to
receive up to $150 in substitute teacher
reimbursement. Funding is limited; both
the stipend and reimbursement are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For
more information and to register, please
visit www.adl.org/laholocaustinstitute or
email [email protected].
Informational meeting on LAUSD
Reduced Workload Leave
LAUSD Human Resources will be
holding a Reduced Workload informational meeting from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
on Saturday, February 28, at the Beaudry
Building (15th Floor). Reduced workload
is a leave granted by LAUSD and CalSTRS.
All new applicants must meet the following minimum requirements by July 1, 2015:
• 55 years of age
• 10 years of full-time service with
LAUSD, the last five of which are continuous
• HR and CalSTRS approval
Please email Rachel Saldana at rls5446@
lausd.net to make your reservation and
you will receive an email confirmation.
Registration deadline is February 27, 2015.
Teach in Japan program looking
for experienced educators
Teach in Japan at a public high school,
July 2015 to July 2017. Sister City program
seeks an experienced teacher in ESL, ELA,
or foreign language at the secondary level.
Flexibility, cross-cultural sensitivity, and a
two-year commitment required. Return
(continued on page 24)
27
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