Teachers in Los Angeles are pushing for several different demands, including a 20% raise over two years, smaller class sizes, and a reduction in the use of standardized testing.
The demands are being pushed for by the Los Angeles teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, in the nation’s second-largest school district.
The move comes as the district and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho continue to struggle with addressing student learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reported.
On Monday, the union held three rallies across the school district, as it brought struggles for educators to the light.
“When you can’t even afford to live when you work, we got a problem y'all,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said at one of the rallies.
Throughout California and the nation, teacher shortages continue to be a problem for school districts. The problem is exacerbated by the ongoing inflation rate pushing costs of living to near all-time highs.
With teachers already facing extreme workloads in education many are looking to leave the field for better-paying jobs.
In Minnesota, the state recently announced its surplus had increased to $17.6 billion, and the state teacher's unions shared Wednesday they are looking for $5 billion of the funds.
“We need our schools to be places where people want to work,” Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said. “In this environment, workers have choices, and when schools are understaffed or under-resourced, we don’t have people that are even looking at schools as a viable option for employment.”
As for the issue in Los Angeles, Myart-Cruz said that negotiators had months to address vital issues but, so far, have not.
“This district has had seven whole months to address the educator shortage and to make sure that every student has a classroom teacher, every student has a school nurse, every student has a counselor, and a librarian and mental health support,” Myart-Cruz said.
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