Social Justice Shorts – Education Edition

COURT ORDER STOPS TEACHER WALKOUT

Last week the district went to court to stop the district’s teachers from staging a one day walkout to protest teacher layoffs. Yesterday a judge granted a restraining order to stop the strike. (From the Daily News)

“This would have been extremely disruptive.” Cortines said he was already planning to make Friday a minimum day, but now classes will go on as scheduled.

[SNIP]

The union has been pushing the district to use all of its federal stimulus dollars in the 2009-10 year to stave off layoffs, but district officials have said they will not front load the money until the unions agree to concessions like furlough days and wage freezes.

NOTE 1: The LA teachers have something very legitimate to protest.

The Seattle teachers union, not so much

NOTE 2: Schoolboard member, Tamar Galatzan says in her newsletter that she’d be willing to push for much of the stimulus funds to be used to retain teachers, as long the union doesn’t stand in the way of reforming the way that bad apple teachers are fired.

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DEAR LAUSD, DON’T RUSH THE NEW GOOD THING

LAUSD’s $232 million downtown arts high school is complete, and the LA Times rightly wants the district not to rush the opening, but to get it right.

This is the wrong time for Los Angeles Unified School District leaders to practice their quick-action skills, and this is the wrong school to do it on. After a nationwide search for a principal led nowhere, they last week selected someone from within the district who has no particular arts education background. That accomplished, they’re planning to open the school this fall, even though they still lack a faculty and a curriculum. Another misstep: After months of arguments over whether the school should admit students on the basis of talent or residency, the political pressure from neighborhood forces prevailed. Only 500 of the school’s 1,700 seats will go to students drawn from throughout L.A. Unified.

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LA TIMES SERIES STIRS UP TALK OF A STATE LAW TO MAKE FIRING BAD TEACHERS EASIER

LA TIMES Jason Song series on the near impossibility of firing bad teachers has revived long-stalled state legislation that would make firing problem teachers easier.

Shortly before The Times’ series was published, board member Marlene Canter asked her colleagues to press state legislators to revise laws governing teacher dismissals. She withdrew the motion when it was clear that she did not have enough support, following vehement opposition from union officials. The board then agreed to form a task force to study the issue.

Canter reintroduced her motion Tuesday, and four of the seven board members said in interviews that state law needs to be changed. Board President Monica Garcia, among others, cautioned that the solution would be complicated and needed careful study.

“We need a comprehensive strategy, we need to present a well-thought-out legislation, and we [need] someone who will carry legislation. We have to do all of our homework,” said board member Yolie Flores Aguilar.

State Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), who is chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and objected to Canter’s proposal two weeks ago, said Tuesday that she wants to study the issue.

Since this is an obviously good idea, what’s the hold up? Oh, yeah. Union money.

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