Their strike is our strike
Why L.A. parents are walking the picket lines with their kids’ teachers
By Angie Gomez
History is happening here in Los Angeles. The city’s 33,000 public school educators are putting their livelihoods on the line to fight for the future of public education. And parents and community members are standing with them. We are all united on the side of public education.
This isn’t just about educator pay — though in a city as expensive as this, paying our educators fairly has to be part of the conversation. But in addition to fair pay, educators are out there striking to fight for smaller class sizes, more nurses and librarians, and an end to constant threats of privatization.
I’m grateful to my kids’ teachers for fighting for our kids’ futures. And frankly, I’m angry at the school district and at Superintendent Austin Beutner for starving our schools, dragging out negotiations for two years, trying to hide nearly $2 billion that the district should be spending on what students need, and ultimately forcing this strike.
The truth is, if this can happen in Los Angeles, it can and will happen in more and more cities across America. The way we treat our schools and our educators is an embarrassment for California. I don’t know how we can call ourselves progressive and treat our public schools like this.
What happens here this week matters. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second-biggest school district in the country, and United Teachers Los Angeles is a force to be reckoned with. Austin Beutner didn’t force this strike by accident. This is part of a targeted attempt to weaken teachers unions and weaken public schools — and make no mistake, the outcome in Los Angeles will have ripple effects nationwide. Which is why it’s so important for parents like me to be out there vocally supporting UTLA in this strike, and for supporters far and wide to wear red, show your support on social media, and spread the word.
We’ve got to show the Austin Beutners of the world that we will not let them starve our public schools. My kids and I will be out there on the picket lines until he gets the message.
There are three ways you can get involved to show your support:
- Tweet a message of support and spread the word on Facebook.
- Sign the petition to LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner telling him to stop starving L.A. schools.
- Make a contribution to the Los Angeles Teacher/Parent Strike Solidarity Fund.
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