Reclaim the School Board: Elect Defenders of Public Ed · 2020. 1. 6. · Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • Volume XLIX, Number 1, October 18, 2019 Reclaim

Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • www.utla.net Volume XLIX, Number 1, October 18, 2019

Reclaim the School Board: Elect Defenders of Public EdSchool board majority hangs in the balance in 2020 elections.

JACKIE GOLDBERGDISTRICT 5

PATRICIA CASTELLANOSDISTRICT 7

GEORGE MCKENNADISTRICT 1

SCOTT SCHMERELSONDISTRICT 3

Are you in one of the voting districts? Chapter chairs have rosters that indicate if you are registered to vote in one of the four board districts on the ballot. Check the roster and then sign the UTLA School Board pe-tition and commit to supporting our candidates.

Now is the time to join PACE: Billionaires can’t teach our kids — and they shouldn’t be able to buy our elections.

Build our political power for the March 2020 primary elections by signing up for UTLA’s Political Action Council of Educators at www.utla.net/pace.

Gear up for our field cam-paign: We’ll be reaching out to voters one on one in the coming months. Talk to colleagues about joining together for precinct walks and phone banks.

More on endorsements on page 5.

Take action for our team

UTLA has endorsed a powerful team to take back the LAUSD School Board from pro-privatization forces in 2020. All four of our endorsed candidates walked the picket lines with educators, parents, and students during our historic strike to defend public education.

Jackie Goldberg is a longtime teacher and legislator committed to championing public education and holding the charter industry accountable.

Patricia Castellanos is an LAUSD parent and founding member of the Reclaim Our Schools LA coalition, which helped organize communities to support our strike.

George McKenna is an advocate for un-derserved students and for increased funding for schools and special education.

Scott Schmerelson is a longtime LAUSD educator who knows how important it is to in-vest in school staff and protect the board from undue corporate charter industry influence.

The school board election is March 3, with mail ballots dropping February 3. With four out of seven board seats up for election, our future hangs in the balance. None of the seats currently held by people bankrolled by priva-tizer money are on the ballot this round, which

means we must win all four seats to have the team we need. We need allies on the board to build on our contract wins and:

Send more resources to our schools to lower class size and hire more nurses, librarians, counselors, psychologists, and social workers.

Protect public education from privatization and policies that would rate schools as failing and then hand them over to charters.

Safeguard our healthcare, which is up for negotiation in 2020 and subject to school board approval.

UTLAEndorsed

United Teacher • for the latest news: www.utla.net October 18, 2019

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President’s perspective

Our strike shifted the narrative: Now, we win more

By Alex Caputo-Pearl UTLA President

We keep seeing the positive impacts of our strike. Take a moment and feel pride in your days in the rain on the picket line.

Lisa Bennett is a special education teacher, UTLA chapter chair, and an LAUSD Teacher of the Year. She teaches at Van Gogh School, one of those closest to the Saddleridge fire. Lisa and others across the San Fernando Valley were in-censed by LAUSD’s flat-footedness in responding to the fire. Schools should have been closed and should have re-mained closed until they were rigorously cleaned and the air quality improved. LAUSD needs a plan, developed with stakeholders, for fire safety in the future.

Lisa, her co-workers, and parents, working with UTLA staff, used structures they built in the strike to organize a protest at Van Gogh. Using cluster connections strengthened during the strike, educators and parents from eight surrounding schools attended the vibrant action on less than 24-hour notice. It was packed with media. Read more on the protest in the box on page 3. Olivia Cortes, vice chair at Frost Middle School, said, “It made me so proud to be at Van Gogh in solidarity with so many other schools.” Randall Pollack, chapter chair at Frost, said, “Simply put, our students saw democracy in action today.”

During the action, the crowd applauded LAUSD School Board Member Scott Sch-merelson, who criticized LAUSD’s poor judgement during the fire. Bonds with Schmerelson had been deepened during the strike, as he pushed LAUSD to settle. Everyone is ready to work for his reelec-tion in March 2020.

Also in the West Valley, another LAUSD Teacher of the Year was building from the momentum of the strike. Wendy Lozano is a teacher and chapter chair at Canoga Park Elementary. As chapter chairs are doing across the city, Wendy has taken lead from the UTLA Board of Directors and House of Representatives and is dis-cussing with her co-workers that UTLA is considering endorsing Bernie Sanders for US president in the primary.

In the chapter leader advisory votes that will take place on November 13—advising the House of Representatives, which constitutionally makes the final decision—Wendy will be voting “yes” to endorse Sanders. She says, “Sanders is the only presidential candidate who has been consistent in supporting workers, public education, and the fight against privatization over the last two decades.” On UTLA’s unprecedented, democratic six-week member engagement process, Wendy says, “I brought the discussion of UTLA considering endorsing Sanders to my chapter. Though my co-workers have different perspectives on some things, they all understood the importance of having this conversation and the unique opportu-nity UTLA has to shape national education policy.” Read more on Sanders later in my column and on page 4 of this issue.

Our strike’s bounce effect Far beyond the above, our strike con-

tinues to bounce, with profound positive impacts. Consider the following from the last month:• Governor Newsom signed Assembly

bills 1505 and 1507, the first major regulation on charter authorization in decades.

• LAUSD has complied with our first-ever class-size caps in the vast majority of classrooms, with our Class Size Task Force working with the few schools that need assistance.

• There are fewer Prop. 39 charter co-locations than any time in the past six years.

• More than 80% of schools reporting on the UTLA Chapter Power Survey state their Local Leadership/Governance Councils are functioning.

• LAUSD has exceeded the number of secondary counselors to be hired as a result of the strike.

• Health and human services providers and special education teachers are on the UTLA/LAUSD Task Force demand-ing information to prepare for reopener bargaining.

• The LA School Board finally started col-lecting over-allocation fees from under-enrolled co-located charter schools—they owe more than $6 million from not using space they were given.

• The LA School Board is set to kill Nick Melvoin’s school rating system.

• What Bernie Sanders started with his endorsement of the Schools and Com-munities First state funding measure has taken off: candidates Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris, and Eliz-abeth Warren have now endorsed it.

• Our longtime allies in the Chicago Teachers Union, who inspired the country with their 2012 strike, are on strike again, referencing our class size, staffing, and Common Good strike wins as inspirational.

We continue to fight on all fronts. We have initiated the grievance process won during the strike because LAUSD has not met its obligation for hiring nurses this year. Our members are at the bargain-ing table through rights we won during the strike, negotiating on LAUSD’s pilot inclusion model. We have our three con-tract reopeners for January 2020: salary, including bilingual differential; special education, including health and human services staffing; and class size. There’s a detailed look, issue by issue, on how we’re enforcing the contract on pages 6 and 7.

Winning the school board elections is key

To continue our momentum, we need to win all four seats in the school board elec-tions of March 2020. We have endorsed a set of candidates earlier than we ever have before. George McKenna in Board District 1 and Scott Schmerelson in Board District 3 have been powerful voices against priva-tization and in support of investment in classrooms and respect for educators. Jackie

Goldberg, in five short months since her election to Board District 5, has powerfully shifted the balance of power on the board.

We have endorsed Patricia Castella-nos in Board District 7. This seat is being vacated by Richard Vladovic because of term limits. As an open seat, it will play an outsized role in forming the balance of power on the board. Paty has been a friend and leader in labor/community movements in LA for 20 years, having worked for SCOPE and LAANE, and having walked the picket lines with us. She is a parent of an LAUSD student in San Pedro, and grew up in Carson—both critical battlegrounds in District 7. She was a student at Catskills Elementary, the school that captured the city’s imagination in its victorious struggle to keep GANAS charter from opening. Paty co-founded Reclaim Our Schools LA, the community coalition that organized nightly protests at Monica Garcia, Austin Beutner, and bil-lionaires’ houses during the strike.

This crucial campaign has begun. Read more on the cover and contact your chapter chair to see which board district you live in, and sign your commitment to vote for our candidates if you live in 1, 3, 5, or 7. Talk to your chapter chair about volunteering.

Time to lead nationally: Considering Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump supports privatizing schools, is undermining unions, and is attacking the communities of our students. We must defeat him in 2020.

The Democratic Party will not beat Trump if it continues to attack its own base. By supporting underfunding of schools and unregulated growth of charters, Democratic Party leadership has attacked its own base of people of color and working-class people. By supporting unregulated growth of a vastly anti-union charter sector, Democratic Party leadership has undermined the pay, job security, and working conditions of educators, a job dominated by unionized women. Another attack on its base.

Even if we defeat Trump, the Democratic Party will not address the most important issues in education without radically chang-ing its approach. Bill Clinton did perhaps more to start charter-ization than any other president. Barack Obama doubled down on that with support for charters, standard-ized testing, competition for scarce funds through Race to the Top, and more.

Because of our strike, we are asked across the country whom we are sup-porting for US president. We have an op-portunity and responsibility to push the Democratic Party so that it can beat Donald Trump, and have good education policy.

The UTLA Board of Directors and House of Representatives voted overwhelming-ly—35-1 and 135-46—to say that Bernie Sanders is the candidate we should consider endorsing in the primary. The bodies went further to vote that we would engage in an unprecedented, democratic process to see where chapter leaders and members are on this question. There will be six weeks of

(continued on next page)

United Teacher PRESIDENT Alex Caputo-Pearl NEA AFFILIATE VP Cecily Myart-Cruz AFT AFFILIATE VP Juan Ramirez ELEMENTARY VP Gloria Martinez SECONDARY VP Daniel Barnhart TREASURER Alex Orozco SECRETARY Arlene Inouye

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Good

BOARD OF DIRECTORSNORTH AREA: Karla Griego, Chair (Buchanan ES),

Mark Ramos (Contreras LC), Rebecca Solomon (RFK UCLA Comm. School), Julie Van Winkle (LOOC Liason)

SOUTH AREA: Maria Miranda, Chair (Miramonte ES), Aydé Bravo (Maywood ES), L. Cynthia Matthews

(McKinley ES), Karen Ticer-León (Tweedy ES)

EAST AREA: Adrian Tamayo, Chair (Lorena ES), Ingrid Gunnell (Salary Point Advisor), Yolanda Tamayo

(Lorena ES), Gillian Russom (Roosevelt HS)

WEST AREA: Erika Jones, Chair (CTA Director), Georgia Flowers Lee (Saturn ES), Noah Lippe-Klein (Dorsey HS), Larry Shoham (Hamilton HS)

CENTRAL AREA: Stacie Webster, Chair (West Vernon ES), Kelly Flores (Hawkins HS), Tomás Flores

(West Vernon ES), Claudia Rodriquez (49th Street)

VALLEY EAST AREA: Scott Mandel, Chair (Pacoima Magnet), Victoria Casas (Beachy ES), Mel House (Elementary P.E.), Hector Perez-Roman (Arleta HS)

VALLEY WEST AREA: Bruce Newborn, Chair (Hale Charter), Melodie Bitter (Lorne ES), Wendi Davis

(Henry MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS)

HARBOR AREA: Steve Seal, Chair (Eshelman ES), Karen Macias (Del Amo ES), Jennifer McAfee

(Dodson MS), Elgin Scott (Taper ES)

ADULT & OCCUP ED: Matthew Kogan (Evans CAS)

BILINGUAL EDUCATION: Cheryl L. Ortega (Sub Unit)

EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: Teri Harnik, Cleveland EEC

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Mallorie Evans (Educational Audiologist)

SPECIAL ED: Lucía Arias (Sub Unit)

SUBSTITUTES: Benny Madera

PACE CHAIR: Marco Flores

UTLA RETIRED: John Perez

AFFILIATIONS American Federation of Teachers National Education Association

STATE & NATIONAL OFFICERSCFT PRESIDENT: Jeffery M. Freitas

CTA PRESIDENT: E. Toby Boyd CTA DIRECTOR: Erika Jones

CFT VICE PRESIDENTS: Arlene Inouye, John Perez, Juan Ramirez NEA PRESIDENT: Lily Eskelsen Garcia AFT PRESIDENT: Randi Weingarten

AFT VICE PRESIDENT: Alex Caputo-PearlNEA DIRECTOR: Mel House

UTLA COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Alex Caputo-Pearl

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Anna BakalisCOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS: Kim Turner,

Carolina BarreiroADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Laura Aldana

EDITORIAL INFORMATIONUNITED TEACHER

3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Fl., LA, CA 90010Email: [email protected] main line: 213-487-5560

ADVERTISINGSenders Communications Group

Brian Bullen: 818-884-8966, ext. 1108

UNITED TEACHER accepts paid advertisements from outside companies and organizations, including UTLA sponsors and vendors with no relationship with UTLA. Only approved vendors can use the UTLA logo in their ads. The content of an advertisement is the responsibility of the advertiser alone, and UTLA cannot be held responsible for its accuracy, veracity, or reliability. Appearance of an advertisement should not be viewed as an endorsement or recommendation by United Teachers Los Angeles.

United Teacher (ISSN # 0745-4163) is published five times a year in October, January, March, May, and August by United Teachers Los Angeles, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Subscriptions: $20.00 per year. (Price included in dues/agency fee of UTLA bargaining unit members.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, Califor-nia. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to United Teacher, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Telephone 213-487-5560.

From organizing for the School Board to considering Bernie Sanders


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Get connected to UTLA Facebook: facebook.com/UTLAnow

Twitter: @utlanow

YouTube: youtube.com/UTLAnow

4 UTLA engages members in possible Sanders endorsement The strength of his K-12 plan makes him the top pick for educators.

6 Enforcing the contract to make our victories real Updates on contract implementation at the school and district level.

7 My strike story: Shuttered library reopens Strike wins have tangible impact.

Thousands of CTU and SEIU Local 73 members rallied at the Chicago Temple Build-ing this week before marching through downtown to demand a budget that funds their students and classrooms. Workers went on strike October 17. More on page 5.

In this issue

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE (continued from previous page)

discussion at school sites, a chapter leader advisory vote, and a final vote by the House of Representatives. Whatever the outcome, no PACE funds will be given to any US presidential campaign.

This is why the Board and House were overwhelming in their votes to consider Sanders for the primary. • Sanders is the only major candidate for

US President in the last 25 years who is challenging privatization and calling for a moratorium on charter growth. He has concrete plans for getting the rich and cor-porations to pay their fair share, and for diverting funding to education. Joe Biden is cut from the same cloth as Obama on education. Elizabeth Warren has 45 policy plans, but none on public education.

• Months ago, Sanders put out the most pro-gressive platform on supporting unions in decades. Two weeks ago, Warren released a platform with many similarities.

• Sanders is leading on healthcare, some-thing in which we need long-term change in order to sustain our care. Employer savings from his Medicare for All proposal would go directly to workers’ wages.

• Sanders is the only candidate who con-cretely builds movement, using volun-teers to support progressive campaigns, from keeping hospitals open in Pennsyl-vania to having volunteers on our picket lines and raising $100,000 for our strike fund. Educators are number one among the professions of his donors.

• By all accounts, Sanders is healthy, having experienced a type of heart attack millions of Americans have, with rapid and sustained recovery. His campaign is gaining momentum, with an endorsement this week from Rep-resentative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

• Sanders can beat Trump. He is leading in Democratic fundraising, is strong in swing states and independent voters, beats Trump in head-to-head polls, and has major support in demographics that will vote heavily in 2020, including Latinx voters, Black women, and millenials.

Now is the time to act, before it is too late. The major candidates announced for the presidency nine months ago, and we’re only three months away from the first primary. Yet, Warren has not put forward a plan on education, and Biden has not been challenged on education. The California primary is earlier than ever, increasing our leverage. We have national power in a way we have not had. We are leading in a teacher strike wave, with more workers across the country on strike over 2018-2019 than at any time in the past 30 years.

This is a win-win. By endorsing Sanders, the best result would be having him take on Trump. The worst result would be not having him as the Democratic nominee, but having forced every Democratic candidate to shift in our direction on education. Then, we get behind the nominee and beat Trump.

We led in restructuring our union in Build the Future, Fund the Fight, we led in the strike, and now it’s time to lead nationally. Talk to your chapter chair and engage in this process.

Sisters and brothers, so many of you inspire me, from Lisa to Randall to Wendy to Olivia to so many others. Keep up your great work with students, with each other, and building our movement every day. Keep that strike effect bouncing forward!

8 Student stories: Mental health support

8 Passings

10 El la lucha for #DeafEd

16 UTLA internal elections

23 Retirees’ corner

27 Grapevines

Wearing air-filter masks and chant-ing for safer schools, parents and teach-ers from Valley schools rallied outside Van Gogh Elementary on October 15 to protest LAUSD’s handling of last week’s Saddleridge fire, including being slow to close Valley schools on Friday and reopening impacted schools too soon on Monday.

After the school district sent a memo on Monday claiming that all impacted sites had been deep-cleaned and were safe, Van Gogh staff and students arrived to find ash-covered desks and smoky classrooms. Special education teacher Lisa Bennett was one of several educators who moved classes outside to protect themselves and their stu-dents from stinging eyes and burning lungs. Many other LAUSD schools close

to the fire zone reported similar stories.“The stench inside and in the neigh-

borhood was atrocious,” said Bennett. “Someone should have made an execu-tive decision before doors opened and said we need to shut this down, end of story. It’s our health we’re talking about and the health of our students and their young lungs.”

Parents and educators are demanding that the district work with school and com-munity stakeholders to develop a protocol for fires and other natural disasters. Sur-rounding school districts, private schools, charter schools, and colleges, including

CSU Northridge, were all appropriately closed on Friday when the fast-moving fire triggered mandatory evacuations and road closures. Starting at 5 a .m. on Friday morning, UTLA leadership urged LAUSD to close all schools in the Valley.

“Our district failed us and failed our kids,” Frost Middle School chapter chair Randall Pollack said at the Van Gogh protest. “We need to get together and get true leadership in times of crisis because, guess what? This is going to happen again. I hope what we’re doing today will start a conversation that should have been started a long time ago.”

Parents and educators demand protocol for fire emergenciesLAUSD must answer for lack of leadership during Saddleridge fire.

Backed by Valley educators and parents and UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl (left), Van Gogh teacher Lisa Bennett blasts the district for opening schools on Monday to less-than-healthful conditions.

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Engaging the power we built through our strike, UTLA is moving forward with a unique member engagement process to consider an endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders for US President in the Democratic Party primary. In consider-ing Sanders, we join educators across the country who have made “teacher” the top profession of donors to his campaign because of his compelling platform for education and labor.

WHY EDUCATORS ARE TOP DONORS TO SANDERS CAMPAIGN

Sanders is taking on the privatization movement

Public education and unions have faced bipartisan attacks for 30 years, and Bernie Sanders is the first major candidate for president in decades to take a tough stance against privatization and the billionaires who fund it. His Thurgood Marshall Plan for Education will place a moratorium on charter expansion and ban for-profit charters, and his Workplace Democracy Plan will create the conditions for working people to build power through unions and challenge economic inequality.

Sanders is the only major candidate with a progressive plan for K-12 public education

His plan aligns with Our New Deal for Public Schools and would:

• triple Title I federal funding;• increase new teacher pay to a

minimum starting salary of $60,000 nationwide (with adjustments for cost of living and other factors);

• fund IDEA (special education) at 50%, above the current 18% level;

• target federal funding for sustainable Community Schools; and more.

Sanders has the electability to winAs the electorate becomes more diverse,

defeating Donald Trump will require a can-didate who can motivate a wider coalition of voters. With some of the highest polling with women, young voters, people of color, and independents, Sanders is that candidate.

• Sanders leads with Latinx voters and is second only to Biden with African-American voters.

• Sanders performs best with the largest voting block in the country, indepen-dent voters, beating Trump by 10 points among independents.

• Sanders is the first candidate to reach 1 million donors, the only candidate with more individual donors than Trump, and the candidate with the most donors in the 206 swing counties that flipped from Obama to Trump.

Sanders wants to double union membership in four years

Sanders is the only candidate with a plan to systematically strengthen the union movement by eliminating at-will employment, banning anti-union “right to work” laws, setting minimum stan-dards for pay and benefits across sectors, making it easier to strike, and punishing employers who engage in union busting. Such a shift will change the conditions in which we negotiate with the district and improve the lives of our students.

Sanders’ Medicare for All plan will help public employees

LAUSD spends over $1.1 billion a year on employee healthcare, and it is the No. 1 issue that LAUSD goes after in negotiations every few years. Sanders’ Medicare for All plan would change that dynamic and simplify negotiations. Under Medicare for All, our coverage will stay the same or get better, and

will include mental health, vision, and dental care. Medicare for All doesn’t take away your provider (doctor)—it takes away the private insurance that does nothing but add costs. Sanders’

comprehensive plan includes a require-ment that any savings that an employ-er achieves under the new healthcare system be redirected to employees in the form of wage increases.

UTLA engages members in possible Bernie Sanders endorsement

Senator Bernie Sanders signs Our New Deal for Public Schools at the Leadership Conference.

Sanders meets with UTLA members at our Leadership Conference.

FACTS TO KNOW

This is the most open and democratic process that UTLA has ever engaged in for an endorsement. In our constitution, the right to endorse candidates resides with the House of Representatives, often with recommendations from PACE and the UTLA Board. This current process is far broader as it involves chapter leaders engaging with members from every chapter in LA.

No PACE money will be donated to any US Presidential campaign. This endorsement is meant to support the candidate who best reflects our issues and has the best chance to win. Most of the major candidates have sparse or no education platforms, and our endorsement could influence the other candidates to develop a strong K-12 public education platform.

TIMELINE: MEMBER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

September 11: UTLA Board of Directors votes 35 to 1 to begin exploring an endorsement process for Senator Bernie Sanders.

September 18: UTLA House of Representatives votes 135 to 46 to confirm the process to explore endorsing Sanders.

October 2: Chapter leaders discuss endorsement at the UTLA Area meetings.

October 3-November 12: UTLA chapters discuss the merits of the potential endorsement.

November 13: An up-or-down advisory vote on a Sanders endorsement held during the UTLA Area meetings. All members are welcome to participate in this vote.

After November 13: The UTLA House of Representatives considers the advisory vote in a separate meeting and makes the final decision on the endorsement.

Paid for by Political Action Council of Educators (United Teachers-Los Angeles), (213) 487-5560. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.


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LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Election 2020: March 2 Endorsements

Petition gathering starts for revised measure for November 2020 ballot.

The historic Schools and Communities First measure has a wider path to victory now that it has been refiled with stronger language. The improved language expands protections for small businesses, ensures the funding is distributed more equitably (in-cluding an increase for high-poverty school districts such as LAUSD), and strengthens zoning language to ensure large corpora-tions cannot avoid property reassessment.

Beginning next month, UTLA will join our coalition partners in gathering signatures to get the revised measure on the November 2020 ballot. The original version easily quali-fied, blowing past the 585,000 signatures re-quired with 860,000 submitted. It is the first commercial property tax reform ever to gain enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Schools “treading water” since recession

The Schools and Communities First measure will reclaim $11 billion annually for schools and local communities by re-forming California’s controversial Proposi-tion 13 and taxing commercial property at fair market value, closing a loophole that has allowed multinational corporations to avoid their fair share of property taxes. The measure would keep Prop. 13’s current caps for homeowners, renters, and agriculture.

The funding from SCF is desperately needed in a state that ranks 44th in per-pupil funding. Recent increases in school funding have only put schools back where they were before funding was drastically

The educators who trans-formed the union landscape with their vibrant strike in 2012 are back on the picket lines.

When CTU struck in 2012, it was the first teachers’ strike in a quarter-century. With the public siding decisively with the teachers, expecta-tions were raised across the country that workers could fight, strike, and win. Since then we’ve seen strikes in places like West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Oakland—and our own historic strike in LA in 2019.

UTLA’s student-centered strike demands are reflected in CTU’s propos-als, which emphasize lower class sizes, more nurses and guidance counselors, and more social services in a school dis-trict that primarily serves students of color. Chicago teachers are also pressing Common Good proposals and demand-ing that the school district take a stand on larger issues that affect the commu-nity, including curbing charter school expansion, supporting campaigns for af-fordable housing policies, and protecting immigrant students. UTLA educators won a number of our Common Good demands during our strike, includ-ing support for immigrant families, a program to end disruptive “random” student searches, and expansion of green

cut during the recession in 2008. “Since the recession, we’ve been treading

water,” says Aragon Elementary teacher Koreen Cea. “SCF would generate an es-timated $11 billion a year for schools and services. Imagine the arts and science pro-grams we could fund and the nurses, coun-selors, and librarians we could hire. This is our shot at getting sustainable funding for all the resources we went on strike for.”

Los Angeles critical to the winCorporate interests and anti-tax advo-

cates have pledged to spend as much as $100 million to defeat SCF. As we saw with Measure EE last spring, business interests have no problem exploiting class and race divides to stoke fear in voters.

Our work in Los Angeles to connect with the community will play an outsized role in countering the corporate narrative and delivering the win. For SCF to pass, the measure will need large margins in the state’s major cities.

“The time is up for the corporations reaping fortunes while refusing to put in their fair share,” Baldwin Hills Elementary teacher Marie Germaine says. “This is our chance to make history and start a new legacy of invest-ing in our future instead of starving schools and communities of needed resources.”

Take action: UTLA will be rolling out pe-titions at the November 13 Area meeting. Talk to your chapter leadership about be-ing part of this historic effort.

space on campuses.Chicago Public Schools has the money

for CTU’s demands: The district is col-lecting more than a billion dollars a year in additional revenue, yet CPS’ current $7.7 billion budget is sending less into classrooms this year than last year.

“In the richest country in the world, if students aren’t getting what they need, the issue is not a lack of money but a lack of political will,” UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said. “If elected leaders are not capable of leading on reinvestment, then teachers, parents, and students will continue taking to the streets to defend the essential civic institution of public educa-tion. We stand with Chicago educators in their righteous fight.”

Latest info: Check UTLA’s social me-dia feeds for developments and ways you can support our sisters and broth-ers in Chicago.

Schools and Communities First: Our shot at sustainable funding

On strike: Chicago educators fight for the future

The School Funding ImbalanceShare of state property taxes

When Prop. 13 passed, commercial owners and homeowners contributed about equal shares of property tax. But now, because residential homes change hands and are reassessed far more often than large commercial prop-erties, residential owners pay almost three-quarters of state property taxes.

Corporations do not

72%

28%

LAUSD SCHOOL BOARDGeorge McKennaDistrict 1

Scott SchmerelsonDistrict 3

Jackie GoldbergDistrict 5

Patricia CastellanosDistrict 7

Herb WessonDistrict 2

More endorsements in the coming months.

Ad paid for by United Teachers Los Angeles-Political Action Council of Educator (PACE) Issues and Students, Parents and Educators in Support of Castellanos, Goldberg, McKenna, and Schmerelson for School Board

2020, Sponsored by Teachers Unions, Including United Teachers Los Angeles. Committee major funding from:

Political Action Council of Educators – United Teachers Los AngelesAmerican Federation of Teachers Solidarity Committee

National Education Association Advocacy FundThis ad was not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by any candidate.

CTU and SEIU Local 73 workers march in the streets of Chicago in the days leading up to the strike.

Residents pay our fair share


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Strategic contract implementation at the school and district level.

Enforcing the contract to make our victories real

Our strike resulted in significant ad-vancements on virtually all of our con-tract demands, forcing the district into a massive reallocation of funding toward the needs of our schools. Some of those victo-ries, like the 6% retroactive pay increase with no healthcare cuts, have already been implemented, while others will either be implemented in 2019-2020 or phased in over the next two school years. Some of these victories will require the hiring of more staff, some will require school site

administrators to more effectively allocate resources, and others will require both chapter level and district-wide monitoring of progress. What is clear is that it will take all of us to hold the district accountable for fully implementing our contract.

Chapter Power Checklist: The Check-list is a new tool to track how contract implementation and chapter building is happening across LAUSD. Preliminary results from the first round of the Chapter Power Checklist show that the vast major-

ity of schools are in compliance with the new class-size caps, and 81% of chapters reported having Local School Leadership Councils, which is crucial to exerting our school site power. Chapter leaders are completing another round of the Chapter Power Checklist this month. Data is incred-ibly important for our next steps.

Contract enforcement & current bargain-ing: Look for UPDATE in the chart below for the latest information and check the regu-larly updated bargaining page at utla.net.

Contract reopeners start January 2020: Under our agreement, we can reopen the contract and bargain on three areas begin-ning in January 2020. The UTLA House of Representatives has voted that the areas for reopeners will be salary (including bilingual differentials), special education (including Health and Human Services staffing), and class size.

Healthcare agreement expires December 2020: Our current healthcare agreement expires in December 2020, and we can expect LAUSD to push for cuts. Bargain-ing for healthcare is conducted with all LAUSD employee unions at the table, giving us a united front against takebacks and a broad base for organizing to win.

Issue What We Won Chapter Enforcement Districtwide Enforcement UPDATE

Nurses Nurse in every school, 5 days per week, by 2020-21 Chapter Chair reports number of days per week with a nurse

Ensure 150 hires for 2019-2020 and an additional 150 hires for 2020-2021

District has not met its hiring obligation and we have initiated the grievance process.

Teacher Librarians Teacher librarian in every secondary school, 5 days a week, by 2020-21

Chapter Chair reports number of days per week with a teacher librarian and ensures compliance with BOE resolution maintaining Library Aide positions

Ensure 41 hires for 2019-2020 and an additional 41 hires for 2020-2021

UTLA is still confirming that district has met hiring obligation of 41 new teacher librarians.

Counselors Student-counselor ratio of 500-1 at every secondary school by 2019-2020

Chapter Chair tracks and reports student-coun-selor ratio at school

Ensure hiring of at least 17 secondary counselors for district to meet student-counselor ratio

Hiring obligation of 17 secondary counselors has been exceeded.

Class Size Enforceable caps and averages through the elimination of Section 1.5 and a yearly reduction in caps, building toward full realization of the class size cap numbers in the full contract by 2021-2022

At Norm Day, Chapter Chair tracks and reports the total number of classes at the school and number of class size cap violations

Ensure greater class size reductions at 75 elementary schools and 15 middle schools, identified by the district as “high need”

Nearly all classes and schools are in compliance with class-size agree-ment. UTLA working with handful of schools that have struggled the most with meeting the terms of the agreement.

Special Education Class size and caseload reductions, tighter lan-guage for enforcing caseload and class size caps, two release days to complete federally mandated assessments for all Special Education teachers, and requirement that LAUSD provide caseload and class size reports

At Norm Day, Chapter Chair tracks and reports the total number of class size and caseload violations

UTLA has the right to bargain any changes to service delivery models, and has started bargaining with LAUSD over the effects of their “increased inclusion” program which is being piloted at 50 schools in 2019-2020

In bargaining over LAUSD’sPilot Inclusion Program, agreement reached that improves working conditions for educators at pilot sites. Read more at utla.net.

Community Schools

Funding for 20 community schools in 2019-20 and 10 more in 2020-21, with each participating school receiving $150,000 for the first year and $250,000 for the second year

For participating schools, ensure appropriate funding is received by the school from the district, ensure the hiring of a community schools coordinator (must be a bargaining unit member), and ensure the existence and appropriate participation of a LSLC

Community Schools Steering Committee and Local Options Oversight Committee to oversee implementation, with UTLA representatives on each body reporting back to UTLA members

20 Community Schools chosen. 10 coordinators in place; 10 more to be chosen. Training being developed.

Co-Location Timely notification of schools being targeted for co-location and an increased role for UTLA representa-tion at co-located schools

Ensure Chapter Chair is invited to all “walk throughs” prior to co-location, elect a co-location coordinator, ensure the coordinator participates in the development of a shared use agreement, and ensure coordinator placement on the school safety committee

Ensure LAUSD provides UTLA with lists of potential co-locations, for the fol-lowing school year, by December 1 and February 1 of each year

13 co-location coordinators chosen; working on identifying more. Training coming in the spring. Number of co-located schools has been reduced to 53.

Early Childhood Educator Rights

An 8-hour work day for Early Educators, inclusive of a 30-minute duty-free lunch

Chapter Chair confirms district compliance by track-ing work schedules of all Early Education members at beginning of each school year

Ensure LAUSD is following new contract No violations of new rights, including 30-minute duty-free lunch, have been reported.

Transfers A requirement that district policy be followed at schools converting from a traditional program to a magnet school, including a majority approval vote by the staff, and that all teachers assigned to the school be notified at least one year in advance of the conversion

Chapter Chair confirms school compliance with district policy related to magnet conversions

Ensure LAUSD denies magnet conver-sions for schools in which the process followed is inconsistent with district policy

UTLA has not been notified yet of any new magnet conversions for 2020-21.

UTLA rights Increased representation for itinerants (more chapter chairs and the right to speak at district or local district meetings) and the right for chapter chairs to sign off that they were able to review the school budget before it’s been submitted to the district

Itinerant chapter chairs enforce increased rep-resentation rights. School-based chapter chairs enforce right to sign off on review of school budgets

Ensure LAUSD is following new contract Official representation for itiner-ant groups (psychologists, PSWs, etc.) has increased dramatically, with multiple chapter chairs and CATs in place.

Itinerant Workspace

A workspace shall be provided for all itinerant educators and HHS professionals to protect student privacy and ensure professional working conditions

Chapter Chair confirms that appropriate space has been allocated for itinerants assigned to school, and facilitates involvement of LSLC if dispute arises over appropriate workspace

Ensure LAUSD provides an appeal process at the local district level to resolve disputes that can’t be resolved through the LSLC

UTLA following up on a handful of complaints and will initiate grievance process to ensure compliance.

HHS & Special Education Itinerant Caseload/Workload

Creation of a Workload/Caseload Committee for HHS/SPED itinerants to explore methods for improving their working conditions and to achieve more equitable and manageable workloads & caseloads

Chapter-level enforcement will follow develop-ment of citywide policy

The Committee is ongoing, will include 5 UTLA appointees and 5 LAUSD ap-pointees, and will meet at least quarterly starting in the Fall of 2019

UTLA using task force to gather info on caseloads, metrics, and as-signment decisions; next meeting with district is 10/24.

Green Space Creation of a Green Space Task Force, with LAUSD, UTLA, and LA City participation, to develop plan for increasing green space on school campuses, includ-ing the removal of bungalows

Chapter-level enforcement will follow develop-ment of citywide policy

The Task Force will create a plan to increase green space, including the removal of bungalows, by December 1, 2019

UTLA, City of LA, and district devel-oping formula for selecting schools; district to provide report on schools with empty bungalows.


7

My strike story: Shuttered library reopens

Something happened at my school last month that showed the impact of the teachers’ strike. Thanks to the new posi-tions for school nurses, counselors, and teacher librarians won in the contract, I was hired as the new teacher librarian at Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley.

Soon after the school year started, a student came into the library to return some books. She told me she was leaving Byrd to attend a local charter school. I wished her the best and went about my day. Then a few days later she returned to the library to retrieve the books she had returned.

“What happened?” I asked. “Was the new school not a good fit?” She

responded with the following: “It was terrible. They didn’t have books … they didn’t even have a library!” Byrd’s library had been closed for years. It was the strike that reopened it, and students are noticing the ex-panded services and resources at their local LAUSD schools — so much so that at least some of them are choosing to stay with LAUSD instead of going to a charter. That’s the kind of tangible impact the strike is having. Let’s keep working together for more progress for our students and our profession.

—Jason Kinsella Byrd Middle School

Administrators pressure teachers to ignore their professional judgement.

Wins on overtesting under threat

Issue What We Won Chapter Enforcement Districtwide Enforcement UPDATE

Testing Creation of educator, parent, administrator task force to compile inventory of all district assessments, including their value, cost, and impact on instructional time, and to make recommenda-tions for reducing assessments by 50% at each grade level

Chapter-level enforcement will follow development of citywide policy

Joint Committee of 4 UTLA appointees, 4 LAUSD appointees, and 4 parents to meet 5 times during the 2019-2020 school year, with a goal to make recommendations on reduc-tions by Spring of 2020

Testing work group met 10/3. UTLA requested data from district on number of tests, time spent, etc. Goal is to be done with testing reduction recommendations by March to shape LAUSD’s annual memo on testing.

Ethnic Studies

Creation of educator and administrator task force to review programs and propose resources for Ethnic Studies, includ-ing PD, curriculum, and materials


LAUSD – UTLA Ethnic Studies Task Force to be formed and ongoing, including 4 UTLA appointees, and meet at least twice per year, with a goal of starting by Fall of 2019

Getting data to shape approach to task force. Info requested on current offerings, PD, and existing resources.

Pay Equity Creation of task force to examine equity issues regarding the salary schedules of Adult Education, Early Education, and ROC/ROP teachers


Pay Equity Task Force to be formed, with 4 UTLA appointees and 4 LAUSD appointees, and make recommendations by October 31, 2019, after meeting at least three times

Task force has met once; next meetings are 10/14 and 10/28. Report to go to UTLA bargain-ing team by Thanksgiving for potential inclusion in salary reopeners in 2020.

Immigrant Student Support

LAUSD shall provide at least 1 attorney and necessary support staff to work with local organizations and provide support to immigrant students, families, and employees, create a district hotline for immigration issues, and work with UTLA and LA City to identify additional community resources to support this effort


LAUSD and UTLA will meet regularly to ensure collaboration, identify concerns, and discuss options for expanding support, with LAUSD committed to provide the necessary resources through July 1, 2021

UTLA is in contact with allies, such as CHIRLA and the National Immigration Law Center, that are willing to help.

Random Searches

Creation of pilot program for schools to be exempt from the LAUSD random searches program, with 14 schools to participate in 2019-2020 and an additional 14 schools to participate in 2020-2021

Chapter Chairs at schools not par-ticipating in this effort in 2019-2020 should work with their LSLC to apply for participation in 2020-2021

BOE passed a motion on June 18, 2019, calling on the superintendent to create an alternative school safety program and end the random searches program by the end of the 2019-2020 school year

20 pilot schools chosen and plan submitted to district with application.

Adult Education

Creation of DACE Assignment Task Force to develop a pilot matrix program for implementation at 4 schools in 2019-2020 and to provide recommendations for negotiating new assignment language for 2020-2021


With 5 UTLA appointees and 5 LAUSD appoin-tees, the Task Force met in the Spring of 2019, with the parties agreeing to drop pilot program for 2019-2020 and fully implement city-wide DACE matrix program for 2020-2021

Citywide DACE matrix program will be fully implemented in 2020-2021.

Substitutes Improved rights for substitute members regarding the continuity rate, extended rate, and procedures for assign-ment, arrival, cancellation, and participation in professional development

Chapter Chairs will be provided with an informational flyer, outlining con-tractual rights, to provide to substitute members assigned to their school

Ensure LAUSD follows new contract Flyer with 15 new substitute teachers’ rights distributed at UTLA Area meetings and available online.

By Ebony L. BatisteBrentwood Science Magnet

If you are feeling the impacts of overtest-ing at your school site, you are not alone. With initial assessments, diagnostic tests, benchmark assessments, DIBELS, TRC, IABs, ELPAC, LAS, and ICAs, it’s no wonder teachers are feeling pressured by the amount of assessments and the hours required to administer them. Overtesting takes away from valuable instructional time, assumes teachers don’t have the ability to accurately evaluate and measure student achievement, and leaves many teachers wondering, If I’m always assessing, when will I ever teach?

It leads to posts like this one on Face-book from teacher Lupemar Torres: “Feeling overwhelmed with all the online trainings, testing, protocols, surveys, and demands. I need another adult to teach my class while I do all the paperwork.”

Teachers are being “voluntold” to ad-minister high-stakes assessments for the purpose of collecting data that school administrators typically use for account-ability more so than to measure student achievement or drive instruction.

Recently, many teachers were given a testing schedule or calendar that lists the dates and times that the Interim As-sessment Blocks (IABs) from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) should be administered. There are several concerns many teachers are raising.

First, a big concern is that administrators are demanding that teachers administer up to three times as many IAB assessments

than the district is requiring. Per the LAUSD MEM-6700.3, the district has mandated four IABs to be administered each year: two in the fall and two in the spring.

Second, many administrators are not informing teachers that any IABs over the four mandated assessments are simply rec-ommendations or just highly suggested. The testing schedules may say “school wide assessments” or “grade level selec-tion,” implying that every teacher is on board with the assessment plan when, in most cases, the staff nor the Local School Leadership Council has even agreed to the testing calendar. Don’t let administrators sell you on the idea that a document is mandatory just because it was passed out during a Tuesday staff development meeting. Additional assess-ments should not be a top-down decision.

Another way administrators manipulate Memo 6700.3 is by pressuring entire grade levels to agree to more assessments over the four mandated assessments, then stating it was a grade-level decision. By agreeing to administer the additional tests as a grade level, you are essentially waiving your rights to test how you see fit. For example, if a teacher wants to test whole group instead of individually, select IABs that match the pacing guide, or change the day or time the assessment is given, the teacher will be at the mercy of the administrator. You have created a narrative that your grade level made an agreement that you must now adhere to. In addition, teachers may be made to feel as though they are anti-testing. “I don’t give assessments” said no

(continued on page 13)


8

Psychiatric social workers work with struggling youth to turn things around.

By Cheryl Kono (PSW & UTLA Vice Chair, Harbor/South Area)

Psychiatric social workers are honored to listen to our students’ stories and make a positive impact on their lives. Our stu-dents’ voices give us a true picture of what’s underlying their attitudes, be-haviors, and engagement in school. So many students face personal, family, school, and/or community challenges that impact their mental well-being, but they often suffer in silence. These stu-dents may feel that there is no one safe to talk to who can maintain confidentiality, while providing the unconditional ac-ceptance, hope, and support they need to help them to be successful in school and in life. This is where psychiatric social workers come in.

Mental health services are important at the universal, selected, and intensive levels in order to reach students at every developmental stage. Hearing from the students themselves can give us a true sense of why PSWs are needed every day, at every school site, from kindergarten to 12th grade, across LAUSD.

“I didn’t want to get off my couch”At the beginning of the school year, I was

okay, but not feeling happy. Until the middle of the year, that’s when I was down on my luck. I didn’t really want to get off my couch. I didn’t really want to talk to my family about it, since I thought I would be a burden to them. Then, I started therapy with the PSW, talking about it and opening up about it. It was stress-relieving and I found that I wasn’t alone. There were others with my problems. Since I had therapy, I started to work more with my emotions. Once

I did, my life was much more relaxed and I’m able to speak more proudly.

—Delci

“I tried to make friends, but kids are mean”

When I first entered high school, I, like many other students, dealt with depression from a big change and a sense of isolationism. I tried to make friends, but kids are mean and often two-faced. I found myself in a place where I constantly felt like I had nowhere to turn, like I was alone in a big school with no one to talk to. Seeing a PSW weekly and opening up made the world look a little brighter. I found myself coming out of a ditch. I kept working with my PSW, who helped me become the happy and healthy person I am today. Without my school’s PSW and resource connections, I don’t know where I’d be or how miserable I’d feel. In ninth grade, my grades were dropping, but now I’m an excellent student, varsity athlete, club president, and a leader. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of that without the support I got from my PSW.

— Joshua

“I was trapped in overwhelming sadness”

Getting through high school felt like an uphill battle. I was unable to do well in class for various reasons and I was constantly a manic depressive. I was always affable when talking with people, but at home I often times cried myself to sleep. This came to a head when I wanted to commit suicide last se-mester. I was trapped in an overwhelming sadness. I was referred to the PSW at my school to get the crisis intervention I needed.

My threats were so serious that I was admit-ted to a mental health hospital. In there, I learned that the answers I was looking for lay within myself. I felt like the PSW’s group therapy helped me to see that other people have struggles like my own. Life seems to be on the upturn for me and all I can do is hope it stays like this.

—2019 High School Graduate

On behalf of our students, please talk to all of our stakeholders—including UTLA leaders, school-site leaders, and LAUSD board members—about how important mental health services are for our students and to make sure that we have a full-time PSW at every school in LAUSD. As Our New Deal for Public Education says, let’s “Nurture the Whole Child, Respect Students and Parents, and Fully Fund Public Schools!”

Students’ stories: The power of mental health support

LAUSD is home to a number of Mental Health Awareness Clubs—student-led groups dedicated to mental health con-versations. The clubs give students a platform to share their voices and raise awareness. The goal is to empower stu-dents to educate one another, and their communities, and to create a culture of peer support within their schools.

Joshua co-founded the MHA Club at his school with psychiatric social worker Cheryl Kono.

“I get to work with my peers and

my school’s PSW to create activities and events to bring the issue of mental health stigma to light,” Joshua says. “Those who need help shouldn’t have to hide from their peers in fear of being judged and should be given the re-sources they need. The more our club does to battle mental health stigma and educate others, the more people we can help. Not only is our club an important resource on our campus for others, but I know it will always be a group of people I can rely on when I need help.”

Mental Health Awareness Clubs create culture of peer support

On August 16, 2019, F. Elliott Ryder, longtime LAUSD elementary school teacher, passed away. She was born on January 12, 1930, to Marion and John Ryder of the Bronx, New York. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she entered into the field of education and later obtained her master’s in education from Columbia University. For several years during

hospice staff. Adriana was born in Guadalajara,

Mexico, on September 12 ,1971, and grew up in New Jersey. After moving to California, she studied and gradu-ated from UCLA. She met her husband, Keith, at her high school prom. She and Keith gave their three sons a rich life of family meals, culture, learning, travel, and love. Education was of prime im-portance to Adriana and she arranged family excursions and learning oppor-

the early 1950s, Elliott worked in postwar France providing English instruction at US Army posts. Back in the US, Elliott initially taught in San Diego and then moved north to Los Angeles to teach early elementary grades at Norwood Street School.

Elliott was a founding member of UTLA and the chapter chair at Norwood for more than two decades. She also served on the House of Representatives and was a delegate to AFT conventions. On numerous occasions, Elliott chal-lenged district mandates and helped shape policies to further teacher and student rights.

After retirement, Elliott offered coun-seling as a lay chaplain to inmates at the Women’s Central Jail in Lynwood. Elliott was a frequent donor to, and participant in, many beneficial social, environmental, and women’s groups, as well as her Episcopal Church, All Saints in Pasadena.

Remembrances in her name can be sent to either Planned Parenthood of L.A. ([email protected]) or Friends Outside, Los Angeles County (friend-soutsidela.org).

Adriana Vensel died September 12, 2019, after a courageous battle with breast cancer. She was under the compassionate care of her family and

tunities of all sorts. After graduating from UCLA,

Adriana worked for Virgin Atlan-tic and traveled the world. After-ward, Adriana energetically began her teaching career in LAUSD. She taught at 98th Street School and transferred to Charnock Road El-ementary School, where she taught lower and upper elementary grades. She most recently taught kindergar-ten. She was loved by her students, adored by their families, and respect-ed by her colleagues. Her loving, fun, and charismatic personality and her warm laughter will be missed by the many who cared about her. Her col-leagues will miss hearing her happily say at the end of a long day, “Let’s go to TUESDAY MORNING after work today!” or “Let’s put together a staff TGIF social!”

In addition to teaching, Adriana was an artist who used paper as her medium to create large flower sculp-tures and quilled note cards, along with jewelry.

Adriana is survived by her husband, Keith Vensel; sons Justin, Matthew, and Elijah; her mother, Gina Steiglitz; and siblings Alex-andra, Jose, Patricia, and Steven. A memorial service in celebration of her life was held on September 20, 2019 in West Los Angeles.

Passings

F. Elliott Ryder1930-2019

Adriana Vensel1971-2019

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Healthy mind, body, and spiritMental and emotional wellness are important parts of your overall health. Being good to your mind is just as important as being good to your body — and that means living a healthy lifestyle, paying attention to how you feel, and doing simple things to take care of the whole you.

Stick to a sleep schedule

Lack of sleep affects your mood, mental sharpness, and ability to handle stress. It’s also linked to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. To create a healthy routine, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day — even on weekends.

Move your body, lift your mood

Exercise can release tension, tame stress, and improve your sense of well-being. Plus, it can relieve some symptoms of depression and anxiety as effectively as certain medications — all with no side effects.

Find your words

Speak up if you’re struggling. The people in your life are there for a reason, so be honest with your loved ones if you’re having a rough time. They can’t help unless they know you need their support.

LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY INSPIRATION?

Visit findyourwords.org and follow us @kpthrive.

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For more details check out ourBrand Guidelines.

Services covered under a Kaiser Permanente health plan are provided and/or arranged by Kaiser Permanente health plans: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., in Northern and Southern California and Hawaii • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-364-7000 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., 2101 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington or Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington Options, Inc., 601 Union St., Suite 3100, Seattle, WA 98101 • Self-insured plans are administered by Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company, One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612

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10

Advocacy paves way to greater understanding and support.

News from UTLA/NEA

En la lucha for #DeafEd

This month I am giving my column to a rock star I saw emerge during the strike. In fact, Janette was and is someone who goes the extra mile all the time for her students. As the only Deaf Education secondary counselor in the school district, she’s a rarity.

Every day during the strike when I was on the stage, I would look to my left and see the #DeafEd section in red ponchos chant-signing in the crowd. On the third day at the West Area regional rally, Janette came up to me and through interpretation she asked me to do the UTLA #DeafEd Strike Chant for the crowd. It was a game changer for the Deaf Education folks, and it changed our collective action to a more inclusive one. We incorporated the #DeafEd Strike Chant and asked the entire membership to do it as well. I have never felt more alive and inspired by a group. They are US, we are THEM!

—Cecily Myart-CruzUTLA/NEA Vice President

One of the highlights of my summer was attending the National Education Association’s Representative Assem-bly (NEA RA) in Houston, Texas, as a first-time delegate. NEA has more than 3 million members, of whom 10,000 were in attendance at the RA. Out of those members, 1,000 are California Teachers Association (CTA) members and 100 are UTLA members. What an enriching five-day experience it was for me! I witnessed the largest democratic delegation in the world—all passionate educators fear-lessly utilizing their power of transfor-mational voices, fighting for racial and gender equality, speaking out against in-equities, and making changes to NEA’s

educational policies so that the union is well represented to meet the needs of our students.

I am forever grateful to UTLA and CTA for embracing me with open arms and accommodating all requests to ensure I had full access and felt included. Why and what accommodations, you may wonder? I am a Deaf Counselor/Educator from Marlton School, the only day school for the Deaf in LAUSD ser-vicing students in preschool through 12th grade. Throughout the entire NEA RA experience, I had a wonderful team of American Sign Language interpret-ers with me to provide communication and facilitate information access. Having this, I was able to meet so many UTLA/CTA/NEA delegates and form new re-lationships.

Over the course of the NEA RA con-ference, I was approached by nation-wide delegates who have attended the NEA RA for years who let me know that they never had a Deaf delegate before. I found that hard to believe, consider-ing that the NEA has been around for almost 128 years and has had close to 100 representative assemblies. Many of the delegates welcomed me and ac-knowledged my presence; several of them signed and a few were interpreters working in the field of education. After learning of this, I made the decision that I would push for more educators in the field of Deaf Education (#DeafEd) to attend future NEA Representative Assemblies and implement a #DeafEd caucus. With this discovery, I realized how much work we have to do to make #DeafEd visible across both the state and the nation.

What is #DeafEd? Deaf Education has been around the United States for 200 years. Deaf Education is a broad and diverse professional field that centers on the education of students with various hearing levels who are Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing or Late-Deafened and that addresses their differ-ences and individual needs.

Educators of the Deaf become experts in language acquisition and the unique learning and communication needs of their students. Within Deaf Education there are individually planned, adapted/modified teaching pedagogies, adap-tive/modified materials, accessible equitable settings, and other #DeafEd interventions and approaches designed to help students attain a higher level of self-sufficiency and success in their schools. The U.S. Department of Edu-cation reported that there are 350,000 Deaf-identified students in K-12 schools. There are 17,000 Deaf-identified students in the state of California from ages 3-22 and currently 2,100 Deaf-identified stu-dents throughout LAUSD.

Deaf students have the same potential for academic and professional success as hearing students, if they are given equal access to information and opportunities. They can reach their full potential and

have the right to expect that their needs and human, linguistic, and educational rights are respected and supported at all times. Within Deaf programs across the U.S., non-Deaf educa-tors with limited sign language fluency, minimal educational back-ground, training, and experience in Deaf education lack the cultural and linguistic competency nec-essary to provide adequate instruc-tion and leader-ship. This unjustly deprives intersec-tional Deaf stu-dents of receiving culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum and instruction that includes and highlights people who reflect a range of differences.

When it comes to the education of Deaf students, there is a lack of accessible and equitable education for all of them across all grade levels. Deaf people navigate society differently than hearing people, and it is essential that our Deaf students incorporate the skills, knowledge, and tools in education to be successful. For this to happen successfully, educators working with Deaf students must have the necessary background, knowledge, and experience to appropriately serve this population.

Deaf students everywhere are mar-ginalized on a daily basis. Educational programs for them are in an unfortunate state where there is a lack of support and resources. Many students enter school with no language and without additional support and resources. They have limited access to language and literacy acqui-sition, harming their social, emotional, and educational potential. The major-ity of these students have IEPs that in theory are supposed to be supporting them; however, there is no long-term support. The lack of ACCESS to an equal opportunity to receive an education is not there. There is also a lack of special-ized, equipped, trained people to meet the needs of these students. Advocacy for Deaf Education to address current concerns regarding quality education and appropriate language acquisition for Deaf students needs to be expanded and visible.

The NEA RA made me realize that we need to bring constant awareness and advocacy of these issues to national platforms and not just within our school administration and districts. It doesn’t surprise me that the stigma continues

to exist that Deaf students need to be “fixed” and they continue to be viewed as less important than their hearing peers. Given the history of how students of color have been marginalized in school districts across many generations, with schools and administrations neglecting students’ multiple social experiences, my hope is that educators can recognize that this reality is intensified with our Deaf students, given their multiple intersec-tions. Deaf students and the Deaf com-munity do not view themselves in deficit ways but rather with pride and honor. Part of that awareness is to educate the general population that Deaf individuals are rooted in their community, which is rich in heritage, language, culture, and relationships.

I left the NEA RA fired up. I look forward to returning with a list of possible new business items I want to bring to the next NEA RA 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, related to awareness of and addressing #DeafEd issues. The only difference for next time is I won’t be coming alone; I am encouraging all my #DeafEd colleagues to come on board. With that, I am committed to bringing in more awareness about #DeafEd and I invite you to join me in solidarity to prevent our younger generations from experiencing similar injustices and strive to bring transfor-mative change to an equitable system ensuring our Deaf students are elevat-ed and receive the education they very much deserve.

A special thank you to Laura Carls, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Erika Jones, and David Goldberg for your continued support and for believing that I have a place throughout this experience. Thank you, UTLA, CTA, & NEA, for embracing my presence. A special shoutout to my #DeafEd (heart) family, you know who you are.

By Janette Durán-AguirreTransformative Social Justice Counselor/Educator

Marlton educators Janette Durán-Aguirre (left) and Laura Carls on the floor of the NEA RA with UTLA/NEA Vice President Cecily Myart-Cruz.

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12

The practice can be incredible for students—but it takes planning and collaboration to work.

Elementary notebook

Inclusion is acceptance

Inclusion has been a hot topic over the past few years within LAUSD, but unfor-tunately the district is decades behind in advancing inclusion for our students with special needs. Despite inclusion being the absolute right thing to do for all students, the rollout has been less than righteous.

The inclusion of all students is a civil rights issue. Not only is it mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) but research shows that inclusivity creates a better learning

environment for all students involved. Research also states that for inclusion to be most effective, educators need small class sizes and small caseloads with co-teaching practices, planning time for all educators involved in inclusion, and a whole-school approach toward inclusion. Based on your concerns it was obvious that the latter part of the equation was missing. And despite not having the

necessary provisions needed to make inclusion succeed at your school sites, many of you have shared wonderful stories of success. As a special educa-tion teacher myself, I applaud all teachers who continue to foster nourishing learn-ing environments. Over and over again the sentiment I hear is that inclusion is not easy, it takes work, and the district has been of little to no help—but that there has been tremendous growth for all students involved both emotionally and

academically and, yes, this is the absolute right thing to do for our students.

For decades students with special needs have been marginalized. Many of us—whether we were students at the time or teaching—can recall a time when the farthest bungalows on campus housed our special education population. It is no wonder that there can be a stigma when parents hear their child needs an

IEP or when a young child learns they will be removed out of their class and placed in a “special” class. Worst of all is perpetuating this prejudice by creating artificial barriers between students with special needs and the rest of their peers.

It is because all students are capable of learning and all students are deserv-ing of a quality public education that we found it absolutely necessary to engage with the district on this issue. Over the past few months we have been in con-

By Gloria MartinezUTLA Elementary Vice President

Despite inclusion being the absolute

right thing to do for all students, the

rollout has been less than righteous.

versations with the district around inclu-sion. We expressed our concerns around the implementation at schools and asked common-sense questions to help clear up misconceptions. These conversations led to our bargaining on the impacts and effects of the district’s Inclusion Pilot Program. I encourage all educators to read about our demands, which are posted at utla.net under Current Bargaining. Your bargaining team is comprised of both special educa-tion and general education rank-and-file members at various schools implementing inclusion. They have been staunch advo-cates and relentless at the table. This bar-gaining will help shape our reopener bar-gaining come January 2020, when Article XXII, Special Education, is one of three areas of the contract that will be reopened.

Special education is a complex subject that has been ignored for far too long—38 years, to be exact. That’s how long it has been since special education issues had been negotiated with LAUSD before this year. Thanks to our strike wins, special edu-cation now has its own article of the con-tract, creating a pathway for more improve-ments. Although the road to more rights for our special education educators and students will be arduous, it is critical that we all embrace this righteous fight together.

Insured by NCUA.All loans are subject to approval.

CLICKschools� rstfcu.org/Membership

CALL800.462.8328


13

Substitute Educators DayThank a substitute on Friday, November 22

teacher ever! Teachers want students to take tests to measure growth and to guide instruction. Teachers deserve respect and professionalism and should have a say in which test to give, how to give it, when to give it, and how long to give it.

Do not allow principals to guilt you into complying. They might use phrases such as:

• “It’s for the good of the school.” • “It’s a best practice.”• “Your colleagues are doing it.” • “Don’t you want to do what’s best

for children?”Finally, it is concerning that many teach-

ers are unaware that schools have the right to apply for a waiver granting permission

TESTING (continued from page 7)

Go to Education4Equity.com

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for the school to replace the IABs with another type of assessment. The deadline for the 2019-2020 school year was October 14. Unfortunately, because this waiver must be approved by the administrator, many chapter chairs are unaware of this option.

Thanks to our strike efforts, we’ve bar-gained and won the right to have the district reduce testing by 50%, through the work of a task force. Formally known as the Dis-trict-UTLA Joint Assessment Committee, the testing task force is a 12-person committee that will meet five times this year to give recommendations to the district on how to reduce by 50% either the amount of time spent testing or the amount of tests given. Our first meeting will take place on November 8.

Here’s how a member of the testing task force put it: “It’s frustrating to know that while we are working hard trying to reduce 50% of district tests, such as reduc-ing four IABs down to two IABs, principals are adding seven more IABs. It’s tough to negotiate for less testing if teachers are unwittingly giving up their rights and administering additional assessments.”

Ultimately, the choice is yours and that of your colleagues. If you choose to administer the additional IABs, consider creating an unofficial list that clearly states “sample,” “possible schedule,” or “unoffi-cial list.” Ask your administrator how you can go about altering the schedule, rear-range testing dates, or adjusting a specific testing format, if need be. We encourage you to have discussions with your col-leagues and hold a chapter meeting to review Memo 6700.3 and develop a plan to protect valuable instructional time.

Know your professional rights and re-sponsibilities. Push back on overtesting!


14

Settling the strike was the beginning of a multiyear process.

From the Bargaining Table

Making our contract real

vision. Our chart in this issue, “Implementing Our Contract Victories,” helps guide that work by laying out 20 contract issues: what we won and how we will enforce it on the chapter level and district level. To help track enforcement and chapter building, we have a new tool, the Chapter Power Checklist. This checklist allows sites to, for example, track the staffing increases (nurses, librarians, coun-selors), actual class numbers, and meetings with parents so that we can work together on these issues. While we have heard of many exciting post-strike developments—such as early education teachers celebrating because they now have a duty-free lunch, or new teacher librarians who say that the contract opened up their dream of being a librarian—we know that we can’t leave our contract up to chance. We made critical gains and have a very comprehensive and complicated contract. It will take all of us as UTLA leaders and members to hold the district accountable for fully implementing our contract at every work site. In the first phase of the Chapter Power Checklist, 369 chapter leaders reported to us the progress of contract enforcement. Your support in tracking the progress makes it real and allows us to reinforce what our members sacrificed last January.

Included in the 2019-22 LAUSD-UTLA contract agreement are three reopeners (on

salary plus two articles each) that UTLA and LAUSD can bring to the table for negotia-tions in January 2020. The UTLA Board of Directors has considered all of the input during the negotiations process and the broad goals of UTLA in determining that the reopeners will be special education and class size, in addition to wages. These articles of the contract are defined broadly. Article XIV on salary includes differentials and other salary adjustments. Article XXII on Special Education includes mental health profes-sionals and comprehensively addresses all of special education. Now that Section 1.5 of Article XVIII has been dismantled and we have caps on class sizes for the first time, we can bring class sizes down further and make more improvements.

Reopeners are our chance to build on our gains from the 2017-2019 bargaining cycle. Our bargaining team is back to work—unified, focused, and ready to go. We thank Elgin Scott from the Harbor Area for his service and dedication and welcome Jen-nifer McAfee as a member of our reopener

bargaining team. The three taskforces that were negotiated in the contract to support negotiations have begun meeting and serve as an important resource: Pay Equity Task-force, Itinerant Workload/Caseload Task-force, and Class Size Taskforce.

The process continues, so watch for updates, work with your CAT teams, provide data for the Chapter Power Check-list, hold parent meetings, and stay con-nected. We are on a multiyear journey. If we are persistent, focused, and take action, we will continue to make progress and better the lives of our students and ourselves.

The UTLA Bargaining Team is Daniel Barn-hart (UTLA Secondary VP), Victoria Casas (Beachy ES), Tomás Flores (West Vernon ES), Jeff Good (co-chair, UTLA Exec Director), Arlene Inouye (co-chair, UTLA Secretary), Erika Jones (CTA Director), Matthew Kogan (Evans CAS), Gloria Martinez (UTLA Elemen-tary VP), Cynthia Matthews (McKinley ES), Jennifer McAfee (Dodson MS), Javier Romo (Mulholland MS), Adrian Tamayo (Lorena St. ES), and Julie Van Winkle (LOOC Liaison).

UTLA sisters and brothers, our collec-tive bargaining agreement is a living docu-ment that betters the lives of our students and ourselves. When we began negotiating our three-year agreement in 2017, we em-barked on a process that involved listen-ing to hundreds of members, prioritizing issues, and coming up with a comprehen-sive negotiations package that touches the lives of every member, but also includes critical issues for students, parents, and community along with addressing the prioritization of public education.

As the pressure was mounting on the district to end the strike after seven days of public support and 60,000 people on the streets, LAUSD agreed to demands that at first appeared impossible for us to achieve. There can be no underestimation of the power of the collective, of the power of strik-ing educators, parents, students, labor, and community, who made the contract possible.

But we knew that the agreement we reached on paper was just the beginning of a multiyear process. We need to enforce what we won by ensuring that we have a chapter chair and Chapter Action Team (CAT) at every school to monitor each contract pro-

By Arlene Inouye UTLA Secretary

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Visit sandiego.edu/lacourses or call (619) 260-4585

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Downtown Los AngelesCraig Yokoi(310) 874-4090

Sherman Oaks & Santa ClaritaJennifer Krauss(805) 559-3060

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BurbankScott Cody(323) 496-3318

Downey & Pasadena Tim Brown(310) 292-1039

$329 FOR THREE SEMESTER UNITS OF GRADUATE LEVEL EXTENSION CREDIT

UTLA Bargaining Team at City Hall on January 18, 2019


15

LAUSD/UTLA PEER ASSISTANCE AND REVIEW PROGRAM

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

FALL 2 0 1 9 SCHEDULE All PAR professional development sessions are scheduled from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, with a one-hour break for lunch. All LAUSD teachers can attend PAR PDs at NO COST*! *Certain affiliated charter schools will need to pay the $75 registration due to the manner in which their funding is distributed.

4C’s of 21st Century Learning 9/28/19, 10/19/19

ABCs of Student Engagement 10/19/19

Classroom Management: Research-Based Strategies for Success 9/28/19, 12/23/19

Common Core Delivery: Gradual Release of Teaching and Learning 11/23/19

Common Core Short-Text Writing Strategies 11/9/19

Deconstructing Common Core State Standards 12/7/19

Designing Lessons for the 21st Century Learner 11/23/19

Informational Text and Project-Based Instruction 9/30/19, 11/2/19

Kagan Strategies 10/12/19

Lesson Design and Backward-Planning for Smarter Balanced Assessments 9/14/19, 12/23/19

Lights, Camera, Action: Spotlight on You! Improving Your Practice Through Reflection and Video 9/30/19, 11/9/19

Literacy Strategies in the Common Core 10/12/19

Math Practices that Develop Critical Thinkers and Confident Problem Solvers 9/14/19, 11/2/19

Power of Presence 10/19/19

Using Graphic Organizers to Support the Writing the Writing Process 12/7/19

Sign up on MyPLN • Descriptions of PDs at achieve.lausd.net/Page/11374 T h e P A R P r o g r a m i s j o i n t l y g o v e r n e d b y U T L A a n d L A U S D

UTLA/AFT members will elect delegates at the January 30 General Membership Meeting (UTLA building, 6 p.m.) to represent the union at the National Convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Houston, July 27 to 30.

At the convention, AFT members from around the country will gather to debate and vote on important resolu-tions and constitutional amendments.

Be UTLA’s voice at the AFT Convention in July 2020

The biennial AFT convention is the most important policy-making body of the national federation.

All UTLA members are eligible to be elected delegates to this event; delegates who fulfill their official obligations will receive a stipend to cover a portion of their expenses. Interested members can fill out the coupon below to nominate themselves.

The coupon must be returned by January 20.

Name

Employee No.

Home address

City/Zip

Email

School

Phone # to contact you

I hereby declare that I am a fully paid member of UTLA. I wish to nominate myself as a delegate to the 2020 AFT Convention to be held in Houston from July 27 to 30.

SignatureThis form must be returned by January 20 to UTLA/AFT Vice President Juan Ramirez at 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010 during regular business hours (9 a.m. -5 p.m.) or by mail. Nominations will not be taken from the floor or by fax/email. Elections will be held at the general membership meeting on Thursday, January 30 at 6 p.m. at UTLA.

2020 AFT Convention self-nomination form


16

Self-nomination period begins now.In early 2020 UTLA members will be

electing the UTLA citywide officers and members of the UTLA Board of Direc-tors, which includes directors who serve a UTLA Area and directors who represent a special category of members. The com-plete list of offices is below. Together, the officers and board work with UTLA staff to carry out the mandates of the UTLA House of Representatives and help oversee the operation of the union. Elected members will serve a three-year term, from July 2020 to June 2023.

To ensure a ballot reaches you when

voting begins in 2020, make sure that UTLA has your current contact information. If you’ve moved, go online and update your information at www.utla.net/members/update-your-information.

Citywide officersPresidentNEA Vice PresidentAFT Vice PresidentElementary Vice PresidentSecondary Vice PresidentTreasurerSecretary

UTLA members to elect officers and board in 2020

Board of Directors: Special categoryAdult and Occupational EducationBilingual EducationEarly Childhood EducationHealth and Human ServicesSpecial EducationSubstitute Teachers

The rules for the election and all forms are also available on the 2020 UTLA Elections section at utlaelections.org.

UTLA 2019-2020 Election Timeline

August 2: Email blast sent notifying members that there will be an election and Early Declaration Option.

August 16: Election announcement, timeline, Election Manual, Itinerant Assignment Declaration form, and Candidate Declaration form and notice of Early Declaration Option published in the UNITED TEACHER. All info also at utlaelections.org. Candidates will be sent a chapter chair contact list after confirming eligibility.

October 16: E lec t ion announcement, timeline, Election Manual, Declaration of Candidacy form, and the Itinerant Assignment Declaration form republished in the UNITED TEACHER.

November 7: Deadline to file a Declaration of Candidacy form (time-stamped by 5 p.m.) and the deadline for candidates to file Itinerant Assignment Declaration Form (time-stamped by 5 p.m.). Orientation mandatory meeting with drawing of ballot positions at 6 p.m.

December 2: Deadline for the candidate flyer that will posted on the UTLA website (digital submission preferred) and printed flyers for the Chapter Chair mailing (time-stamped by 5 pm). Candidates deliver the appropriate number of flyers to the 10th floor reception area by December 2, 5 pm.

December 20: Packets of candidate flyers will be mailed to Chapter Chairs.

January 8: Citywide Officer Candidates Q and A 10 a.m. Will be accessible online. Send questions to [email protected].

January 13: Deadline for photos and candidate statements to be published in the Special Election Edition of the UNITED TEACHER and ballot insert.

January 24: Special Election Issue of UNITED TEACHER published.

February 3: Ballots will be mailed to membership (ballots include

voter PIN and instructions for online voting option). Contact Tara Thomas if you don’t receive a ballot at [email protected].

February 14: Deadline to call for a replacement ballot.

February 28: Ballots will be picked up by Elections Committee from post office at 8 am. First round ballots counted. Deadline for filing Financial Disclosure Statements (time-stamped by 5 p.m.).

March 20: Second round of ballots mailed to membership.

March 27: First round balloting results published in UNITED TEACHER.

March 30: Deadline to call for replacement ballots (second round).

April 16: Ballots picked up by Elections Committee from post office at 8 a.m. Second round ballots counted. Results posted online. Deadline for filing Financial Disclosure Statements (time-stamped by 5 p.m.).

May 1: Third round ballots mailed to membership.

May 8: Second round balloting results published in the UNITED TEACHER.

May 15: Deadline to call for replacement ballots.

May 28: Ballots picked up by Elections Committee from post office at 8 am. Third round ballots counted. Deadline for filing Financial Disclosure Statements (time-stamped by 5 p.m.)

August: Results of third round balloting and Candidates’ Financial Disclosure Summary published in the UNITED TEACHER.

Early Declaration Option: This year, candidates have the option to declare their candidacy early and get quicker access to contact information for chapter chairs and area chairs in your UTLA area (or citywide if running for officer position). Info can be used to contact chapter chairs and ask to speak with the members at that site.

Board of DirectorsEach area elects 3 NEA directors and 1

AFT director

North AreaSouth AreaEast AreaWest AreaCentral AreaValley East AreaValley West AreaHarbor Area

Updated 8/14/19

2019-2020 ELECTIONS MANUAL

This Elections Manual constitutes the ongoing rules by which the elections described below are conducted. This Manual has been adopted by the UTLA Board of Directors and may only be modified by that Board in accordance with part XIII of this manual. Except as provided in Article II and Article III of this Manual, the Board of Directors of UTLA has the obligation to determine when to hold those elections that are required by the UTLA Constitution. This Manual does not supersede or modify the UTLA Constitution in any way. This Manual provides rules to implement the constitutionally mandated elections to ensure that those elections are conducted in a way that is fair and in accordance with rules that are known to all candidates and members.

I. Elections CoveredThis Elections Manual is applicable to all UTLA elec-tions for the offices of UTLA President, NEA Affiliate Vice President, AFT Affiliate Vice President, Elementary Vice President, Secondary Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board of Directors members representing UTLA Areas and Special Categories, and Area Chairper-sons including filling vacancies, except for the Director representing UTLA-Retired.

II. Elections Committee A. Composition, election and terms1. The UTLA Elections Committee is a standing special committee of UTLA, elected by the House of Represen-tatives in accordance with Article III section 4b of the UTLA Constitution.2. The Committee shall have no fewer than 5 members and no more than 15 members3. The House of Representatives shall elect Elections Committee members no later than the end of May of the calendar year in which the election process will begin. 4. Committee members will begin their term July 1st in the calendar year in which they are elected and, per the UTLA Constitution shall serve a term of three years. [(PROVISO: To establish the staggered terms the members elected at the May 8, 2019 HOR meeting shall be assigned to one year, two year, and three year terms by the drawing of lots. (This Proviso shall be deleted from this document three years after its adoption)]. Members may be elected to serve consecutive terms. 5. Any vacancies, for any reason, may be filled by elec-tion at any meeting of the House of Representatives.6. The Chair or Co-Chairs of the Elections Committee shall be selected by the Committee during the first committee meeting of each school year. B. Eligibility1. Any member of UTLA may be elected to the Com-mittee, provided that they have been a member for at least one year.a. Article VII, section 1 of the Constitution shall not apply.2. No Officer or Board Member may serve on the Elec-tions Committee.a. Article III section 5, parts a9, b4 of the Constitution shall not apply.C. Meetings1. Due to the sensitive nature of the committee’s work, all meetings of the committee shall be conducted in executive session, except when the committee declares otherwise.2. The committee shall meet at the call of the chair or co-chairs.D. Members of the Elections Committee shall conduct themselves in a non-partisan fashion; keeping in mind at

all times the best interests of UTLA and shall at all times endeavor to ensure that UTLA elections are conducted in a manner that provides no unfair advantage to any candidate and encourages the full participation of the membership in the election process. 1. No member of the Elections Committee shall be a candidate for office in the election that they are super-vising nor, shall they be the spouse, partner, parent, child, or sibling (full or half) to any candidate for office.2. The Elections Committee members shall not endorse, discuss, nor participate in any campaign or candidacy during the election process. 3. After the Board of Directors has determined the dates and offices of those elections that are required by the UTLA Constitution, the Elections Committee shall es-tablish all other dates for the conduct of the Election, including the deadline for the filing of Declaration of Candidacy forms, the date of mailing of ballots, and the date by which ballots must be returned. The Elections Committee shall work with UTLA staff to ensure that notice of these dates is provided to the membership no later than 45 calendar days after the start of the school year in which elections are to take place.E. The Elections Committee (and not the Board of Direc-tors—including the Officers) shall have the authority to supervise the conduct of the election in a manner that is consistent with this Manual and the UTLA Constitution. The authority of the Elections Committee shall include, but is not limited to, the following:1. After the Board of Directors has determined the dates and offices of those elections that are required by the UTLA Constitution, the Elections Committee has the authority to determine all other dates and procedures pertaining to the election.2. The Elections Committee has the authority to retain an election services company to print, mail and tabulate ballots in city-wide elections.3. The authority to conduct an election for Board of Directors vacancies by printing, mailing and tabulating ballots by retaining an election services company only after the Board of Directors has declared a vacancy, when a written, mailed ballot is authorized.4. The authority to review and resolve any challenges pertaining to the conduct of the election, including challenges regarding the intent of any ballot.5. The authority to hear and decide any charges alleging violations of the UTLA Constitution or this Manual in the conduct of the election.6. The authority to determine that an election must be rerun, in whole or in part, but only if the Committee has determined after a hearing (as provided below in section XII) that a violation of the UTLA Constitution or of this Manual may have affected the outcome of the election.7. The authority to adopt procedures during an election to remedy unanticipated problems that arise during the election, provided that such remedies will be adopted only if there are no material disputed facts regarding that problem and the fairness of the election might be compromised if a remedy were not adopted. Further-more, such remedies may be adopted only if approved by a majority vote of the Elections Committee when a quorum is present. 8. The authority to determine voter eligibility, in ac-cordance with section V of this Manual and the UTLA Constitution.9. The authority to determine candidate eligibility.10. The authority to present a report to the Board of Directors regarding elections that are being challenged,



17

All UTLA members who work at more than one site should fill out the Itinerants Assignments Decla-ration form so that UTLA knows where you work and can send you the correct ballot. If you don’t fill out the form, your ballot will only have

candidates for citywide offices (and the candidates for a special category director if you qualify to vote in a special category).

In addition, the form is required for candidates who are itinerants and are running for an Area director position.

Who should fill out the Itinerants Assignments Declaration form?

UTLA Chapter Chair and Area Director Contact List Agreement of Use

United Teachers Los Angeles2020 Internal Elections

I, ______________________________________________________________,

candidate for the office of

________________________________________________________________,

do hereby declare that I will use the UTLA constituency chapter chair contact information for the sole purpose of contacting members to solicit their votes in connection with the election. I will only disclose this infor-mation to members who are participating in my campaign. I will assure that anyone working to assist me in my campaign is aware that this information must only be used in connection with the election.

________________________________________________________________Signature of Candidate

________________________________________________________________Date Signed

Complete and return to: Tara Thomas-UTLA Elections Committee 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th floor Los Angeles, CA 90010 Phone: 1-213-637-5165 or email Tara Thomas: [email protected]

Received by: _________________

Date: _______________________ Time: _______________________

All forms downloadable at utlaelections.org.

UTLA Officer and Board of Director ElectionsDeclaration of Candidacy Form

I, ________________________________________________________________,(Please print name as you would like it to appear on ballot)

do hereby declare my intention to run for the office of:

________________________________________________________________(Name of office as listed in election rules)

Check one only. My UTLA Area is:

___North ___South ___East ___West ___Central

___Harbor ___Valley East ___Valley West

Board of Directors candidate only (check one) I do ____ do not ____ hereby also declare my intention to run for the office of Area Chairperson.

Permission is given for the Elections Committee to verify my membership and to determine that I meet the requirements to be a candidate for the of-fice for which I have declared.

My employee number: ______________________________________________

Non-LAUSD email: _________________________________________________

Home address: ____________________________________________________(Street and Number)

City/state:________________________Zip code:_________________________

My home phone: ____________________________________________________

Cell phone: ________________________________________________________

My school/site: ____________________________________________________

School phone: _____________________________________________________

Permission is granted for UTLA to give contact information to members and media when requested. Check those methods that are acceptable to give out:

___School Site ___Home Phone ___Cell Phone ___Non-LAUSD email

To the best of my knowledge, all of the above statements are true.

Signature: __________________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________

Complete and return to: Tara Thomas-UTLA Elections Committee 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th floor Los Angeles, CA 90010 Phone: 1-213-637-5165 or email Tara Thomas: [email protected]

Deadline for underline of this form is November 7, 2019, Time-stamped by 5:00 pm. This form may be emailed as an attachment, hand-delivered or mailed. Faxes will not be accepted.

Received by: _________________

Date: _______________________ Time: _______________________

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Itinerant Assignments Declaration Form 2019-20

(Employee Number)

(Signature)

(Non-LAUSD Email)

(Date Received)

(Date)

(Phone)

School/Work Location

(Please Print Name)

Approx % per week

I am a member of the following:

The Schools/Work locations I am assigned to, ordered by MOST to LEAST:

I declare the above assignment information true to the best of my knowledge:

These Assignments are only valid for the current school yearComplete and return to Tara Thomas, UTLA Membership Department

3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010Phone: (213) 637-5165 Fax: (213) 368-6231

[email protected]

Substitute Teachers (K-12, Early Ed, or Adult)

Special Educators & Itinerants (Arts, Music, Coaches, etc.) & Health and Human Services Personnel (Nurses, Psychologists, Counselors, P. S.A.)


18

or are in arbitration, so that candidates who have been elected may be seated, and the authority to present a report to the Board of Directors when elections have been completed so that candidates who have been elected can be certified and take the oath of office.

III. Time of Elections for UTLA Officers and members of the Board of DirectorsA. Election ballots of any regular election shall be counted before the end of May. The Elections Committee, in consultation with the election services company and UTLA staff, shall set the exact date.B. No later than 45 calendar days after the start of the school year in which elections are to take place, the Elections Committee shall establish all dates for the conduct of the election, including the deadline for the filing of Declaration of Candidacy forms, the date of mailing of ballots, and the date by which ballots must be returned. The Elections Committee shall work with UTLA staff to ensure that notice of these dates is provided to the membership.C. The Elections Committee shall set the date of Run-off elections or Rerun elections (that is, elections conducted after a determination by the Elections Committee or arbitrator that a violation of the applicable rules has invalidated an election).D. The Elections Committee shall verify candidate eligibil-ity within five (5) business days of the close of declara-tions. Candidates shall have five (5) business days to appeal the decision of the Elections Committee to the Elections Committee, or correct deficiencies in eligibility.

IV. Candidates electedUncontested elections. 1. In the event that there are only three (3) NEA Board of Directors candidates in an area, they shall be declared winners by acclamation. 2. In the event that there is only one (1) AFT Board of Director candidate in an area, they shall be declared the winner by acclamation. 3. In the event that there is only one candidate in the special category Board of Directors, they shall be de-clared the winner by acclamation.Contested elections: 1. For NEA Board of Directors Area election the three (3) candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. For AFT Board of Directors and special category Board of Directors, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. 2. For officer elections, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes who has received at least a majority of votes shall be declared elected. In the event that one officer candidate does not receive a majority of votes cast in the first balloting, a runoff election shall be held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes, unless there is a tie for the second highest, then the runoff will be the top three candidates.Certification of Election. 1. The official Elections Report must be completed by the Chairperson of the Elections Committee and sent to the UTLA Board of Directors and the House of Representatives after each ballot round.

V. Voter eligibilityA. In order to be eligible to vote in any round (i.e. in the first round, run-off or rerun) of any election, voters must be active members of UTLA one month prior to distribution of the ballots in that round (i.e. first round, second round run-off, or rerun) of balloting.B. Members not assigned to a single work site a majority of the time or whose cost center does not accurately reflect their work site(s) shall be assigned to a UTLA Area based on where they actually work, and the principles adopted by the House of Representatives. The member must submit the Itinerant Assignments Declaration Form informing UTLA of the Area in which they work the most. The notification must be received by UTLA Membership at least one month prior to the mailing of the ballots. Prior to the opening of nominations, UTLA will provide in the United Teacher and on the UTLA Website a full explanation directed to members of their rights and obligations in this regard.C. Upon publication of the election rules in the United Teacher or on the UTLA website, there will be com-munication to certificated employees who are eligible to join UTLA notifying them of how to confirm and/or correct their member status, including special category and UTLA Area. Changes must be submitted at least one month prior to the first mailing of the election ballots.

VI. Candidate eligibilityA. Membership in good standing. 1. Any person who has been an active member in good standing for at least twenty-four months immediately preceding the last date for filing a Declaration of Intent to Run form shall be eligible to run for office. 2. Each candidate for Area Director and NEA and AFT Vice President must identify whether running for an AFT or a NEA affiliate office.B. Declaration of Intent to Run. 1. Any eligible member wishing to run for office must file the Declaration of Intent to Run form with the Elections Committee at the 10th floor office no later than 5:00 p.m. on the date established by the Elections Committee. 2. Any eligible member may declare their candida-cy as early as the first day of the Fall Semester, in the year preceding the general election, A candidate cannot declare until the declaration form is available. 3. For Vacancy Elections, eligible members may declare their candidacy as soon as a Vacancy is declared.C. Place of principal employment and category requirements. 1. A member must be qualified to hold the office by loca-tion, and/or category for which that person is running. 2. Area Board of Directors candidates shall be principally employed (at least 50% of the time or the largest percentage of hours in a multi area assignment) at any site or sites in the area in which they are seeking election, as consistent with the principles of Area assignment as adopted by the Board of Directors and the House of Representatives.3. Special Directors are qualified through their job as-signment and/or credential or professional license.D. One office only:

1. With the exception of Board of Directors Candidates who are also filing for Area Chairperson, a member shall file for no more than one office.

VII. Campaign MaterialsA. All candidates have the right to distribute campaign materials to UTLA members at any location (including school sites and in school mailboxes), subject to the restrictions provided in this Manual or restrictions imposed by the employer. The cost of distribution of those materials shall be borne by the candidate. Campaign materials shall be considered to be distributed by a candidate if those materi-als are distributed: (1) by the candidate; (2) by a slate of candidates that the candidate has joined; and/or (3) at the request of a designee.B. All campaign literature distributed by, or for, a can-didate shall include the following statement: “The in-formation herein represents the views and opinions of the candidates and does not necessarily represent or reflect the opinions of UTLA.”C. Campaign materials distributed by the candidate, or by anyone else, shall not have printed upon them, the UTLA, CTA/NEA, CFT/AFT, or AFL-CIO logo. Exempt from this requirement are signs, pins, stickers, buttons, pictures, t-shirts, hats and other materials worn by individuals, which appear in photographs.D. Distribution of campaign literature by UTLA1. At no charge to the candidate, UTLA will post to the UTLA website one “flyer” no larger than 8-1/2 by 11 inches equivalent to one side of a letter size page, in PDF form per candidate, in a designated area, accessible to members. Candidate’s flyer should, preferably, be submitted as a pdf file but may be mailed, emailed or delivered in person. 2. A flyer submitted by a candidate may be a flyer for a slate of candidates or otherwise endorse other candidates.E. Access Strategy 1. No member lists, emails, telephone numbers, etc., will be provided directly to candidates. 2. UTLA will establish a contract with a 3rd party vendor for the purpose of providing communications for candi-dates. Various constituency lists will be provided to the mailing house by UTLA and Candidates may, at their own expense, have the 3rd party vendor send campaign materials to their constituents 3. Candidates may, at UTLA expense have the 3rd party vendor provide one all-chapter mailing of flyers.4. UTLA shall provide, free of charge, four joint email blasts that will notify candidates’ constituents during the

course of the election cycle where they will find flyers, statements, and other relevant information about the election that will help voters learn about candidates and encourage engagement in the election process.5. After filing a Declaration of Candidacy UTLA, upon request, will provide candidates with contact information for the work sites, chapter chairs, and area directors that pertain to their candidacy. Such requests shall be approved or denied for cause, within 10 working days6. A candidate may not use union resources to access member contact information for the purposes of cam-paigning. F. Special Election Supplement of the United Teacher - Election Supplement 1. UTLA shall publish an Election Supplement of the United Teacher.2. Candidates for UTLA President, NEA Affiliate Vice President, AFT Affiliate Vice President, Elementary Vice President, Secondary Vice President, Secretary, Trea-surer, and Board of Directors may submit a statement for the Election Supplement which shall be published indicating each candidate and the position they are seeking, provided that the following conditions are met:a. Candidates must either submit their statement from the email address on file from their Declaration of Can-didacy form, sign the paper statement they submit or provide an electronic signature.b. Each statement will be printed in black and must fit in the space allocated. Candidate statements may be submitted via email, US Mail or delivered in person following the directions on the UTLA Election Website. The candidate is responsible for editing their statement.

c. If a candidate wishes to have a photograph as part of their statement, they must provide a glossy print photograph or an electronic copy (jpg.) of the photo via email. The photograph must only be of the candidate and it shall not be returned to the candidate. d. The statement and photograph must be received by the UTLA office on the 10th floor no later than 5:00 p.m. on the date specified by the Election Committee. e. The Election Supplement, in a format determined by the Elections Committee, shall also be mailed to all voters with their ballot.

VIII. BallotsA. When an independent elections services company is contracted, it shall be responsible for the printing, mailing and tabulating of the ballots, subject to supervision by the UTLA Elections Committee.B. Candidates’ names shall be listed on the ballot in a random order determined by drawing lots. If a run-off election is held, the order of names of the candidates shall not be changed.

IX. Procedures pertaining to the mailing and counting of ballotsA. Election Company will mail out ballots to eligible voters at the home address UTLA has on file. B. Re-mails and/or spoiled ballotsAny eligible UTLA member may request a replacement ballot for any reason. Replacement ballots will be avail-able from the elections services company only. Requests for replacement ballots are to be made in a manner established by the Elections Committee. Replacements for any reason will be sent in an entire package. Replace-ment envelopes will be a different color. Replacements will be mailed within 24 hours of the request. Requests for replacements will be accepted no later than a date established by the Elections Committee. The replacement ballot will include the same voter ID# and instructions for electronic voting that were included in the original ballot. C. At no time will UTLA have any unmarked original or replacement ballots in its possession. Ballots that are returned to a location other than the assigned P.O. Box (e.g. to UTLA offices) will remain unopened and will not be counted. D. Ballots with incorrect addresses will be returned to the elections services company. UTLA will be provided with information about the undelivered ballots. The elections services company will re-mail ballots if and

when corrected addresses become available and if the information is received within the election timeline limits. E. Voting may be done by paper ballot or electronically. The paper ballot also includes the required voter ID# and instructions for how to vote electronically. F. Ballot pickup and transfer and observation procedures1. Ballots will be retrieved from the designated Post Office on a date to be established by the Elections Committee in the presence of at least one member of the Elections Committee.2. Observers may be present at the time that the ballots are retrieved. 3. Only ballots that have arrived in the official P.O. Box by the time of pickup will be picked up. Electronic ballots must be received by 8:00am the same day the paper ballots are retrieved. 4. Paper ballots will be transported to the ballot count-ing room in the presence of at least one member of the Elections Committee. 5. Observers may be present during the time that the ballots are transported to the ballot counting room, although observers will not be permitted to be in the same vehicle as the ballots. Observers are responsible for their own transportation. 6. Ballots will be counted at UTLA. 7. Observers may be present throughout the counting process, provided, however, that those observers shall be required to observe all rules of decorum and procedure that may be established by the Elections Committee. a. The names of all election day observers, and the names of candidates for whom they are acting as observ-ers, must be provided to an individual designated by the Elections Committee no later than the time established by the Elections Committee or they will not be permitted to act as observers. b. The Elections Committee may limit the number of observers if there are more designated observers and candidates than space permits.c. No photography, video or audio recording of these proceedings are permitted8. Eligibility for voting was determined prior to mailing out the ballots. Ballots arriving in an official return envelope are presumed to have been returned by eligible voters. Challenges to voter eligibility must be presented prior to opening the envelopes.G. Policies regarding ballots received and final processing 1. Retrieved ballots will be sorted. Ballots returned in the distinct replacement envelopes will be segregated. After resolving any voter eligibility challenges, the return envelopes will be opened, and the contents removed. The secrecy envelopes will be opened, and the ballots removed and inspected. That same morning, the Election Company team members will receive the results of the electronic ballots from the Election Company office. 2. A search of the returned envelopes (by voter ID#) will be conducted to assure that a replacement ballot is not a duplicate vote. Should two (2) return envelopes be found from the same voter (an original and a replace-ment), the ballot in the original envelope will be counted. There will also be a search comparing the electronic ballots and the paper ballots (comparing voter ID#) to make sure a member has not voted twice by submitting both a paper and an electronic ballot. If a member has submitted both a written and an electronic ballot, the paper ballot will be counted.3. Unless otherwise provided by these Rules or by deter-mination of the Elections Committee, all ballots will be counted where the intent of the voter can be ascertained. Any issues regarding the intent of the voter shall be resolved by the Elections Committee.a. Ballots returned to a location other than assigned P.O. Boxes (e.g. UTLA offices) will not be opened or counted. UTLA Offices will not accept ballots.b. If a ballot contains votes for more candidates for an office than there are positions to be filled by election, the ballot for that office will not be counted.c. If more than one (1) ballot is returned in the same return envelope, even in separate secrecy envelopes, no ballots in that envelope will be counted.d. Return envelopes that contain a voted ballot without a secrecy envelope will be counted.e. If no voting boxes on a ballot are marked but are underlined or circled, and if the Elections Committee determines that member/voter intent is apparent, the ballot will be counted.f. Ballots that are not machine readable or are damaged (e.g. torn, eaten, etc.) will be repaired or duplicated in the presence of the Elections Committee. If the Elec-tions Committee determines that member/voter intent is apparent, the ballot will be counted.4. The interpretation and application of these rules, and any other issues pertaining to counting ballots or

ELECTIONS MANUAL (continued from page 16)

Have questions about the UTLA elections?

Member Q&A posted at utlaelections.org/members


19

election procedures shall be made by the Elections Committee only.H. Accuracy certification Before any ballots are counted, the elections services company will test the ballot counting system for ac-curacy. If the test properly demonstrates the accuracy and program logic of the system, the elections services company will certify the system ready for ballot tabula-tion. This accuracy and logic test will be conducted in the presence of UTLA Elections Committee Representatives and official observers. The same test will be conducted following the tabulation of the Official Ballots and the results of the two tests will be compared.I. Ballot Tabulation 1. After accuracy certification, the elections services company will tabulate the ballots. The tabulation process involves four steps.a. Scanning the ballotb. Reading the ballot imagec. Reviewing and tallying any other ballots in question, including write in ballotsd. Tabulation of results2. Following the completion of the post-count accuracy and logic testing, the official results including the ballot inventory will be given to the Elections Committee which shall certify the results. The elections services company will certify as to performance in accordance with the foregoing procedures and as to the accuracy of the tabulated results, it being understood that the elections services company cannot certify the eligibility of any candidate or member to whom ballots were issued.J. Packaging and sealing The ballots, which have been tabulated, will be placed in special containers and sealed with a permanent storage seal bearing the signatures of UTLA Elections Committee Representatives and the election services company representative who tabulated the ballots. The unused/spoiled ballots will be packed in cartons with the eligibility lists used for ballot verification, the empty return envelopes, undeliverable envelopes, invalid or challenged ballots not counted, a copy of the results, and the original of each of the forms and certificates used.K. StorageStorage of the ballot materials shall be the responsibility

of the elections services company. At the completion of the tabulation process, all materials will be boxed and sealed and will be transported and stored at the facili-ties of the elections services company. Ballots shall be stored for three years.

X. Other Campaign RulesA. The Elections Manual shall be made available through the United Teacher and the UTLA Website to all UTLA members and upon request.B. The United Teacher, prior to opening of nominations, shall publish election procedures, rules, forms and the calendar. The election timeline shall be published in each issue and on the UTLA Website until the close of the election.C. Local, state, and/or national affiliate organizations shall not endorse, permit the provision of, or provide facilities or services to, financially contribute to, or be materially involved in any way with the campaign of any candidate. The UTLA President shall request affiliates to honor this election rule.D. UTLA staff and employees shall not be involved in any candidate’s campaign except as specifically provided for in this manual and the constitution.E. UTLA Offices, materials, or other resources of UTLA shall not be used to support candidates. These resources include, but are not limited to UTLA copiers, telephones, computer systems, UTLA sponsored/affiliated web-sites (except as otherwise provided for in these rules). However, this shall not preclude the utilization of UTLA Meeting Rooms, to the extent that they are made equally available to all candidates.F. UTLA shall create a video of the city-wide office candidates, whether contested or not. The Elections Committee shall determine the time, format, etc. with regard to the preparation and distribution of the video, in consultation with the UTLA Director of Com-munications. Video content shall not include language or references that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise offensive or contrary to UTLA guiding principles, as determined by the Elections Commit-tee. Candidates shall have the opportunity to edit the video accordingly. G. UTLA committees shall not endorse any candidates during the election process.

H. Candidates shall not seek or receive local, state or national affiliate financial support or any other form of support for his or her candidacy from vendors, UTLA staff, politicians or outside organizations and persons who stand to benefit financially or otherwise from their relationship with UTLA.Candidate literature will not appear on any official UTLA publication, except the Special Edition of the United Teacher and the approved flyer on the UTLA website. J. Campaigning at work sitesAll candidates may campaign at work sites with the prior approval of the chapter chair. Such approval shall not be unreasonably denied by a chapter chair. Examples of unreasonable denial of approval would be because the chapter chair does not support the candidate or a denial of approval because the chapter chair does not like the candidate. Examples of a reasonable denial of approval would be because another candidate had already been granted approval on that day, or because the work schedule issues would make it impossible or disruptive for the candidate to campaign at that school on that particular day. Candidates are not permitted to combine campaign visits with official UTLA business.K. Financial ReportsCandidates for all offices, and political committees formed by candidates or in which candidates are active participants, shall, at the conclusion of the election, file one financial report with the Elections Committee on a form approved by the Committee. The report shall detail all expenditures, income and sources of income for a specific balloting in the election. report shall be due on or before 5:00 p.m. the day upon which the ballots are counted.Each candidate must sign the following affirmation “I affirm that all of the information provided by me in this form is correct to the best of my knowledge.” Financial reports pertaining to subsequent balloting shall be on file on or before 5:00 p.m. the day upon which the ballots are counted. The financial statements of candidates and committees shall be printed in summary form in the next United Teacher issue after their due date, with a notice that originals are on file for inspection. A candidate who has not filed a financial report shall not be permitted to assume the office to which that candidate has been elected unless and until the report is filed.

XI. Elections of Area ChairsA. If all candidates for the office of Area Chair who have filed a declaration form have been elected by acclamation, then the Area Chair election will be held in the first round of balloting. In the event that all four (4) Directors in an area are elected on the first, citywide ballot, the Area Chairperson election for that area shall be conducted in the second round of balloting, if contested. In the event there is a run off for a Board of Directors seat, any election for Area Chair shall be conducted in a third round of balloting.B. Area Chairpersons shall be elected from among the four (4) Board of Directors Members, newly elected to each UTLA area. The candidates for Area Chairperson in each area shall be those newly elected Board of Directors members who have also filed as candidates for Area Chairperson. In the event that no newly elected Board of Directors member has filed as a candidate for Area Chairperson, all four (4) newly elected Board of Directors names shall appear on the ballot for the office of Area Chairperson and shall be candidates for that office. If only one of four elected persons files, that person shall be declared the winner without balloting.

XII. Challenges to the ElectionA. Only candidates may file challenges, and only to the office in which they are running.B. In the event that any candidate claims that any viola-tion of any provision of this Manual or of the Constitution has taken place in connection with an election in which that person is a candidate, that candidate may request a hearing by the Elections Committee by filing a written challenge, using the form approved by the Election Committee, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the fifth working day after election results are posted for the round of the election in which the candidate claims that there has been a violation, setting forth with reasonable certainty the nature of the alleged violation and the facts constitut-ing the alleged violation including specific references to the UTLA Constitution and/or Elections Manual which are believed to have been violated. C. No later than 10 working days after the final election results for the position for which the challenge has been



20

filed, the Elections Committee shall set a time and place for a fact-finding hearing. That fact-finding hearing shall take place no more than 30 working days following the final election results. The fact-finding hearing shall not take place until after all run-off elections for the position for which the challenge has been filed.D. The challenger shall submit to the Elections Commit-tee, prior to, or at, the fact-finding hearing, the details of the alleged violation(s) and demonstrate how the alleged violation{s) would have changed the outcome of the election.E. At least a majority of the Elections Committee must attend each day of the fact-finding hearing and only those members who attend each day of the fact-finding hearing may participate in the decision of the Elections Committee.F. The Elections Committee shall function in a manner similar to a committee of a legislative body and therefore shall be entitled to consider all facts and witnesses that the Committee, in its discre-tion believes would inform it of those facts relevant to a decision, including facts and circumstances that it becomes aware of outside of the fact finding hearing itself.G. The Elections Committee shall declare the election for any particular position void and shall direct and set procedures for the conduct of a rerun election if there has been a violation that may have affected the outcome of that election. In addition, if the Elections Committee finds by clear and convincing evidence that (a) a candidate had knowingly received financial support from a vendor or any other person or entity that the candidate knew stood to benefit financially from their relationship with UTLA or (b) knowingly accepted the endorsement of, or support of, any local, state or national affiliate organization, the Elections Committee shall disqualify the candidate and there shall be a rerun election among all other candidates for that position. If there is only one remaining candidate for that position, that candidate shall be declared elected without a rerun

election. Any determination of disqualification may be appealed to arbitration in accordance with subparagraph I of this section.H. In any rerun/run-off election ordered by the Elections Committee after a challenge, the election rules of this Manual shall be applicable.I. As soon as a decision by the Committee is made with regard to a challenge, the Elections Committee shall immediately inform all affected candidates of the decision. The Committee shall provide that notice by Certified Mail and by any other reasonable means that the Committee believes will ensure that the member has actual notice of the decision.J. A candidate who has filed a claim of an election violation with the Elections Committee may withdraw that claim at any time before a decision by the Elections Committee. K. Arbitration1. If a candidate is dissatisfied with the decision of the Elections Committee, the candidate may appeal that decision to arbitration by filing notice of appeal with

the Elections Committee.2. That notice of appeal must be received at the UTLA offices no later than 10 working days after the date the Elections Committee decision is delivered to the member

who has filed the charges and must be accompanied with a non-refundable deposit of $2,000 by cashier’s check or money order for those candidates who were seeking citywide officer positions, and a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 by cashier’s check or money order for those candidates who were seeking Board of Direc-tors positions. 3. If the decision is not hand delivered to the member who has filed the charges, it shall be presumed that the decision was received 3 days after the decision is mailed by registered or certified mail to the member. 4. The Elections Committee shall immediately request a list of names of neutral labor arbitrators in the Southern California area from the American Arbitration Associa-tion (“AAA”). 5. The Elections Committee shall determine a neutral method of striking names from the list of arbitrators provided by AAA. An arbitrator shall not be considered

eligible unless that arbitrator is available to hear the matter within three months from the date that the list of arbitrators was provided by the AAA. 6. The candidate filing the challenge must accept one or more of the arbitrator’s available dates unless a mutually acceptable date is otherwise agreed to by the arbitrator, the candidate, the Election Committee. If no date is accepted by the candidate filing the challenge, then the challenge shall be considered void and moot. 7. If there are multiple requests for arbitration, the Elections Committee has the discretion to determine that those arbitrations should be consolidated into one arbitration hearing and attempt to obtain the agreement of the candidates to such consolidation. 8. Where the Elections Committee determines that the arbitration involves a challenge to a policy, deci-sion or action of the Elections Committee itself, the Elections Committee may participate in the arbitration as a full party.9. Otherwise, the Elections Committee shall participate in the arbitration only to the extent necessary to ensure that UTLA interests are protected and, in such case, the full parties shall be the candidates involved in the challenge.10. If the arbitrator upholds the challenge of a candi-date in substantial part, the deposit provided by the candidate shall be returned to the candidate. The arbitrator shall determine whether such a refund is applicable.11. A candidate who has appealed a decision of the Elections Committee to arbitration may withdraw that appeal at any time before the decision of the Arbitrator.12. As soon as a decision by the Arbitrator is received by the Elections Committee, the Elections Committee shall immediately inform all affected candidates of the decision. The Committee shall provide that notice by Certified Mail and by any other reasonable means that the Committee believes will ensure that the member has actual notice of the decision.13. Presumption of validity: Elections challenged by a member are presumed valid pending a decision of the Elections Committee or arbitrator. Until such time as either the Elections Committee or an arbitrator finds that the results of an election are not valid, those who have been elected shall take office and shall have the full authority of that office while any challenges are being considered.

XIII. Changes to the Election ManualA. Amendments to this Manual may be made by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors at any time except between the date of the Declaration of Candidacy forms are made available for the city-wide elections and the date of the announcement of the final election results, exclusive of challenges. During that period, any amendments made shall not take effect until after the completion of the election.

AppendixSpecial Director Qualifications

All candidates must meet the same requirements as the voters however candidates must also meet the two-year membership requirement.

1. Health and Human Services Director: Must be serving in a position that requires a service credential or professional license. (PT. OT. etc.) They may also hold a teaching credential, but their current position cannot be a teaching position.2. Substitute Teachers Director: Must be serving as a substitute teacher ETK-12. 3. Adult Education Director: Must be serving in an adult education teaching position. 4. Early Childhood Education Director: Must be serving under a children’s center permit5. Special Education Director: Must be serving in a position that requires a Special Education teaching credential. (Note: It is not relevant that LAUSD has grouped many service providers into the LAUSD “Special Education” Department). 6. Bilingual Education Director: Must be serving in a teaching position and hold the BCLAD or equivalent bilingual certification. Candidates do not have to be cur-rently teaching in a bilingual classroom or in a position that requires a bilingual authorization. (One (1) director elected by bilingual education teachers. Any member holding a Bilingual Certificate of Compe-tency (BCC or BCLAD or equivalent). (added December 4, 1985) (amended March 6, 2013). ConstitutionSection 1 - Composition: 6 The Board of Directors shall consist of:d. One (1) director elected by Auxiliary Services. (School nurses; pupil services and attendance counselors; sec-ondary counselors; librarians; school psychologists; and speech, language and hearing specialists.) (amended June 2, 1976)e. One (1) director elected by the substitute teachers.f. One (1) director elected by the Adult Education Divi-sion teachers.g. One (1) director elected by the children’s center teachers (added February 19, 1975)h. One (1) director elected by the special education teachers (added December 5, 1979)i. To eliminate the Director elected by year round school teachers as of July 1, 2014 or earlier if the position becomes vacant. (added February 22, 1984) (amended March 6, 2013)j. One (1) director elected by bilingual education teachers. Any member holding a Bilingual Certificate of Compe-tency (BCC or BCLAD or equivalent). (added December 4, 1985) (amended March 6, 2013).

ELECTIONS MANUAL (continued from page 19)

All eligible UTLA members will have the option to either vote by paper ballot or vote online for the UTLA officer and board elections. There are no coupons or other requirements. The paper ballot, mailed to your home, will include a unique PIN number and in-structions on how to vote online. If you chose to vote online, do not mail in the

paper ballot. If anyone has difficulty voting online, they should email [email protected]. The same options were offered in the last election cycle, and many members voted online.

Make sure UTLA has your address: Update your info online at www.utla.net/members/update-your-information.

UTLA elections: How online voting will work

Every year UTLA members amplify the concerns of our schools and com-munities by serving as delegates for our state and national affiliates. These positions are open to any current UTLA member and can be a powerful way to get more deeply involved in our union, flex your advocacy muscles on a broader level, and make a difference in education policy at the state and national level.

Opportunities for the 2019-20 school year include:

• CTA State Council (4 meetings a year)• NEA Representative Assembly in Atlanta July• AFT Convention in Houston in July

As the elections get closer, timelines and self-nomination forms will be posted online at www.utla.net/resources.

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Twitter: @utlanow

YouTube: youtube.com/UTLAnow

Get connected to UTLA

A New Deal for language learners.

Bilingual education issues

In 2016 almost three-quarters of Cali-fornia voters triggered a “new deal” for students. After a generation of repression under Prop. 227, which in effect outlawed bilingual education, all students now can access learning in two languages. This means that all students can choose lan-guage programs that lead to outcomes of increased cognitive development, higher academic achievement, greater access to college and careers, a connection to their own heritage, and accelerated socio-cultural awareness, all of which are supported by research. This major development dovetails with action by the LAUSD Board of Education, which passed a resolution in 2015 establishing “a commitment to biliteracy for all by 2032,” and the state’s Global 2030 initia-tive (created under then-Superintendent Tom Torlakson and now supported by Superintendent Tony Thurmond), making dual-language instruction an attainable goal for all California students.

Now comes UTLA’s New Deal for Public Education, which echoes the lan-guage resolutions of the district and the state:

Nurture the Whole Child: Our platform recognizes the affirming benefits of learn-ing in one’s own language and the benefits of being literate in more than one lan-guage. We, UTLA, recognize the need for an “increased investment in multilingual education.”

Respect Educators: “Pay educators

like professionals” is a critical element of UTLA’s New Deal. Dual-language educators bring resources to the class-room that nurture the whole child. The district should recognize this and honor the need for all DL instructors, both target language and ELA partners, to receive a differential in recognition of their addi-tional course work, special expertise, and the additional classroom work inherent in DL instruction.

Respect Students and Parents: Lan-guage rights are human rights. UTLA’s New Deal advocates respecting move-ments for social justice, such as ethnic studies, multilingual education, and increasing parent and student decision-making, which happens by exponentially increasing the number of dual-language classrooms and the parents’ right to choose them for their children.

Fight Privatization: By expanding the number of dual-language schools and increasing the number of dual-language teachers, we offer appealing options to parents who might be drawn to the charter school industry.

All this takes teachers, and teachers have the right to be compensated for the work. LAUSD is actively recruiting BLCAD teachers. There are almost 4,000 BCC/BCLAD teachers, but less than 1,000 are in positions that require the au-thorization. There are many thousands of teachers whose speak a language other than English, but are without the

authorization to teach in programs that require it. It is incumbent upon LAUSD to reach into their coffers and priori-tize programs and teachers who serve our students and pay them appropriately. Three years ago, 40 schools had dual-language programs. We will open this year with 182 (Spanish, Korean, Man-darin, Armenian, Arabic, and French). But to meet LAUSD’s promised resolu-tion, we need to increase by 60 schools per year.

Is the district prepared to do its part to get teachers in the programs that students deserve? Several school board members, their allies, and UTLA already agree with this notion. Let’s continue to exert pressure on the district to move in this direction. At the recent UTLA House of Representatives meeting, a motion to bring the issue of bilingual differen-tials to bargaining was overwhelmingly passed. Our members are on the right side of history.

Let’s continue this discussion at the Bilingual Ed Committee meeting on October 30 at 4 pm at the UTLA build-ing (Room 828).

—Cheryl Ortega Director of Bilingual Education

[email protected]

—Tomás FloresChair, UTLA Bilingual

Education [email protected]

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C O M M I T T E E E V E N T S

UTLA Asian-Pacific Committee

Sue Embrey 2019-2020 Community Activist Scholarship

Calling all LAUSD High School Seniors!

Sue Embrey, educator, activist and

author, lived by her principles of non-violence, self-determination

through unionization, social justice

for workers, teamwork, collaboration, and empowerment of

the disenfranchised. Sue Embrey is most recognized for

her work educating the public about

the injustices of the internment of

Japanese Americans during World

War II. In 1969, she helped to organize the first Manzanar Pilgrimage and also co-founded the

Manzanar Committee that worked to

gain designation of Manzanar as a

California State Historic Landmark

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Tell us about project you did to organize/change your school

community through activism and empowerment for a chance to

receive up to a $2000 scholarship. Scholarships will be awarded

to current high school seniors only.

Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2020 to:

United Teachers Los Angeles

Asian-Pacific Scholarship Committee

3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90010

To enter, we require the following:

___ 1. Completed Sue Embrey Community Activist Scholarship

Activist Form ___ 2. Chapter Chair Form (Submitted by Chapter Chair)

___ 3. Parent Release Form

___ 4. (2) letters of recommendation from your Teacher,

Director of Community Service Program, or High School

Counselor. At least one should be letter should be from a

current UTLA member.

___ 5. An 800 word, two-page essay: 300 words describing your

accomplishment and 500 words describing the specific

details of your project.

___ 6. Include photos with captions or a video/DVD of your

project. If you have any questions, contact the committee chair,

Anthony Lopez at [email protected]

ASIAN PACIFIC COMMITTEE’s Multicultural PD Conference featuring a:

BUS TRIP TO MANZANAR

Saturday, April 25, 2020 6 AM – 9:30 pm

(details below)

WORKSHOP SESSIONS (4): Saturday, March 14, 2020 7:30 am -2 pm

(includes light breakfast, lunch & instructional

materials) Monday, April 20, 2020 (pre-trip) 4:30 pm - 8 pm (Includes dinner, & instructional materials)

Saturday, April 25, 2020 6 am - 9:30 pm

(Includes snacks, lunch, dinner & instructional materials)

Saturday, May 9, 2020 7:30 am – 1:30 pm

(Includes light breakfast, lunch & instructional materials)

UTLA Headquarters 3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

2 blocks west of Vermont Ave. at Berendo. Parking structure is off Berendo

Asian Pacific Committee: 51st Pilgrimage

BUS TRIP TO MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

(Includes lunch/dinner, snacks, charter bus transportation, conference materials & point credit information)

Saturday, April 25, 2020 Time: 6 am – 9:30 pm

Bus pick up: UTLA Parking Lot or SE corner of Laurel Plaza

3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles @ Oxnard St, east of 170 frwy

*************************************************************************

Cost: $160.00 (2 salary points) Requirements: register on-line, *pay within 3 weeks, attend

all 4 sessions, complete homework

**There will be a $5 discount for those that pay in full by Dec 5th, 2019

or Always wanted to go but don’t need salary points?

Cost: $75 (Pilgrimage only, pre-trip session optional, but encouraged)

Enrollment: Min. 20 participants for salary points. Bus max: 40 participants.

*due to the cost of chartered bus and advance deposit, you are not officially enrolled until full payment is

received No refunds after April 13, 2020

How to Enroll: go to utla.net, put “2020 manzanar” in search, click “2020 Manzanar

Conference Registration | UTLA” scroll to “Registration”

Contacts: UTLA Asian Pacific Committee contact person: Jenny Lam at: [email protected]

Presenters: (Put “manzanar” in the subject bar) Diane Newell: [email protected] or text: 818 642-0981

Rosie Van Zyl: [email protected]

LAUSD Approved, two salary points available. Article 3.3 Multicultural Specific Conference.

Please Post

Save this date!

UTLA African American Education Committee Presents

the Forty-Seventh Annual Community Conference Saturday, February 8, 2020

7:30 AM to 4:30 PM

UTLA Building 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Room 815

Los Angeles, CA 90010

400 Years Since the First Enslaved Africans Arrived Reparations are Overdue

Continental Breakfast and Lunch

Early Registration before January 25, 2020 $20.00 Register on Saturday, February 8, 2020 $25.00 Parents free! Students free with ID!

For more information contact: UTLA Conference Secretary: Debbie Reid at UTLA (213) 368-6232


23

Report of the August 9 General Assembly Meeting.

By Susie ChowUTLA-Retired Secretary

President’s Report: UTLA-Retired Presi-dent John Perez spoke briefly about the improved changes in diversity, gradua-tion rate, drop-out rate, English Language Learners, gender equity, and curriculum. He thanked everyone for their contribu-tions during their careers in education.

He ended with a forecast of the 2020 po-litical landscape for school board elections. School board elections will now be held in even-numbered years. Four board seats will be up during the March presidential primary. UTLA will be running a slate campaign for four endorsed candidates: Jackie Goldberg, George McKenna, Scott Schmerelson, and Paty Castellanos. Voting “precincts” will be changed to 1,000 voting “locations,” and there will be 11 days of voting. Our health benefits will be on the line if the charter school people win back a majority on the school board. Please join PACE, our political action committee, if you haven’t done so.

UTLA/AFT Vice President Juan Ramirez also reiterated the importance of the school board races. He expressed his gratitude to UTLA-R for always answering the call from UTLA.

Treasurer’s report: UTLA-Retired Trea-surer Mike Dreebin reported that $30,587 of the initial allocation from UTLA of

$55,900 is left in the budget. Reimburse-ments are being processed.

Health benefits report: Loretta Toggen-burger reviewed a health benefits FAQ from the LAUSD Health Benefits Com-mittee on immunizations.

Membership and PACE reports: UTLA-Retired Vice President Cecelia Boskin reported that UTLA-R has 553 UTLA-R PACE members. It’s important to join PACE through a monthly CalSTRS de-duction contribution. However, annual checks, payable to PACE, can be mailed to Cecelia Boskin, 3547 Federal Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066.

Legislative report: Mary Rose Ortega, our legislative reporter, spoke about bills in Congress related to Social Security. She also reported on priority bills sponsored by the California Alliance for Retired Ameri-cans (CARA). Bonnie Coleman, CARA Southern CA community action team or-ganizer, gave information about a CARA fundraiser.

Guest speaker: Cameron Barrett, direc-tor of education for the community orga-nization My Safe: LA, and Chris Neville provided information about safety and disaster (wildfire, fire and earthquake) preparation for seniors.

Thank you to Emily Ettinger for organizing the plants for raffle and Tomas Junge and his committee of volunteers for the healthy brunch.

By John PerezUTLA-Retired President

UTLA-Retired Officers to be elected March 20, 2020: Your UTLA-Retired officers—president, vice president, sec-retary, and treasurer—will be elected at the March 20, 2020, General Assembly meeting at UTLA for a three-year term (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2023). By virtue of the UTLA Constitution, your president is a member of the UTLA Board of Directors. He or she is also a member of the UTLA House of Representatives, along with the 11 other House members that UTLA-R elects every two years, and together they ensure that your voice continues to be heard within UTLA. On this page you can find the timeline for the election as well as all the information you will need if you want to run for one of our four officer positions.

What’s at stake in 2020: The 2020 na-tional election and school board elec-tion will be critical for us as retirees. At the national level one critical issue is privatization. Ever since 1980 and President Reagan, there has been a counterattack against reforms like Social Security, the Elementary and Second-ary Education Act, and the Affordable Care Act. These reforms, which started with FDR and ended with Obama, made America a better place for seniors like us, our kids and grandkids, and people who had never had health insurance in their lives. But there are people, such as Donald Trump and Eli Broad, who want to privatize all public services so their wealthy friends can get rich off establishing private mail companies and privatizing schools. We can’t let that happen.

The Pew Research Center just pub-lished an article on how Americans view many government agencies. The most popular agency is the Post Office—90% of Americans view it and the services of our brothers and sisters who work to get us our mail every day favorably. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the least favor-ite government agency (54% unfavor-able), with the Department of Educa-

tion under Betsy DeVos the next least favorable at 48% unfavorable to 48% favorable. Under Obama the Depart-ment of Education was also not popular because while Obama was good on health care, his education secretaries were, like DeVos, supporters of the privatization of America’s schools. We need to defeat Trump and elect a presi-dent who understands that government services like the Post Office and our public schools must not be for sale to people like Eli Broad.

Our health benefits are at risk with school board elections: On the March 2020 primary ballot, four school board races will be up for grabs, and we need to win all four. UTLA has endorsed four good candidates, incumbents Jackie Goldberg, Scott Schmerelson, and George McKenna and LAUSD parent Paty Castellanos, who will be running for the seat in the Harbor district. Eli Broad and his bil-lionaire privatization friends will spend millions against us to win control of the school board. The privatization crowd is not interested in keeping your health benefits secure—they are ONLY interested in priva-tizing all public schools, and if that happens there will be NO LAUSD TO PAY FOR OUR EXCELLENT HEALTH BENEFITS! The three members elected with privatizer money—Monica Garcia, Nick Melvoin, and Kelly Gonez—are not up for reelec-tion. One more privatizer on the school board and there will be four votes to con-tinue the privatization of the LAUSD and to go after our health benefits when our contract expires on December 31, 2020.

Whether it is to defeat Trump or elect four good people to the LAUSD school board, we will need your help to make phone calls and walk precincts if you can. We will also need money to fight Eli Broad. It is better to donate $10 a month now to PACE, our political action commit-tee, than wait until the privatizers make us all pay $200 or more a month for our health benefits, which are now premium free. If you are not a PACE member, email me your name and address and we will get you a PACE card to sign up.

John can be reached at [email protected].

Retirees’ corner Note from the UTLA-R President

For UTLA-Retired President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer

Term of office: 2020-2023

December 1, 2019: Election time-line, rules, Declaration of Intent forms, and election announcement published/posted on the UTLA.net website (https://www.utla.net/members/utla-retired-committee) and in an email message sent to all UTLA-Retired members in the UTLA-Retired Email Messenger mailing list as of this date. Election forms will also be available by contacting Tara Thomas on the 12th floor at UTLA. The Intent to Run form will remain available on utla.net until the filing deadline date.

January 17, 2020: Declaration of Intent to Run forms for UTLA-R Of-ficers must be submitted to Tara Thomas on the 12th Floor at UTLA no later than 10 a.m. All candidates for office must have been a UTLA-R member as of June 1, 2019.

January 30, 2020: Candidate state-ments and photos for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer for publication/posting on the UTLA website must be submitted to Tara Thomas at UTLA by 3:30 p.m. All candidate-submitted photos and state-ments will be used for posting in both the general election and run-off election (if needed).

February 20, 2020: Candidate state-ments and photos and election time-line published/posted on UTLA.net

website and in an email message sent to UTLA Retired members listed in the current mail list for the UTLA-Retired Email Messenger.

March 20, 2020: All candidates and Campaign Committees incurring expenses must document them and submit their Candidate Financial Disclo-sure Report to Tara Thomas on the 12th Floor at UTLA no later than 10 a.m. If no election campaign expenses are incurred, a signed report form stating that fact should be filed.

March 20, 2020: Voting by secret ballot will take place at the UTLA-R General Assembly meeting from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. UTLA-R membership as of March 10, 2020, is required to be eligible to vote in this election.

May 15, 2020: All Candidates and Campaign Committees involved in run-off elections incurring expenses must submit their Candidate Financial Disclosure Report that covers the period of the run-off election campaign to Tara Thomas on the 12th Floor at UTLA no later than 10 a.m. If no election cam-paign expenses are incurred, a signed report form stating that fact should be filed.

May 15, 2020: Run-off election(s) (if needed) with voting by secret ballot will take place at the UTLA-R General Assembly meeting from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. UTLA-R membership as of March 10, 2020, is required to be eligible to vote in this election.

UTLA-Retired election timeline

UTLA meeting boardUpcoming meetings

OCTOBER 30The following committees meet on the

same day as the House of Representatives from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (unless noted) in the UTLA building: Arts Education Com-mittee, Asian-Pacific Education, Bilingual Education Committee, Chicano/Latino Education, Gay & Lesbian Issues, Health & Human Services, Human Rights, Inner City, Instructional Coaches, Kindergarten Teachers, Library Professionals (4:45-6 p.m.), Middle Schools, Multi-Track/Year-Round Schools, Non-Classroom/Non-School Site, Options Committee, Physical Education Action and Dance, Professional Rights & Responsibilities, Pre-Retirement Issues, Salary & Finance, School/Com-munity Relations, School Readiness Lan-

guage Development Program, Secondary School Counselors, Special Education, Substitutes, Violence Prevention & School Safety, Women’s Education.

NOVEMBER 13 UTLA Area Meetings: See times and loca-

tions at utla.net.

NOVEMBER 20Elementary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA

building.Secondary Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA

building.African-American Education Committee:

4 p.m., UTLA building.PACE Committee: 6:30 p.m., UTLA building.Capably Disabled Committee: 4 p.m.,

UTLA building.Tech Committee: 4 p.m., UTLA building.


24

Name ________________________________________________________ Emp.#_____________

Address _________________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________________ State________ Zip___________

Phone ( )_______________________________Retirement Date:______________ / ________

School/Retiring Site _______________________________________________________________

Email address (non-LAUSD)________________________________________________________

(month) (year)

FORMAL INVITATION REQUEST FORM Limited Seating. Reservations Required

RetirementDinnerDance

UTLA honors and respects

the many years you have given to your profession and our students and

invites you to celebrate at the 2020

Saturday, May 16, 2020Luminarias

If you are retiring between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, request a formal invitation online at

www.utla.net/events/2020-retirement-dinner-dance or complete coupon below and mail before April 3, 2020,

to UTLA, Attn: Rosa Beasley, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. For more

information, contact Rosa Beasley at [email protected]

All UTLA members are encouraged to attend a preretirement workshop at least three times during their career in order to plan for retirement security: early in their career, again just prior to age 50, and one year prior to retirement.

CalSTRS (the California State Teachers’ Retirement System) and the dis-trict are sponsoring a series of preretirement workshops for this school year. Information will be provided regarding the calculation of retirement allow-ance, LAUSD 457(b) supplemental savings plan, post-retirement information, and more. Time will be provided at the end of the workshop presentation for questions and answers. See reservation information below. The workshops are individual meetings (not a series).

October 17, 2019 (Thursday) Meyler Elementary (Auditorium) 1123 W. 223rd St Torrance CA 90502

October 31, 2019 (Thursday) Mountain View Elementary (Auditorium) 6410 Olcott St. Tujunga, CA 91042

November 14, 2019 (Thursday) Manhattan Elementary (Auditorium) 1850 West 96th Street Los Angeles, CA 90047

November 21, 2019 (Thursday) Poly SH (Cafetorium/Multipurpose Rm) 12431 Roscoe Boulevard Sun Valley, CA 91352

December 5, 2019 (Thursday) Kingsley Elementary (Auditorium) 5200 W. Virginia Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029

January 16, 2020 (Thursday) San Fernando Elementary (Auditorium) 1130 Mott St. San Fernando CA 91340

STRS preretirement workshopsFree workshops are open to all CalSTRS members.

Dates and locationsAll workshops are from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

How to register: CalSTRS is asking that you register for the workshop you wish to attend through their website: http://resources.calstrs.com/workshop_registration/index.aspx.

and get your message hand delivered to

37,000educators!

For more information, contact: Cherri Senders, President

Senders Communications Group

(818) 884-8966, ext. 1104 | [email protected]

Advertise in


25

A motion passed by the UTLA House of Representatives calls for a report to be pub-lished in the UNITED TEACHER that lists all union-paid travel by UTLA officers and direc-tors outside of Los Angeles County. Below are the travel expenses incurred from June 2018 to November 2018, with an explanation as to how the travel relates to UTLA business.

NEA-RA Convention in MinneapolisThe following officers and board attendees

were reimbursed the standard $2,000 or less (higher amounts due to additional responsibil-ities): Lucia Arias, Alex Caputo-Pearl, Wendi Davis, Kelly Flores, Arlene Inouye, Georgia Flowers Lee, Ingrid Gunnell, Teri Harnik, Gloria Martinez, Cynthia Matthews, Jennifer McAfee, Maria Miranda, Cecily Myart-Cruz ($3,135), Juan Ramirez ($2,547), Elgin Scott, Steve Seal, Adrian Tamayo, Yolanda Tamayo, and Stacie Webster.

Purpose: To join delegates from across the country in debating on motions and setting policy for the NEA, one of UTLA’s national affiliates.

Trinational Conference in Mexico City

Attended by Kelly Flores ($520.44)Purpose: To advance the defense of public

education with leaders from Canada, the US, and Mexico.

AFT Convention in PittsburghThe following officers and Board at-

tendees were reimbursed the standard $1,600 or less: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Ingrid Gunnell, Arlene Inouye, Matthew Kogan, Gloria Martinez, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Alex Orozco, Juan Ramirez, Adrian Tamayo, Yolanda Tamayo, Karen Ticer Leon, and Julie Van Winkle.

Purpose: To join delegates from across the country in setting policy for the AFT, one of UTLA’s national affiliates.

California Labor Fed in Costa MesaAttended by Ingrid Gunnell ($289).Purpose: To represent UTLA at the Califor-

nia Labor Federation.

California Alliance for Community Schools meeting in San Jose

Attended by Alex Caputo-Pearl ($592)and L. Cynthia Matthews ($399)

Purpose: To represent UTLA on this critical coalition of local teacher unions and commu-nity groups.

SDEA Labor-Community Privatization Conference in San Diego

Attended by Daniel Barnhart ($88)Purpose: To network with other unions on

privatization issues impacting workers and public education.

National Council of Urban Education Associations Conferences in Minneapolis and Des Moines

Attended by Elgin Scott ($1,210 and $873)Purpose: To set policy for urban councils

for the year.

Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools meeting in Boston

Attended by Alex Caputo-Pearl ($1,338)Purpose: To plan coordinated national

actions to fight privatization.

AFT Meeting in DCAttended by Alex Caputo-Pearl ($1,476)Purpose: To coordinate strategy with AFT

President Randi Weingarten

Officer and board travel report

1. Publication Title: United Teacher2. Publication number: 0745-41633. Filing Date: September 26, 20194. Issue Frequency: Five times a year in October,

January, March, May, and August 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 56. Annual Subscription Price: $207. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Pub-

lication: 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704; Contact Person: Kim Turner (213) 368-6252

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: United Teachers Los Angeles, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704; Editor: Kim Turner, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704; Managing Editor: Alex Caputo-Pearl, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704

10. Owner: United Teachers Los Angeles, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010-1704

11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securi-ties: None

12. Tax Status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months.

13. Publication Title: United Teacher14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: August

16, 2019 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

Average No. of Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 months

a. Total Number of Copies: 37,000b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)(1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions

Stated on PS Form 3541: 3,156(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on

PS Form 3541: 32,469(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including

Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®: 0

(4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®): 0

c. Total Paid Distribution: 35,625d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and

Outside the Mail)(1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies

included on PS Form 3541: 0(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Includ-

ed on PS Form 3541: 0(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other

Classes Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail): 15

(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means): 20

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 35f. Total Distribution: 35,660g. Copies not Distributed: 1,340h. Total: 37,000i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation:

99%

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total Number of Copies: 37,000b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)(1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions

Stated on PS Form 3541: 3,097(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated

on PS Form 3541: 32,229(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including

Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®: 0

(4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®): 0

c. Total Paid Distribution: 35,326d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and

Outside the Mail)(1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies

included on PS Form 3541: 0(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies In-

cluded on PS Form 3541: 0(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other

Classes Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail): 20

(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means): 25

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 45f. Total Distribution: 35,371g. Copies not Distributed: 1,629h. Total: 37,000i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 99%16. Total circulation includes electronic copies:

No.17. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Pub-

lication Required. Will be printed in the October 18, 2019, issue of this publication.

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Busi-ness Manager or Owner. Name and Title of Person Signing Form. Kim Turner, Editor, 9-26-19

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (in-cluding civil penalties).

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

National Teacher Movement meeting in Oakland

Attended by Arlene Inouye ($490).Purpose: To share lessons from UTLA’s

2019 strike and strengthen the national teacher movement.

California Labor Fed Executive Council

Attended by Juan Ramirez ($199)Purpose: To represent UTLA on the Labor

Fed’s Executive Council.

Schools & Communities First Strategy Session in Oakland

Attended by Juan Ramirez ($266)Purpose: To strategize passage of funding

measure with community allies.

Co-location protest in Dana PointAttended by Gloria Martinez and a

group of members ($538)Purpose: To protest LAUSD Board member

Nick Melvoin’s private retreat for charter operators.

CFT Committee Meeting in San Jose

Attended by Juan Ramirez ($162)Purpose: To strategize on CFT’s priorities.

Network for Public Education Conference in Indianapolis

Attended by Alex Orozco ($2,469)Purpose: To access strategies and research

on fighting privatization and supporting public education.

& Orthodontics


26

UTLA CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIED AND DISPLAY AD POLICY: UNITED TEACHER will not accept ads for legal services in the areas of worker’s compensation or personal injury; nor

advertising for tobacco or alcoholic beverages; nor advertising deemed misleading or offensive to members; nor advertising inconsistent with the programs and

purposes of United Teachers Los Angeles.

BOOKS

California Missions, Secondary Teaching Techniques,

Stories, Computers, Quit Smoking: PaulRallion.com.

FREE SPECIAL ED MATERIALS

Recently retired special education teachers is look-

ing for a first-year LAUD special education teacher

to donate his materials: everything a special teach-

er could need, including Lakeshore book racks and

tons of manipulatives, supplies, educational books,

etc. This must be your fist job with LA and you may

feel like you are in over your head. Email canuck-

[email protected] and write why you are the perfect

candidate for these materials.

GREEN ENERGY

We all know that we should buy renewable energy,

but most of us don’t know how or where. I (LAUSD

teacher) have made it my passion to introduce peo-

ple to a fantastic green energy company: Xoom En-

ergy. It’s the largest private green energy company

in the country with a 25-year track record and an A+

BBB rating. Go to: goodstewards.acnibo.com (You

should see my picture top right.) Select: Services

(Residential) Gas & Electricity, Check availability

with your ZIP Code. (See your rates.) See Featured

Plans. TruEco is the 100% green energy product.

Read the explanation behind “Details.” Choose

“TruEco” and fill out application to switch. (Use cur-

rent bill for.) Your current gas company still delivers

the gas, you just buy it from another source. Thank

you for your care of the earth!

SEEKING FOSTER FAMILIES

Free to Be Programs is a state-licensed 201(c)

(3) agency established in 1984 that provides

foster parents and services for developmentally

disabled children, adolescents, and adults. De-

velopmental disabilities include autism, Down

Syndrome, and other cognitive disabilities. FTBP

currently seeks foster and support families for

developmentally disabled children, adolescents,

and adults. Foster and support families receive a

stipend that averages $2,400 tax free per month.

Please call for more information, 818-439-3309.

www.ftbp.org.

LAUSD JOB SHARE

Looking for a job-share partner for any Special

Education position in any region. I can come to

your school to share your Special Education posi-

tion. Work 2-3 days per week or half of the days

in the month (approximately 10 days per month).

Please text or email me if you are interested or

for more information. S. Bhatia: 310-344-2109 or

[email protected].

I am a hardworking, personable 3rd grade teach-

er, with experience in TK-2, looking to job share

at your elementary school. I taught at one school

for 8 years, then started job-sharing in the 2018-

2019 school year. I am currently still job sharing,

but need a new partner for 2020 and beyond. My

current partner is returning to full-time. Classroom

management is a strong area for me; my partner

should be structured but friendly, as well. Punctual-

ity is also very important. I am looking for someone

whose principal has already approved them to job

share. Job sharing at my location is, unfortunately,

not an option. I will work M-F morning shift, I am

hoping to job share, with you, beginning in the Fall

of 2020-2021 school year and beyond. This is a

long- term arrangement for me, and must be for

you, too. I would prefer to work at a school very

near Northridge, Burbank, or Glendale areas. If in-

terested please get in touch ASAP. Hoping to speak

with you soon! 818-939-8498.

How To Place Your UT Classified Ad Job share & LAUSD employment ads are FREE

Print your ad from your computer or use a typewriter. Count the number of words in your ad. Area code and telephone number count as one word. Email and web address count as one word. Street address counts as one word. City and state, including zip code, count as one word. Abbreviations and numbers are considered words and are charged in-dividually. The classified ad rate is $1.50 per word for each time your ad runs (there is no charge for LAUSD job share/employment available ads). Multiply the number of words in your ad by $1.50. This is the cost for running your ad one time in UNITED TEACHER. If you’re running your ad in more than one issue, multiply the one-time total by the num-ber of issues you wish the ad to appear. We have a ten word minimum ($15.00). All ads are payable in advance by check or money order. Please make check payable to UTLA. The deadline to receive your classified ad at the UTLA Communications Dept. is noon on the Monday that falls two weeks prior to the publication date. Any questions? Call 213-637-5173 or email Laura Aldana at [email protected]. Mail ad and payment to Classifieds, UNITED TEACHER, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

CLASSIFIED AD COPY FOR UNITED TEACHER PUBLISHING

_____ March 27 (due date: March 9) _____ May 8 (due date: April 20)

Name:

Street Address:

City: State: ZIP:

Ad Copy: Attach your typed copy to this form or print clearly here:

Total number of words: _____ @ $1.50 = $_________ per run date

Number of run dates ____ X $____ each run date = $_______

No credits or refunds on canceled ads.

Mail with payment to UNITED TEACHER Classifieds, UTLA, 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

Ads may also be dropped off at this address.


27

U N I T E D T E A C H E R

GRAPEVINEEducator Night at the Pacific Asia Museum

K-12 educators are invited to a special evening at the Pacific Asia Museum on Thursday, November 14, featuring hands-on activities and gallery conversations. Explore the exhibition “Following the Box” and discover how artists respond to archival images to make personal con-nections and build intercultural under-standing. Learn to use works of art to teach critical thinking and analysis skills and participate in a hands-on artmaking activity you can replicate in the class-room. Enjoy an evening with colleagues that will include a curriculum packet, light refreshments, a store discount, and complimentary parking. The event is free for K-12 teachers. Session runs from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the USC Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasade-na). Space is limited, RSVP required. RSVP at http://bit.ly/2Lfihqy. For more info, contact [email protected].

Salary point class on Southwestern Heritage in November

Teachers/support staff of all sub-jects and levels are welcome to enroll in “Southwestern Heritage” for two units of salary point credit. The class will visit

the Autry Museum of Western Heri-tage, the Will Rogers Residence, and the Southwestern Museum and learn about the cultural heritage of South-ern California. We will also share and practice some of the most effective classroom strategies for engaging students. Past participants have said how much they enjoy visiting enriching sites with other teachers and getting to know fellow educators from various LAUSD schools. This class takes place on November 9, 16, and 23, and De-cember 7 (all Saturdays). The cost is $175 prepaid, or $185 on the first day. To find out more information, please visit www.en4educat.com, call/text Larry Carstens 818-645-4259, or email [email protected].

Salary point class on cultural competency

“Valuing Difference” is an interactive seminar on cultural diversity, family history, media and societal impacts, and effective communications. The salary point workshop covers the im-portant role your own culture plays in day-to-day interactions and includes interactive exercises in which partic-ipants review various issues from a

variety of viewpoints. The next session is November 23 and 24 (Saturday and Sunday). The fee is $100. Location: 8339 W. Third Street, L.A., CA 90048. One multicultural salary point available. For more information or to register, call Kari Bower at 323-653-3332 or email [email protected].

Online salary point course on building healthy relationships

“Creating a Conducive Environment through Building Healthy Relation-ships” is a three-salary-point course from Education4Equity. This course can lift classroom relationships to a higher plane by helping you build trust between you and your students. E4E courses are LAUSD-approved and re-search-based to provide actionable steps to promote equity and excel-lence in your classroom. All courses are 100% online and can be taken any-where, with six months to complete coursework or up to one year if you enroll in three or more classes. Gradu-ate credits also available. To find out more, visit www.education4equity.com.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is accepting School Group Reservations for Spring 2020

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a museum that celebrates the history, culture, and contributions of Mexican and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles. Education programs include guided school tours and art workshops and a garden and culinary program. LA Plaza provides the opportunity for schools and organizations that are Title I-funded to apply for a Bus Scholar-ship Award. If granted, LA Plaza will book and pay for bus transporta-tion. To provide equal opportunity to all educators throughout Los Angeles County, priority will be given to

educators applying to this opportunity for the first time. Transportation assistance is offered on a first-come, first-served basis as funds are limited. Reservations are available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit the website www.lapca.org.

Evenings for Educators at LACMA in December

For more than 30 years LACMA’s Eve-nings for Educators program has pro-vided K-12 teachers with opportunities to talk about, discover, and create works of art. In the 2019–20 season, programs will take place over eight Tuesdays, from October to April. As in previous years, there will be four themes, but this year each theme will be offered on two dates to create greater flexibility and enhance the intimacy of each program. Join us in December for “Nature in Art” to learn about artists who incorporate the natural world in their work. Artists often reveal the different ways humans relate to, and learn from, nature. We will consider indoor and outdoor artworks, ranging from photographs to large scale installations, that inspire curiosity and wonder about the natural world and our place in it. Teachers enjoy compli-mentary parking and dinner as well as a thematic curriculum packet contain-ing discussions of individual artworks, image reproductions, and lesson plans. Two sessions: December 3 and December 10 (each from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 when purchased the day of the event. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.lacma.org/education/teachers. If you have additional ques-tions, please call 323-857-6093 or email [email protected].

Salary point class on autism & Asperger’s Disorder

Virtual Education Software’s “Autism & Asperger’s Disorder” is designed to help educators achieve a better understanding of these dis-orders to provide intervention strate-gies to enhance communication and learning and to provide methods for teaching more conventional behaviors. The course provides information on characteristics of the disorder, learn-ing styles associated with the disor-der, communication weaknesses, and various intervention strategies that have proven to be successful when working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The online course helps educators comprehend why individuals with ASD act the way they do, and what education person-nel can do to elicit more appropriate behavior. Two salary points available for $160. For more course and registra-tion information visit www.virtuale-duc.com/lausd.

Advancement Opportunities: Want to Become a K-12 Administrator?

The Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, California State University, Northridge is

pleased to announce the next cohorts of its program for the attainment of the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) and Masters’ Degree in Educational Administration starting SPRING 2020. Classes begin the

week of January 21, 2020. Public, Private, and Charter School Educators are All Welcome!

Please Join Us at One of Our Upcoming Informational Meetings:

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY LAUSD - LD Northwest Administrative Office – A Wednesday Night Cohort

6621 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa, CA 91406 Info Meeting: 4:00 PM on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Meeting Room: September 25th - Conference Room K, adjacent to front parking lot. October 16th - Conference Room North, adjacent to north parking area.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD

James Madison Middle School – A Monday Night Cohort 13000 Hart St., North Hollywood, CA 91605 Info Meeting: Monday, October 14, 2019 Meeting Room: Staff Lounge located near the front entrance of the school.

LOS ANGELES John Burroughs Middle School – A Thursday Night Cohort

600 S. McCadden Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90005 Info Meeting: 4:00 PM on Thursday, October 17, 2019 Meeting Room: Classroom 126, turn into school driveway off 6th St., parking adjacent to room

Please visit our website at http://www.csun.edu/education/elps. For additional information, please contact

[email protected], or call the ELPS Office at CSUN (818) 677-2591.

ESTATE PLANNINGWant to avoid probate?Seeking peace of mind?

Don’t do it yourself. Let a fellow teacher be your lawyer. Sheila Bayne is a full time

teacher with LAUSD and has been an active member of the California Bar for over 30 years.

Complete Estate Planning Package: n Living Trust n Living Will/Advance Health Care Directives n Power of Attorney

n Trust Transfer Deeds n Pour-over Will and supporting documents n Personal consultation

Discount for UTLA Members:

$750(Joint trust for spouses: $ 1095)

Also: n Probate n ConservatorshipsCONTACT THE LAW OFFICES OF SHEILA BAYNE

at 310-435-8710or e-mail: [email protected]

State Bar #123801








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Federally Insured by NCUA.

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Intro APR1

%0Visa® credit cards as low as

for six billing cycles1

APPLY FOR A VISA® REWARDS CARD TODAY

Feel good about your holiday shopping this year—get rewards with every purchase using your VISA® Rewards credit card. You'll earn one point for every $1 spent plus generous benefits.

To learn more, visit our website at ccu.com/creditcards, or call us at (800) 334-8788

VISA® REWARDS CARD• No annual fee1

• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent• Generous rewards with cash back options• 1,000 bonus points with your first purchase

1APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Offers subject to change. The introductory APR will apply to purchases and balance transfers made during the first six billing cycles commencing on the date of account opening, and will end upon the start of the seventh billing cycle. Beginning with the seventh billing cycle, the APR will vary based on The Wall Street Journal Prime Rate. Introductory and Post Promotional APR will be based on your creditworthiness. As of September 19, 2019, the post-promotional rate would have been 11.90%-18.00% APR for the Platinum card and 12.90%-18.00% APR for the Rewards card. No annual fee. The balance transfer fee is 2% and the minimum transfer is $500. There is a cash advance fee of 3% or $10, whichever is greater, and a Foreign Transaction fee of 1%. All credit cards subject to credit approval. Offers subject to change.

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Documents

Reclaim the School Board: Elect Defenders of Public Ed · 2020. 1. 6. · Award-Winning Newspaper of United Teachers Los Angeles • Volume XLIX, Number 1, October 18, 2019 Reclaim