Los Angeles Unified School District workers rally against budget cuts [Updated]

About 150 Los Angeles Unified School District employees and their school-age children rallied outside a shuttered campus Wednesday against state budget cuts that have shortened the academic year and pushed back the start of school.

Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents the district's custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and classroom aides, organized the rally at Virgil Middle School in Koreatown.

The district has slashed seven days from the academic year in its effort to eliminate a $640-million deficit, a move critics say will lead to crowded classrooms and reduced student services. Although school traditionally starts the week of Labor Day, the date has been pushed back to Sept. 13.

[Updated at 11 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said the district had slashed eight days from the academic year.]

“Sacramento is not listening to California’s stated priorities,” said Terry Carter, a spokeswoman for the local union. “Working families want investments and improvements in our schools, yet Sacramento keeps cutting.”

A seventh-grader about to enter Barrack Obama Global Preparation Academy said he wants to study engineering and one day work for NASA building spaceships. But he worried his dreams may not come true because of the cutbacks.

“To get where I’m going, I’ll have to do great on every test,” Salvador Jimenez said in a statement. “I already feel like we sometimes take tests after only getting half a lesson. Cutting the school year could hurt my chances.”

 

A custodian at Bell High School spoke at the rally about how difficult it was to keep the campuses clean after so many janitors have been laid off, Carter said.

“She is concerned that without proper custodial services, kids may get sick and risk losing even more days,” Carter said.

Board of Education President Monica Garcia joined the rally and asked state officials not to abandon California's children.

“Sacramento has cut $17 billion from education over the past two years, and they’re threatening to cut even more,” Garcia said in a statement. “This is a step backward and it jeopardizes our students’ dreams."

-- Ching-Ching Ni

Photo: Gama Andrade, center, an LAUSD cafeteria worker, joins in the budget protest. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[John]

I suspect we have a lot of difficult choices ahead in Los Angeles. The political will needs to be there. Because the funds simply are not.

[Bob Johnson]

More SEIU noncontributing slobs making life difficult for everyone else. Nothing new here.

[Mo]

Unfortunately, as we consider the socio-economical consequences that these budget-cut initiatives render; the status of the American educational system is in great jeopardy. The negligence shown by bureaucrats in regards to public education will inevitably lead to depreciation of individual capabilities due to insufficient funding. Governors, senators, congressman and the President have an agenda that is centered around defense and stimulating the economy of the present and future. However, the generations of individuals that will inherit whatever benefits or disadvantages that result from current legislative procedures, will not have nearly the educational emphasis that can ensure a capitalistic/democratic dream.

[TrueFreedom]

To the custodian at Bell High finding it difficult to keep the place clean... you have hundreds of helpers who's responsibility *should be* to pick up after themselves, leaving you with the working-with-chemicals part. Talk to your principal. Institute a program where the kids in detention help puts the dust broom around. Let's put some personal responsibility back onto the shoulders of these kids...

[james andrews]

How much did that new high school cost? Over half a BILLION for one school. You have to love the arrogance.

[Steve S]

Students like the 7th grader who wants to work for NASA will still receive a better U.S. (free) education than he would in the country his parents grew up in, even if the school years are shorter. Just gotta turn off the $2000 plasma TV and X-box to do more homework while your mom shops with those WIC vouchers.

[mike]

The public school system is broken period. throwing more money at it isn't gonna help the problem. How many times do we have to do that before we learn?

If the children were really the priority we would issue vouchers and let the parents decide where to send their children to school not the Feds. A prime example of this is Senator Harkin who represents Iowa NEVER SENT HIS CHILDREN TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM THERE!!!! TELL U ANYTHING!!

Now given that does any parent really believe Washington knows better what their children need? If you answer that yes your the problem not Washington .

[FutureView]

"A seventh-grader about to enter Barrack Obama Global Preparation Academy said he wants to study engineering and one day work for NASA building spaceships. But he worried his dreams may not come true because of the cutbacks."

I guess Ching-Ching Ni could not work a puppy into the story. Why not stick to the facts. You know, like what is the cash flow in, expenses out; is the student base growing or shrinking. What are the district's alternatives. Put some meat into the story.

[Philbomb]

A custodian at Bell High School spoke at the rally about how difficult it was to keep the campuses clean after so many janitors have been laid off, Carter said.
“She is concerned that without proper custodial services, kids may get sick and risk losing even more days,” Carter said."

How about the "students" stop defacing, trashing, and vandalizing their own schools. Do you think that that might reduce the risks of students getting sick and losing more school days?

[jt]

But it's for the children, blah, blah, blah, blah. We spend billions educating the children of illegal immigrant lawbreakers, how about starting there. By the way, did I read that right, The Barrack Obama Global Preparation Academy? Now that's the best laugh I've had in a long time.

P.S. I'm pretty sure Ching Ching won't post this comment because it offends her liberal sensibilities.

[Ginny]

Don't matter. They should be able to be "most effective" regardless.

[boochie]

These workers needs a reality check. Times are tough for most people and the city and state workers need to suffer just like everyone else!

[jt]

See Ching Ching, I told you so.

[personal injury attorney seattle]

Its just crazy whats happening In California right now!

Bill James Seattle, Wa

[Andy K]

They all look like they get enough food. maybe too much. They will never be satisfied and there aren't enough workers to support their idiotic demands.

[IvanG]

The single most effective way to improve education is through parental involvement. That is why Asian students tend to do better than others. I find the SEIU's protests about education being the big priority to be hypocritical, because the SEIU also represents other government employees who want a bigger slice of the pie.

[Barbara Torres]

Everyone is suffering during these hard economic times, most of all our children, who are the future. I want a future that I can live in and not dream in. Education should be a priority and not about minorities. This article touches that and everyone who thinks otherwise should do what they do best: Nothing.

[kuruc]

looks like a bunch of commies! why are they allowed to work in our schools? oh yea, obummers union sei u.

[kuruc]

mike, the parents of most of these kids are INCOMPETENTS, they can't read or write spanish, much less english. they need the politicians to tell them what to do. they are mostly on welfare and use medical marihuana.

[James]

Time to wipe the slate clean and start over. The educational system in this state is a mess and the school system is partly to blame. LAUSD's budget is enormous yet they still need more more more. Education takes 1/2 of the California budget yet tax revenues have decreased due to the recession which means, revenues to the schools have to be cut. There is no more free ride for the unions, taxpayers want a value for every dollar they spend and to spend 6billion dollars a year on education in Los Angeles alone and have nothing to show for it will no longer fly.

[Sanford Gordon]

Sanchez and Garcia now to form a Block which is a conflict of interest as well as to the districts which they represent. The agenda is very apparent for it represents the Democratic Party Central Plan of allocation of off offices in which they promote their agenda of the Party and this is in direct conflict to the Best interest of the mission of LAUSD.

Look at the record of the Board's achievments,
Ambassador
Building a school on a toxic Dump
Payroll fiasco of 100K loss
11 Billion Dollar unfunded Liability
Current Financial condition is Bankruptcy
37 1/2 % Dropout rate
Belmont Fiasco
150+ Teachers collecting pay sitting at desks doing
nothing because the system is unable to terminate these
and they only represent the worse of the worse.
A District which refuses to impose or implement a proper
Teacher Review, Grading and testing for proefficiency and effectiviness in the Classroom as well as subject matter.
District only allows 2 visits per year at one announced and one unanounced. How can you grade the performance with only
two visits to the Classroom and at the same time use the
test results of the students they teach to see if in fact they have learned or just ignored.
9 Supertindents in 24 years simiply because the Board does
not want to serve the mission of educting the children but
follow a political power agenda.

There are a great many more failures on the part of the Board to enumerate but the frosting on the cake is:

No Board Member has ever accepted responsibility and in lieu of accepting the responsibility continue to blame Presiden Bush and or the Governator who were only on the scene for the last 10 years but the Board blames those two
for every failure and never themselves. They do not blame the legislature who in fact is the one passes the Laws governing the operation of schools but the legislature is under homage to the Teachers Union who financially support their election or relection by funding them.

No Board Member has ever been recalled from Office and no major official has been fired for the failures above but they continue to receive raises, benefits etc.

Now do you believe that Sanchez will change matters!!!!

Dysfuntion, corruption, neopotism, and Failure reign forever and you the taxpayer will continue to pay and your
Children will continue to pay with a 2nd class eduction.

Thank God for Bush's No Child Left behind if for only it stopped LAUSD from continuing their program of Social promotion to those who could not qualify or pass.