Your donation will help us produce journalism like this. Please give today.
UTLA incoming-president Alex Caputo-Pearl speaks at a union rally.
As a prologue to today’s LA Unified board of education meeting, UTLA members rallied outside of LA Unified headquarters calling for a double digit raise, especially after the state Legislature approved the largest budget in state history.
“Even more money than what they prognosticated in May is coming in [to our schools],” President-elect, Alex Caputo-Pearl told union members.
The $108 billion budget was approved on Father’s Day. While it increases funding to education, it remains unclear how much more money LA Unified will get.
“So how is it possible that we are not seeing the offer that we need from LAUSD?” Caputo-Pearl asked the crowd, which booed in response.
“We need a pay restoration and raise for our folks. It’s the respect they deserve,” he added.
Captuto Pearl said he’ll call on the board to “do what other districts throughout the state have been doing for the past year,” a request to give teachers and other UTLA members a meaningful raise that more than makes up for pay cuts the union accepted to “keep the district afloat” during the recession.