Unions’ Strike Hurts L.A. Students and Families

By California Policy Center
03/20/2023
Two employee unions in Los Angeles Unified are poised to strike this week, shutting down schools and leaving many parents angry that students are — once again — being used as leverage by the unions in contract negotiations. The unions are demanding huge pay raises despite financial reports showing LAUSD is already upside down $16.4...

TAGS: Los Angeles Unfied School District, seiu, teacher strike, teachers strike, UTLA

How the Teachers Union Can Save L.A. Unified

By Edward Ring
09/14/2022
Earlier this year the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) released a report entitled “Burned Out, Priced Out – Solutions to the Educator Shortage Crisis.” Given the universally acknowledged challenges facing public K-12 education in California, this report merits serious attention. The UTLA represents teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which with over 500,000 enrolled K-12 students is...

TAGS: education, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unfied School District, student spending, teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles

In public ed, money doesn’t always produce quality

By R. Claire Friend
06/05/2017
Three of the nation’s five most expensive schools are in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Each ranks among the lowest performing schools in California. With a $578 million price tag, Robert F. Kennedy Learning Center is the most expensive school ever built. Boasting an auditorium modeled after the famous Coconut Grove nightclub, a state-of-the-art...

TAGS: A Nation at Risk, Eva Moskowitz, Los Angeles Unfied School District, Success Academy

Adults’ Rights Come Before Children’s Health and Welfare in Public Schools

By Larry Sand
03/06/2012
Parents send their children to school assuming that kids are its number one priority. But as recent events have shown, public schools are Ground Zero for a culture that puts children last and doesn’t hold adults accountable. In Waiting For Superman, Michelle Rhee stated that it took her a while, but she finally realized that...

TAGS: American Federation for Children, California Teachers Association, Los Angeles Unfied School District, Mark Berndt, Michelle Rhee, Parent Revolution, Parent Trigger, school boards, Students First, teachers unions

Former Union Boss to Become Charter School Operator

By Larry Sand
09/06/2011
Once a rabid anti-reformer, termed out United Teachers of Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy has become a union apostate…maybe. On September 1st, Los Angeles Times writer Howard Blume wrote what at first glance appeared to be satire. He reported that A.J. Duffy is starting his own charter school. For those of you who live a...

TAGS: A.J. Duffy, California Teachers Association, Charter schools, Los Angeles Unfied School District, tenure, United Teachers of Los Angeles