Thomas Chung

Copy Editor

   After more than 32,000 unionized members of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) striked for the first time in 30 years, an agreement has been reached with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

   A six percent pay raise for teachers, a commitment to hiring 150 full-time school nurses, a cap of 39 students for secondary English and math classes, an additional two-student class size reduction for “high needs” elementary and middle schools, and a requirement that the district designate and fund 20 community schools are among the many stipulations found in the LAUSD-UTLA agreement.

   “This is a good agreement. This a historic agreement,” stated Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti. “It’s time for a new day in public education in Los Angeles. That new day begins now. This is not the end, this is the beginning of making sure that LA gets the schools they deserve.

  Although UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl states that a vast supermajority of union members voted yes to end the strike, some union members believe that the agreement doesn’t go far enough, specifically in regards to the issue of charter school regulation.  

  “The fact that our strike failed to significantly challenge charter schools is a shame. What good are the gains we’ve made if our schools won’t even exist in the near future,” stated Honest Chung, a teacher at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. “I’m disappointed that the union leadership sold this contract as a victory, but I’m also optimistic that we can challenge future attacks due to the strength of our union members and their ability to fight.

     Superintendent of LAUSD and former millionaire investment banker Austin Beutner states that he is delighted that a deal was reached, but alludes to possible financial challenges the district may face in the future.

     “The issue has always been: How do we pay for it? That issue does not go away now that we have a contract. We can’t solve 40 years of underinvestment in public education in just one week or just one contract,” stated Beutner.

    CBS Los Angeles reports that the strike cost LAUSD $151 million, partially due to student attendance dropping as low as 84,160 over the course of six days. Student activists that joined their teachers on the picket lines outside of their schools believe that the benefits of the strike outweighed the costs.

   “As an individual who has been an LAUSD student for about 12 years, I know that these changes are vital to having a great education,” said Eagle Rock High School senior Julia Lau. “I am so lucky to have dedicated teachers who fought for us in the rain to provide [those changes] for us.”