UTLA cries foul over hundreds of adult ed teachers on layoff list
Craig Clough | April 29, 2015
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UTLA’s Secondary VP Colleen Schwab speaks outside the East LA Skills Center
*UPDATED
Among the 609 LA Unified employees who received layoff notices last month were hundreds of adult eduction teachers.
But the LA teachers union, UTLA, still has a thing to two to say about it. Just two days after protesting the cuts, UTLA leaders today held a press conference this morning outside of the East LA Skills Center to draw attention to adult education.
The district is facing a $160 million deficit next fiscal year and says the layoffs are needed to balance books. But UTLA is challenging the cuts as unnecessary.
Certificated employees were notified last month that they could be laid off or reassigned, the district had 60 days to notify them.
Besides adult ed teachers, elementary school teachers, counselors and psychiatric social workers also received a high number of notifications.
“What we are facing here today is a cut in programs because the District is attempting to eliminate educators from this vital program (Adult Ed)…UTLA calls upon the District to rescind these layoffs and keep these vital programs in place,” said
UTLA Secondary Vice President Colleen Schwab at the press conference. “Standing right behind me are future nurses for our country and these programs, along with the educators behind them, will enhance our community because people will get jobs.”
Not long after the potential layoffs were announced, UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl appeared at an LA Unified school board meeting and reminded the members that no other major districts in the state are implementing layoffs. He suggested the layoffs were a punitive action aimed at UTLA for its recent threats of a strike during contract negotiations.
“There are no layoffs occurring in San Diego. There are no layoffs occurring in Long Beach. There are no layoffs occurring in Oakland. There are no layoffs occurring in San Jose. There are no layoffs occurring in San Francisco. There are no layoffs occurring in Stockton. And I could go on,” Caputo-Pearl told the board.
UTLA and the district have since come to a tentative agreement on a contract.
*Updated to inlaced quote from Colleen Schwab