Teachers and Parents -- Working As a Team

Dear Mr. Duffy,

                As parents of students in LAUSD, we urge you and other UTLA leaders to abandon your no concessions position and  show leadership in these critical times by accepting moderate changes to the UTLA contract which are in the best interest of LAUSD students your teachers and, ultimately, in the long term best interest of UTLA.

We value our teachers more than we can say.  They are the lifeblood of our schools.  They work tirelessly to teach our children not only in academic subject matters but also in matters of citizenship and social consciousness.  For this we are most grateful.  In a perfect world, we would not want for any teacher to have to make concessions.  In a perfect world, we  vehemently agree that teachers should be better compensated for the professional and valuable work they do. 

However, as we all know, this is not a perfect world and these are exceedingly difficult times.  Our country, state and city are faced with an unprecedented fiscal crisis which will force major budget cuts in our schools.  There is no getting around this. 

The question is how will these cuts be made?  Willl they be made so as to limit the impact  on the classroom and on our students? Or will they be made with only the interests of adults in mind?  So far, we are dismayed to find, your leadership has taken that latter position. 

By refusing to accept any concessions, such as cutting the number of sick days, forgoing raises (in an economy where no one is getting raises and cost of living is declining not increasing), or agreeing to limited work furloughs and the like, you have given LAUSD no choice but to terminate teachers with the least seniority and to increase class sizes.  These changes will harm our students irreparably.  Research shows that increased class sizes result in less individualized learning and more students falling through the cracks or being placed on a path to dropping out.  Moreover, losing newer teachers has a most detrimental impact.  We want to attract professionals into the field of teaching, not dissuade them from joining it.  These teachers are trained and dedicated to current research-based instructional practices and models. They are ready and eager to apply these skills in their classrooms for the benefit of their students and to revitalize and invigorate the field of teaching and learning.  Your union position does more harm than good to the overall teaching profession.  Your current behavior is only adding more fuel to the fire for critics of the LAUSD public school system.  Other states and school districts in our nation seem to have been able to reach agreements with regards to teachers unions and concessions.  Why can't this happen in Los Angeles? 

UTLA has taken the position that no cuts need to be made and that all federal stimulus package money should be spent in the 2009/2010 school year.   This is not a feasible plan.  The terms of the stimulus package would not permit the district to spend all the funds in the first year and, even if this  were permissible, this would clearly be bad policy.   There is no indication that state revenues will increase over the next year so, after spending all the federal money in 2009/2010, the district would be faced with a 2010/2011 budget that would require even more Draconian cuts.

UTLA espouses that it wants what is best for LAUSD students and seeks to enhance the teacher/ student relationship.  However, your current positions indicate otherwise. Calling for a walkout in the middle of testing is irresponsible and antithetical to the mission of the teaching profession.  AP Tests allow our highest performing students to matriculate to elite universities and to accumulate college credits, helping them to save precious tuition dollars.   Walking out during these tests is disloyal to these students and a violation of the public trust. 

We believe that these positions are not in the union's best interest.  By refusing to make moderate concessions to save your newer teachers, you are alienating the very people who, in the future, will become your core members.  Surely this is short-sighted.  Moreover, you are forcing more schools to consider converting to independent charters in order to avoid situations like this in the future.  You are contributing to the declining enrollment of LAUSD as more parents choose private and parochial schools. Finally, you are alienating parents, the people who support and appreciate teachers the most.  How ironic that your walk-out is scheduled for the week after teacher appreciation week.  UTLA called for parents to align with teachers during this budget crisis.  However, recent behavior indicates that you will align with usonly when it benefits the union and then not stand with us and our children unless it serves UTLA's  interests.

Many of us are in unions or guilds ourselves or come from families who have benefited from these organizations.  We recognize that the traditional union stance has been not to concede to management.  However, these are unique times and call for new union leadership.  All across the country, senior employees (whether unionized or not) are making concessions to save the jobs of more junior employees and/or to save their companies.  Powerful unions such as the UAW and the newspaper unions have realized that everyone needs to sacrifice for a greater good.  If these unions can agree to make concessions in favor of shareholders and bondholders then surely UTLA can agree to do so in favor of our city's youth.  Now is not the time to repeat Just Say No to Management without serious consideration.  It is a time for leaders to emerge who can represent their constituents, negotiate in a rational manner with the district and come up with positions which are in the overall best interest of the students and all teachers (not just those with seniority).   We hope that you and other UTLA leaders assume this task.

As parents, we are working to accept that there will be some negative impact on our schools and our children.  We are trying to limit this impact by increasing volunteerism and fundraising.  We are asking parents, businesses, private foundations and the community at large to increase their support of public schools during this crisis.  The teacher's union also needs to be part of the solution.  

We want to work as a team.  But a team works together.  In good times we prosper together, and in bad times, we sacrifice together.  So far, the only people who seem to be sacrificing are the children.  We cannot idly stand by and let that happen.   

Sincerely,