3.19.22.

CHECK YOUR NON-LAUSD EMAIL FOR A LINK TO VOTE!

Cast your ratification vote on the Tentative Agreement reached with the district on Covid-19 testing & masking protocols by Monday (3/21) at 7pm.

We have reached a Tentative Agreement with the district covering COVID-19 testing and masking protocols. Some of the provisions in the agreement are:

• Continued weekly testing for all staff and students through the end of the instructional year for students and the end of the work year for staff
  

• Continued indoor masking requirement for staff and students in EECs and all programs for students 4 years old and younger
  

• Optional indoor masking for all staff and students in ETK-12 or adult education programs on elementary, secondary, and adult education campuses or for staff working in non-school locations
  

• District will provide masks, including KN95 or N95 masks, to any employee upon request
  

• District will provide take-home rapid-antigen tests for all school-based staff and students prior to the beginning of the 2022 Spring Break
  

• District is obligated to consistently encourage indoor masking for all staff and students
  

• Obligation to meet and consult upon the request of either party over COVID-19 data that may require policy or protocol changes

Read the Tentative Agreement linked below and be sure to cast your vote on this important issue.

3.19.22

FAQ on Tentative Agreement

Is there going to be weekly testing for the rest of the school year?

Yes, we won weekly PCR testing for all staff and students through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The district initially had wanted to stop the regular testing program. The member poll taken last week showed overwhelming support for continued testing, so this was our top priority in bargaining.

Is the indoor mask requirement lifted for all staff and students?

Staff and students in ETK-12 programs and Adult Education programs will no longer be required to wear masks in schools. Additionally, staff working at non-school locations will no longer be required to wear masks. However, we were able to win continued indoor masking as a requirement for staff and students at Early Education Centers and for programs serving only students 4 years old or younger, which doesn’t include ETK since 4-year-old students in that program turn 5 during the school year.

Why doesn’t the new agreement say that masks are still required in EECs and programs for other early learners?

The new agreement only covers changes to the provisions of the UTLA-LAUSD Reopener Agreement we won last September. Since the new agreement only addresses changes to the indoor masking requirement in ETK-12, adult education, and non-school environments, all other staff and students are still covered by the September agreement, which requires indoor masking. That means required masking continues for staff and students in EECs and other early learner programs.

Why did we agree to these changes if the UTLA poll showed that a majority of members support the masking requirement?

We fought to keep the current masking requirement for all staff and students but were only able to win it for the Early Education Centers and other early learner programs. This was our other top priority in bargaining, in addition to testing, because the younger students are not yet eligible for vaccination. We ultimately agreed to the broader masking changes because such a compromise was the only way we could win continuation of the weekly testing program for the rest of the current school year.

What happens if this agreement is not ratified?

We believe the superintendent would change the masking requirement unilaterally at that point, and we won’t have a contractual agreement to ensure continued testing or to ensure masking for EECs and other early learner programs. We would demand that the district continue bargaining, but they would have little incentive to compromise again on the issues we’ve won because they would likely have already implemented the new masking policies. UTLA members would have to collectively decide what type of action a strong majority would be willing to take to pressure the district.

3.17.22.

UPDATE: COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocol Negotiations with LAUSD and Member Poll Results

We are bargaining with LAUSD over their proposals to change the current protocols for indoor masking and weekly COVID-19 testing. No agreement has been reached, but we are meeting again with the district today.

Our goal is to reach an agreement that protects the testing program through the end of the school year and maintains masking in our schools with the most vulnerable children and lowest vaccination levels.

More than 18,500 members participated in an online poll from March 13 - 14 on the following questions:

On whether to end the weekly testing requirement:

76% support keeping the requirement

24% support ending the requirement

On whether to end the indoor mask requirement:

58% support keeping the requirement

42% support ending the requirement

UTLA met with LAUSD yesterday and exchanged the following proposals.

UTLA Proposal

• Continued weekly PCR testing requirement for all staff and students through June 30

• Optional indoor masking for schools with at least 75% of staff and students (total) who are fully vaccinated, effective March 28

• Required indoor masking for schools with less than 75% of staff and students (total) who are fully vaccinated

• Weekly email from LAUSD Superintendent to staff, students, and parent/guardians reporting the previous week’s COVID-19 positivity rates in LAUSD and encouraging everybody to wear masks indoors

• Obligation for the parties to meet and consult over the possible need to reimplement the indoor masking requirement If positivity rates derived from the district testing program increase for two consecutive weeks

LAUSD Proposal

• Ending the indoor masking requirement March 18

• Providing of masks, including KN95 and N95 masks, to any employee upon request

• Continued weekly PCR testing requirement for all staff and students at early education centers and elementary schools through the last day of their instructional year

• Continued weekly PCR testing requirement for all staff and students at secondary schools through April 29

• Required antigen baseline testing for all staff and students before returning from spring break

• Obligation for the parties to meet and consult upon the request of either party to review COVID-19 data and potential policy changes

3.13.22.

ATTN: UTLA MEMBERS

Critical COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocol poll launches tomorrow at 7 PM and ends Monday at 11 PM. Check your email.

LAUSD has proposed changes (below) to the current COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place at our schools.

In response to the request to bargain, we met with the district yesterday for an initial discussion.

The district’s made the following proposals:

• making indoor masking optional for staff and students effective March 14

• ending weekly testing requirements for secondary staff and students effective April 1

• ending weekly testing requirements for elementary staff and students effective April 29

• baseline antigen testing after spring break

The district is not lifting the indoor masking requirement at this point because we don’t have a bargaining agreement. A follow-up session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, and we want to hear from you.

Your feedback on these issues is important.

Check your email tomorrow at 7 PM to take a short poll to let us know how you feel about these changes.

03.12.22.

LAUSD wants to loosen masking and testing protocols

In response to an LAUSD request to bargain, we met with the district today for an initial discussion over health and safety protocols in LAUSD schools.

The district made a proposal that included making indoor masking optional for staff and students effective March 14, ending mandatory weekly testing for secondary staff and students effective April 1, and ending mandatory weekly testing for elementary staff and students effective April 29.

We did not provide a counterproposal today, but a follow-up session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16. Our September 2021 bargaining agreement with the district requires bargaining over any changes to the current indoor masking requirement.

LAUSD budget update: Record-setting $2.5 billion-plus in reserves

This week, the LAUSD School Board approved the second interim budget with the highest level of reserves in its history: well over $2.5 billion by the end of this school year.

The record-setting surplus paves the way for a new path — a path for investment in Los Angeles public education and communities. LA educators voted 96% Yes to unite behind the Beyond Recovery Platform, a roadmap to deliver on both immediate necessities and long-term structural improvements that educators, families, and community have said they and their students need to recover from the pandemic and thrive beyond it. That path includes significant improvements to pay and working conditions to attract and retain educators amid historic staffing shortages.

Now that our democratically developed bargaining goals in the Beyond Recovery platform have been approved, we shift toward the next phase: Turning those goals into formal contract proposals and building the campaign of collective action that it will take to achieve them.

March 15 deadline for Virtual Academy educators

Teachers currently assigned to the LAUSD Virtual Academy must decide by Tuesday, March 15, whether they wish to return to their former school or continue teaching in the Virtual Academy for the 2022-23 school year. We are awaiting the district’s guidelines for teachers who are not currently teaching in the Virtual Academies but are interested in applying for the 2022-23 school year.

Teachers wishing to return to their previous school must have received their first dose of vaccine, must fill out the district form, and must contact the principal of their former school to inform them that they wish to return — all by Tuesday, March 15.

Teachers wishing to continue in the Virtual Academy must complete the district form by Tuesday, March 15.

Teachers currently working remotely with a Reasonable Accommodation must renew their RA.

• To renew your RA for sincerely held religious beliefs, you must fill out the district form by March 15.

• For a continuation of an accommodation based on a medical condition or disability, email disabilitymanagement@lausd.net and include a statement of the requested accommodation and supporting documentation indicating that there is a medical basis for your request. You must submit your request and all supporting medical information by March 31.

Contact your administrator ASAP if you need any of the forms referenced above

02.25.22.

COVID protocols: No changes to indoor masking or testing

LAUSD implemented an optional masking policy for outdoors this week in response to the LA County Department of Public Health’s decision to lift the mask mandate in outdoor settings. However, the indoor masking mandate for students and employees will remain in place. Any changes to the indoor masking mandate must be negotiated with UTLA.

Additionally, the district announced it will continue the weekly COVID testing program at this point, but may move to alter or reduce the program if COVID positivity rates continue to decrease.

LAUSD schools have been the safest and most well-equipped in the country because educators and families united to demand critical health and safety protocols. These protocols, including the current testing regimen, have protected tens of thousands of educators and more than half a million students, along with their families. It is premature to discuss removing these health and safety measures while there are still many unvaccinated youths in our early education programs and schools.

A new poll shows broad support for school-based safety protocols. Nearly two-thirds of California voters, including a majority of parents, support mask and vaccine mandates in K-12 schools. A significant number of Latino and Black parents — populations hit hardest by the pandemic — are concerned about COVID safety in schools, underscoring the need to move cautiously before making changes to health and safety protocols.

01.12.22.

Safety updates

MASKING: The state has moved recently to lift some masking requirements, and LA County has signaled that it may do so soon. Per our agreement with LAUSD, any changes on masking this school year must be negotiated. Masking for staff and students has been a key element of the strategy to keep our schools and communities safe and protect our youngest students, who are unable to be vaccinated at this time. COVID positivity rates are on the decline, but it would be premature to stop all masking at school sites while the virus is still widespread in our communities.

COVID SICK DAYS: This month, lawmakers passed legislation (SB 114) providing up to 80 hours of supplemental COVID paid sick leave for most workers, a benefit that had expired September 21, 2021.

UTLA members, under our June 2021 Sideletter, Section VI-B, are already covered for paid COVID leave days (as many days as needed when required to isolate at home after a positive COVID test) for themselves. The state supplemental COVID paid sick leave also covers employees unable to work because they are caring for a family member who is required to isolate. Read more info on this CTA Fact Sheet.

TESTING: Regular COVID testing of students and staff will continue through the end of February. We are advocating that the testing continue. Like masking, regular testing has been a key to keeping our schools and communities safe.

01.26.22.

FAQs on new close contact protocols, student masks & more

We will continue updating our FAQ on a regular basis.

Has weekly COVID testing been extended?

Yes. Because of the ongoing surge, UTLA called on LAUSD to extend weekly testing of all students and staff through February. LAUSD has agreed to do so. We will demand that the program be extended further if cases continue to surge. Anyone who has had a positive COVID-19 test in the previous 90 days is exempt from the weekly, in-school PCR testing.

What are LAUSD’s updated guidelines regarding TK-12 close contacts exposed at school?

LAUSD has made the following changes to protocols in accordance with Los Angeles County Public Health:

• If there is a positive case at school, all students and employees on campus will be considered a close contact and will remain on campus as long as they remain asymptomatic and participate in the weekly testing.

• Families will not receive individual close contact notifications.

• Students with close-contact exposure at school can participate in sports and before and after school programs as long as they do not have any symptoms, continue testing negative, and wear a well-fitted mask during these activities.

• If a student develops symptoms or tests positive, they must isolate immediately and follow home isolation protocols.

• This change does not apply to Early Education students, including preschool, ETK, and PALS students. These students will quarantine at home unless they have recovered from lab-confirmed COVID-19 in the last 90 days.

What is the updated LAUSD policy for at-home close contacts?

LAUSD has made the following changes to protocols in accordance with Los Angeles County Public Health:

• Students exposed to COVID-19 outside of school must quarantine at home unless they are fully vaccinated or recovered from lab-confirmed COVID-19 in the last 90 days.

• The district will notify parents regarding students who are identified as close contacts requiring at-home quarantine.

• Staff who are fully vaccinated do not quarantine at home.

Will teachers continue to be informed if a student in their class tests positive for COVID?

Yes, our sideletter agreement from September stays in place. You must be notified if a student in your classroom tests positive.

Are students required to wear upgraded masks?

As of January 24, LAUSD students are required to wear a close-fitting, non-cloth mask with a nose wire at all times, including while participating in athletic activities. Students will be provided with these masks at their school site, if needed. Students who have a disability or medical or mental health condition that makes them unable to comply with the mask mandate continue to be exempted.

When does the district update the dashboard with current positivity numbers?

The numbers are updated every evening after 10 pm to be input by 4 am the next morning.

What is the deployment plan to cover staff absences for the third week of school?

This is determined on a school-by-school basis. Many of the staff who have been assisting at the school sites are returning to their regular job duties this week.

01.21.22

Safety updates

Positivity rates for COVID tests in LAUSD are trending downward, but Omicron continues to be widespread in our communities. Collectively we continue our work to make schools as safe as possible and address critical return-to-school issues.

UTLA demands weekly testing through February

With weekly COVID tests set to expire at the end of January, UTLA has called on LAUSD to extend testing through the month of February.

Baseline testing of all LAUSD students and staff uncovered more than 75,000 COVID cases before K-12 schools reopened. Continued weekly testing is one of our strongest tools to keep schools safe and open as the Omicron variant moves through our communities.

LAUSD to issue new quarantine and isolation protocols

Following updated protocols from LA County, LAUSD will be modifying its quarantine and isolation protocols, including issuing new guidance on what happens if someone in your home tests positive for COVID. We will update our FAQ after the changes are confirmed.

Staying vigilant for health & safety

A reminder of some of the measures that must be in place in all schools:

• All students and staff tested weekly for COVID.

• Quarantine and isolation protocols followed consistently across the district.

• Masks required for everyone on campus, indoors and out, with medical-grade masks required and provided for staff. Medical-grade masks also required and provided for students in modified quarantine.

• Classrooms and workspaces regularly cleaned and disinfected.

If safety measures aren’t being followed at your site, reach out to your school’s COVID Task Force. All school sites should have a COVID-19 Compliance Task Force that meets at least twice a month to address identified deficiencies in a timely manner.

01.18.22.

Hello everyone,

Happy short week! Just a reminder about our LAS Chapter Meeting happening Tuesday 1/25 at 5 pm. Link to come. We will be sharing information on the UTLA Bargaining Platform before the All Member Vote scheduled for 2/16-2/18. We will also have time for your questions--we have had such productive discussions in our most recent meetings and want to welcome all of you to participate! We are here to support you as we fight our way through this present moment that is beyond challenging, while keeping our eyes on the future fights, as well!

I also want to share that we had an incredible group of speech therapists join us to continue organizing and strategizing on our 6-Hour On-Site Commitment Working Group last Monday. We will be holding another Working Group meeting in February, so there will be more opportunities to get involved!

Finally, we know that the return from Winter Break has been chaotic and we wanted to share some links that members have found helpful:

Weekly testing schedule for each local district:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X31UwnMS3bOQhXJnvMlhTYQpGusvyiVmxGo7anw5CBg/htmlview#

District page with flowcharts for exposure and isolation:

https://achieve.lausd.net/spring2022

District COVID FAQ:

https://achieve.lausd.net/covidfaq

UTLA Spring Semester FAQ:

https://www.utla.net/springfaq

In unity,

the UTLA LAS Chapter Chairs

01.12.22

Latest FAQs on Spring Semester &

COVID protocols

We continue monitoring the fast-moving situation in our schools and workspaces. Today LAUSD released its flowchart for quarantine protocols; the isolation protocols were released earlier this week.

The FAQ page at utla.net/springfaq will be updated regularly as new information emerges. Some of the new FAQs are in this email; click the button below for more.

How many COVID days are available and what is the process to submit them if I am required to isolate at home?

If you are required to isolate at home, there is no limit to the number of COVID days per our June 2021 Sideletter, Section VI-B. Send the evidence of your positive test to your SAA/School Clerk and refer to our June sideletter. The SAA should use code MSND instead of illness to record your isolation time.

Where can I go for advice and information about return to school clearances and testing results?

The LAUSD Community Engagement Team reviews testing results and issues school clearances through the Daily Pass. If you have any questions, contact them at CE@lausd.net or 213-725-5637. You can also contact the COVID 19 Employee Helpdesk at 213-241-2700, 6 am to 6 pm, Monday to Saturday

City of Angels teachers have been told that our schedules will be changing (lunch shortened and a requirement for synchronous teaching). What should we do about this?

UTLA advises City of Angels teachers to keep the same daily schedules that were issued last semester. The expectations that the district published on January 10 are not doable and not aligned with language from our agreement or with past practice. We have demanded modifications to the list of expectations they distributed on Monday.

What if someone in my family is positive for COVID? Do I stay home?

Indicate on the Daily Pass if you have family members who have COVID, and answer all the necessary questions. The information you provide will determine if you have a Daily Pass to return to work or are required to stay home.

How can I get N95 masks?

The district is not required to provide KN95 or N95 masks, but every school site should have a limited number of masks, and they’ll be distributed based on request and according to need. Contact your school site’s COVID 19 Task Force for specific questions about the masks.

Can staff be given the rapid antigen tests if they test positive?

The rapid antigen tests are in limited supply throughout the nation. The state only provided rapid antigen tests for K-12 students. The district has purchased 600,000 rapid antigen tests with a goal of having at least one for every student and employee, but is waiting for delivery. The tests will be distributed at school sites when they arrive, and LAUSD is hoping to have them by the end of this week.

Why aren’t parents who made a testing appointment allowed to get tested the first week of the return?

Because this is the first week of school, testing students and staff have been prioritized. The district will resume testing families next week.

01.10.22.

FAQs on Spring Semester &

COVID protocols

As throughout most of this pandemic, we are in a fast-moving situation. The FAQ page at utla.net/springfaq or click the button below for more.

What happens when a staff member or student receives a positive test while on campus?

Students who test positive and are on campus should be directed to a site administrator or school nurse and stay in an isolation room while they wait to be picked up by a parent or guardian. Members who receive a positive test result while on campus should notify the administrator and go home immediately.

Who will cover a classroom when a teacher tests positive and must isolate at home?

The district says that it has 4,000 non classroom employees to cover shortages. We have strongly stressed and the district has acknowledged the need to minimize impact on student learning and teacher workload and keep classrooms together whenever possible. That said, during this public health crisis, UTLA members may be asked to take students into their class. The dispersal of students must be done equitably, but employees can be required to take additional students. UTLA members who do not carry a classroom registry may be asked to temporarily cover classrooms during this time.

Do I have to teach via Zoom if I test positive and am in isolation?

No. You are out sick and you need to rest and recuperate.

Do I use my personal sick days if I test positive for COVID and must isolate at home?

No, you do not have to use your personal sick days — you would use the COVID time available for this situation. Send the evidence of your positive test to your SAA/School Clerk and refer to our June 2021 Sideletter, Section VI-B. In addition, you do not work while at home — you are sick and need to recuperate.

Will the medical-grade masks be available on a daily basis?

Yes. Under county health guidelines, the district is required to provide, and employees are required to wear, medical-grade surgical masks at all schools and worksites. If masks become scarce, Chapter Chairs should make it known to the COVID Task Force.

What should we do if we see a violation of health and safety protocols?

Alert your chapter leaders and administrators if protocols are not being followed. The Chapter Chair should reinforce the duties of the COVID Task Force as we did initially when the pandemic started to make sure that each site is complying with the guidelines.

01.10.22.

New info on Zoom instruction

Friday’s UTLA email outlined the impact of the new “modified quarantine” on Zoom instruction: In most cases, educators will no longer need to provide Zoom access to instruction because most students will no longer be quarantining at home after a close contact with someone with COVID.

Under the revised guidance sent to LAUSD administrators, there are four groups of students who are not eligible for the new “modified quarantine” and will still quarantine at home.

• Adult Ed students

• Early Ed students

• K-12 students who can’t wear masks for medical reasons

• K-12 close contact students who weren’t wearing masks during their close contact

These students must be provided Zoom access to classroom instruction while they are quarantining at home, consistent with our September bargaining agreement.

The above covers students who have been identified as close contacts — not students who have tested positive for COVID. For students who test positive for COVID, teachers are not obligated to provide access to classroom instruction. If a student has tested positive, they are required to isolate, and they are ill or actively fighting off the virus. In other words, these students need to rest and get well.

If your principal is insisting that you provide Zoom access to your classroom for students who have tested positive and are at home, contact your Chapter Chair and/or your UTLA Area representative.

Summary of new isolation & quarantine protocols

Below are the broad strokes of the LAUSD’s new isolation and quarantine protocols, which aligns with the latest LA County guidelines.

ISOLATION is for positive COVID cases. QUARANTINE is for close contact cases.

PROTOCOLS FOR VACCINATED & UNVACCINATED

• If a staff member or student tests positive for COVID, they would isolate for 10 days. If asymptomatic on Day 5, they could take an antigen test. If that test is negative, the staff or student could return to school on Day 6. Here is the district flowchart for isolation protocols.

• If a staff member or student is identified as a close contact with a COVID-infected person and is asymptomatic, they would test on Day 0. If the test is negative, they are eligible for what LAUSD and county authorities are calling “modified quarantine.” “Modified quarantine” means they can physically work at or attend school, but must test again on Day 5, monitor for symptoms for 10 days, and wear a medical-grade mask for 10 days (employees will be required to wear a medical-grade mask at all times). They will not need to stay home unless they test positive. NOTE: If the student is unvaccinated, the school administrator would need to attest that the student had been appropriately masked throughout the contact for the student to be eligible for modified quarantine. The district is working on a flowchart for quarantine protocols.

Testing & masking

Baseline testing for all staff and students: The district is requiring that all students and staff upload a negative COVID test result to the Daily Pass system before physically returning to a school campus for the spring semester.

• Employees can either upload the results of an external PCR test or get tested at an LAUSD testing site by 11 am on January 10.
  

• Employees who get tested before January 10 will receive two hours of pay at their hourly rate of pay after filling out the district form (find the link to the form on this district document).
  

• Employees without an uploaded test result by the morning of January 10 will be required to get tested at a district site by 11 am that day, in order to receive results by Tuesday morning.

Weekly testing: After the baseline COVID testing, LAUSD will continue testing all students and staff, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, through at least the month of January. We will demand that the program be extended if cases continue to surge.

Upgraded masks: Under county health guidelines, the district is required to provide, and employees are required to wear, medical-grade surgical masks at all schools and worksites, and the district is recommending that all students wear medical-grade surgical masks (the county does not require the upgraded masks for students unless they are in modified quarantine). The upgraded masks will be available for all staff and students and should have already been delivered to all schools and work sites. Staff and students will have the option of wearing their own masks, but masks worn by staff or students in modified quarantine must be medical-grade standard and not made of cloth.

If you tested positive over the break: Upload your PCR results to Daily Pass as soon as possible, and the LAUSD Community Engagement team (213-725-5637) will contact you for next steps.

01.05.22.

Dear Special Category Chapter Chairs,

We asked LAUSD for a written statement about the Pupil Free Day on Monday 1/10 and what itinerants and what non A basis employees should do on that day. Please see the below information that was just sent to the Local District Superintendents. Please get this out to your chapter and let me know if you have any questions. I also was told that the surgical masks will be delivered to the schools on Fri 1/7.

Arlene Inouye

UTLA Secretary

ainouye@utla.net

(213) 479-7379

Good morning, LD Superintendents, and happy new year.

We wanted to provide clarification on the reporting procedures for non A-basis staff for the upcoming Pupil Free Day. Would you please ensure that the message below is shared with all principals and school-based staff through the COSAs?

All non-A basis, school-based and itinerant employees - both certificated and classified - may work remotely on Monday, January 10, 2022 unless:

• the employee requests to report to the site

• AND an administrator will be available at the work site (employees that want to report to the site should confirm with the administrator that they will physically be at the worksite on Monday, January 10, 2022)

• AND the employee has a negative baseline COVID test on or after January 3^rd

If all of the above are not present, the default is a remote assignment. All meetings and professional development should be conducted remotely.

A-basis staff have continues to participate in weekly testing, and should report to their assignments.

Thank you!

Kristen Murphy

01.03.22.

Updated protocols for the start of spring semester

Virtual Pupil Free Day: The Pupil Free Day on January 10 will be virtual for most of our members. Employees with negative test results uploaded in the Daily Pass system will have the option of working at their school or work site.

Baseline testing for all staff and students: The district is requiring that all students and staff upload a negative COVID test result to the Daily Pass system before physically returning to a school campus for the spring semester. Students can be tested at an outside facility (PCR only) or at a district testing site, but have the additional option of using a state-provided antigen test, which will be available for every student at LAUSD Grab & Go sites January 7-8. Staff are required to receive a PCR test at an outside facility or at a district testing site, but do not have the option of taking an antigen test. LAUSD testing sites can provide test results more quickly than outside facilities, so going to one of those sites may be the most efficient option for staff.

Everyone is encouraged to get tested this week: LAUSD staff who get tested anytime between now and this Sunday will get two hours of pay (read the LAUSD memo here). If an employee does not get tested by Monday morning, they will be required to get tested at a district site before noon that day to ensure the results are available by Tuesday morning. After the baseline COVID testing, LAUSD will continue testing all students and staff, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, through at least the month of January.

Surgical masks to be provided: Following new guidance that cloth masks should be upgraded given the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the district will provide KN95 or N95 surgical masks to all staff at school sites. The distribution date and process are still being determined.

Mask requirements stay in place: LAUSD is halting their plans to alter mask requirements. Masks will continue to be required indoors and outdoors for all students and staff unless actively eating or drinking, as was the case throughout the fall.

12.17.21.

Extending student vaccine deadline prevents disruption to teaching and learning

This week, the LAUSD School Board vote to delay enforcement of the COVID vaccine mandate for eligible students. Had the existing COVID vaccine deadline been enforced, more than 30,000 students would have been unable to attend their physical school campuses beginning in January. The deadline extension keeps students with their current learning communities and protects schools from widespread disruption in areas where vaccine numbers are not where they need to be.

The nearly 87% student vaccination rate in LA Unified far surpasses the COVID vaccination rate of any city or state in the entire country. That is a public health achievement to be celebrated. Vaccinations remain our communities’ best line of defense against COVID.

UTLA was the first voice in LAUSD to call for vaccine mandates for both educators and students, along with deep community access and outreach to drive vaccination numbers. We continue to support vaccine mandates for employees and students, but double down on our call for LA Unified to conduct a targeted engagement campaign for outreach to unvaccinated students and their families.

COVID TESTING PROTOCOLS STAY IN PLACE

As announced last week, because of the concerns raised by UTLA educators and families, LAUSD will continue COVID testing of all students and staff, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, through the month of January.

Last month, the district had said it was going to begin testing only unvaccinated students after winter break. It is both critical and logical to continue testing all students and staff to assess the impact of holiday travel and the trajectory of the new variant. We will continue to monitor community infection rates and will call for testing to extend beyond January if needed.

Unions united for high-quality healthcare

All eight unions representing employees at LAUSD bargain together for healthcare benefits. We work together as a team to maintain and expand the reliable, high-quality coverage our members and their families rely on.

In our first meeting with LAUSD this week to bargain healthcare benefits for 2022, the district proposed a one-year extension to our current plan. In light of the prolonged pandemic and ongoing health and safety uncertainties, a one-year extension is unacceptable. More than ever, workers need to count on reliable, affordable health care for the long-term. We are committed to fighting collectively for a multi-year agreement.

School districts across the country are facing severe staffing shortages. LAUSD is not immune to this crisis and it is shortsighted for the district not to take this opportunity to secure and expand employee healthcare for a longer term. Our healthcare package is one of the strongest tools the district has to retain and recruit dedicated and experienced employees to teach and support student learning.

We will meet with LAUSD again on January 21, 2022 when we will continue fighting for an agreement that respects employees and our families.

12.10.21.

Health & safety win: LAUSD agrees to keep current COVID testing in place for January

LAUSD announced this morning that it will continue COVID testing of all students and staff, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, through January. Last month, the district had said it was going to begin testing only unvaccinated students.

As UTLA members and leaders reiterated over multiple meetings with the district, it is both critical and logical to continue testing all students and staff to assess the impact of holiday travel and the trajectory of the new variant. We will continue to monitor community infection rates and will call for testing to extend beyond January if needed.

Two other changes in protocol will go forward: Starting in January, students at schools where at least 85% of students are vaccinated can be maskless outside, and modified quarantine protocols will allow more students to remain in their classrooms. Indoor mask requirements and the Daily Pass system stay in place.

LAUSD to consider delaying student vaccine deadline

LAUSD is considering delaying enforcement of the student COVID vaccine mandate until the 2022-23 school year.

More than 86% of eligible students have provided proof of vaccination — a solid achievement — but if the existing January 2021 deadline is enforced, more than 30,000 students would be unable to attend their physical school campuses beginning in January and would be automatically transferred to City of Angels. Extending the deadline would keep those students in their current classrooms and prevent widespread disruption to schools and master schedules across the district.

We continue to call on LAUSD to provide more effective access and education to increase vaccination numbers, including implementing a ground-game campaign to reach out one-on-one to unvaccinated students and their families. Vaccines remain our communities’ best line of defense against COVID.

11.19.21

All outstanding stipends will be paid November 19

On November 19, the district will make payments to the approximately 3,400 employees who have not received the $2,000 one-time stipend and/or the $500 technology stipend or who received insufficient amounts. If you have any questions regarding the stipends, including whether you received the right amount, please email askHR@lausd.net.

Members had to be employed by LAUSD as part of the UTLA bargaining unit as of September 21, 2021, the day of the agreement, to be eligible for any part of the two stipends, and the amount of the stipend is pro-rated for members working less than full-time. In addition, a member had to have worked at least 90 days during the 2020-2021 school year to receive the $500 one-time technology stipend. See copy of the agreement below.

As of now, LAUSD says the 5% raise and retroactive pay will come in January.

UTLA meeting with LAUSD on COVID protocols

We are meeting with the district today on LAUSD’s announced intent to revise COVID health and safety protocols starting in January.

We are calling on the district to delay any major changes, pending complete information on current infection and transmission rates and an analysis of the potential impact of the upcoming holiday breaks on COVID levels in the community. While COVID positivity rates have generally been declining and incidents of school transmissions have been low, travel and family gatherings are expected to reach near pre-pandemic levels in November and December, and time is needed to work through the ramifications of a potential winter surge.

LAUSD has yet to offer needed details about their plans, but changes could include testing only unvaccinated students; allowing students at all secondary schools and students at elementary schools where 85% of students are vaccinated to be maskless outside; and modifying quarantining protocols for close contacts.

Contract Campaign 2022: Bargaining platform goes to Chapter leaders December 1

Over the past several months, UTLA members have participated in over 530 school site chapter meetings; dozens of health and human services, Special Education, itinerant, and special categories meetings; and three regional community meetings organized by Reclaim Our Schools LA to identify the most important issues to address in our next contract campaign.

The UTLA Board of Directors has met multiple times to review and discuss input from these meetings and has formed a tentative bargaining platform that will be shared with chapter leaders for feedback at the December 1 UTLA Area meetings. There will be an all-member vote on the platform in early 2022.

The platform will build off the historic wins of our 2019 strike and will be a statement of what UTLA members are committing to fight for, collectively, as we respond to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the historic neglect of our public schools, educators, and students.

Agreement on impact of vaccine requirement

UTLA has reached a Memorandum of Understanding with LAUSD for members choosing not to comply with the district’s vaccine mandate. Under the agreement, UTLA bargaining unit members choosing not to get vaccinated have the option of resigning or retiring instead of being terminated. Members who take one of these options will also be able to maintain healthcare through December 31, 2021, and members choosing to resign will have rehire rights for 39 months if they get vaccinated. This agreement doesn’t abridge the right of a member to appeal their eventual termination if they prefer that option.

10.15.21.

Hello everyone,

Happy Friday! We hope you all have a restful weekend ahead!

In this intensely busy year, over 100 of you took the time to write out incredibly thoughtful and powerful responses to identify the top issues in our chapter. We saw the deep care that you all take with your students and the real needs that we experience.

Over 40% of you called out workload as one of your biggest areas of concern. We are right there with you! In order to learn more about what workload looks like across our department, we have created a Google form to get data about what your workload looks like right now. We will be sharing responses in our next Chapter meetings on 10/18 and 10/21 as we work on organizing as SLPs.

You have created this incredible momentum that has brought us so many wins on workspace, safety and communication throughout the pandemic-era sideletters! Let's keep it going together!

In unity,

The LAS Chapter Chairs

10.03.21

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT PASSES 97% VOTE YES

UTLA members have overwhelmingly approved the tentative agreement reached with LAUSD in September. Over three days of voting from September 30 to October 2 conducted by Integrity Voting Systems, 15,791 ballots were cast, with 97% Yes ballots (15,344 ballots) and 3% No (447).

The agreement members approved is a time-specific agreement to secure health and safety protocols, working conditions during the pandemic, and a salary increase for all members.

09.27.21.

Chapter Issue ID Meetings

• We have launched a unionwide process to build the platform and the power to win in full contract bargaining, which begins in 2022. LAUSD is receiving an infusion of funding, including $4.7 billion in relief funding, which they have until 2025 to spend.

• An ambitious, democratically developed bargaining platform is how we fight to invest that money in the long-term needs of our schools and our students. The three-step process:
  
  1. Identify priorities through deep member discussions along with town halls with parents and community organizations.
  2. The UTLA Board of Directors will use the feedback to develop a draft bargaining platform.
  3. All members will vote on the proposed bargaining platform before we start negotiations with LAUSD.
  

• Chapter Chairs are organizing chapter meetings in every chapter to identify the issues that are most important for us to fight for collectively. Be sure to attend your chapter meetings and be ready to engage. What pay, benefit, and working condition issues should we fight to address in our contract campaign? What issues, if fixed, would make the biggest difference in improving teaching and/or learning at our chapter? What fights for school improvements do you believe are most broadly and deeply felt by parents, youth, and community?
  
  Chapter Chairs should report back on discussions by October 22.

Special Education Issue ID Meetings

• Three sessions have been set to draw out issues that Special Education professionals care about and want to uplift in the full contract campaign (read more above). The sessions are specific to the UTLA Areas, with two options (B or C) for educators in West, Central, South, Harbor, and North.
  
  SPED MEETING B: West, Central, South, Harbor, North
  October 7, 4PM
  Register in advance: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcof-utqj0sHNPQobVILKRwcQUCt_ffW23E
  
  SPED MEETING C: West, Central, South, Harbor, North
  October 7, 5:30 PM
  Register in advance: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkde6qqjMsGtx5-B3ENRWBbSk27BwMUNtE

UTLA Bargaining Team: Top row: Arlene Inouye (UTLA Bargaining Chair and Secretary), Victoria Casas (Beachy Avenue, Valley East Board member), L. Cynthia Matthews (McKinley ES, South Area Board member), Mallorie Evans (DHH Itinerant, Special Category Board member). Middle row: Jennifer McAfee (Dodson MS, Harbor Area Chair), Julie Van Winkle (Secondary VP), Javi Romo (Mulholland MS, Valley West Board member), Gloria Martinez (Elementary VP). Bottom row: Adrian Tamayo (Lorena ES, East Area Chair), Rosa Jimenez (Beaudry, North Area Chair), Jeff Good (Executive Director), Jennifer Villaryo (Beaudry, West Area Board member). Not pictured: Stacie Webster (West Vernon ES, Central Area Chair).

09.02.21

Over the past three weeks, UTLA educators have been tested anew as we reopened schools in the second-largest school district in the country during a prolonged public health crisis. There have been times of serious frustration, stress, and “make it work” moments — but also the incalculable joys of reconnecting with students, staff, and families. Our learning communities are vibrant and resilient.

As union educators, we will continue to take collective action to enforce critical safety protocols at every school, push back on top-down management decisions that don’t respect us as professionals, bargain for a fair pay raise, organize against the voucher-like SCF funding scheme that would hurt neighborhood schools, and fight forward for the resources and supports our students need. That’s what it means to have each other’s backs.

I hope you are able to lean into your long Labor Day weekend. Rest, recharge, unplug — the work will be here when you get back.

Cecily Myart-Cruz

UTLA President

Bargaining update

UTLA was back in bargaining with the district today, after filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge over Megan Reilly’s unlawful unilateral implementation of the district’s Continuity of Learning proposal without a bargaining agreement.

Today we presented new proposals on, among other issues, strengthened safety protocols and the Continuity of Learning program.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Our safety proposals reflect what staff and students have experienced with the full reopening of schools and the need to solidify safety protocols, some of which were in previous agreements, in recognition of the Delta variant’s increased transmissibility and potential for rapid spread. UTLA’s proposals include:

• Weekly testing of all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, through at least December 31, 2021.

• Classroom teachers must be notified in writing when a student in their classroom is required to quarantine.

• Masks and ventilation protocols (MERV filters) stay in place until at least December 31, 2021 (the current agreement has a provision that either party could ask to revisit those protocols in the fall).

• Any employee or student, regardless of vaccination status, who has been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 positive case must quarantine. LAUSD implemented a new policy in late August that allows asymptomatic vaccinated staff and students to stay in school, which is an ill-advised softening of protocols.

• The district shall provide a written checklist of required actions for when a student or employee tests positive for COVID 19.

• Withdrawal of our proposal for a vaccine requirement for eligible students. However, outside of bargaining, we continue to press LAUSD to take this important step as Culver City Unified has.

CONTINUITY OF LEARNING

Educators have deep and divergent feelings about teaching in-person students and providing quarantined students with virtual access to their classrooms at the same time. Some teachers are already doing this, while others have legitimate workload and privacy concerns. Perfect solutions during this prolonged pandemic continue to be elusive, but this would be the first time throughout the pandemic that these students would have no access to live engagement with their teachers if we don’t virtually allow them in. That would not be healthy after the trauma of the last 18 months. The ability for staff and students to quarantine is a linchpin of our safety protocols, which means we must provide quarantining students with reasonable access to instruction and protect the rights of our members. UTLA’s proposals include:

• Guardrails around the Zoom/livestream process, including that teachers can’t be held responsible for technology issues (at school or in the student’s home) and that under no circumstances can the district, students, or parents record a teacher providing instruction without approval of the teacher.

• Live virtual instruction for quarantined students can’t be considered as part of an educator’s evaluation.

• Classroom teachers make the decision whether to provide access to their class through live streaming or through direct Zoom engagement.

SALARY

• We continue to press for a 6% ongoing salary increase, a $2,500 one-time stipend for all full-time bargaining unit members, and a $2,000 technology stipend for all bargaining unit members who worked at least 90 days during the 2020-2021 school year. LAUSD’s proposal is for a 4% ongoing salary increase and $2,250 in stipends.

• Today we proposed a $5,000 one-time stipend for all school nurses to help retain these staff members who are critical to keeping our learning communities safe and healthy, but who are difficult to attract and retain.

• Substitute educators required to quarantine during the 2021-2022 school year will have the number of service days (100) required to qualify for healthcare in 2022-2023 reduced by the number of required quarantine days.

EVALUATION & BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

• UTLA and LAUSD are close to an agreement on suspending educator evaluations for permanent teachers who have not received a below standard evaluation in the last five years.

• UTLA and LAUSD are close to an agreement on conducting Back to School Night and parent-teacher conferences virtually through December, and today we proposed that IEPs also be conducted virtually.

A link to UTLA’s proposal is below. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Friday, September 10.

08.27.21.

UTLA calls for mandatory vaccination of students and demands stronger quarantine protocols

UTLA has had two bargaining sessions with the district and is demanding that the district rescind and strengthen its latest quarantine protocols, which they announced this past Monday, August 23rd, stating educators must continue to teach in-person despite positive COVID-19 cases in their classrooms. UTLA is also calling for all eligible students to be vaccinated within 12 weeks of becoming eligible.

UTLA is pushing the district to immediately quarantine the entire class if the teacher or one of the students tests positive for COVID-19 in an EEC, Early Education, or TK-6 classroom. This is a prudent and necessary safety measure in view of the recent number of positive tests at several schools, the outbreak reported at Grant Elementary, and the fact that students under 12 can’t be vaccinated yet.

Continuity of Learning

The highly contagious delta variant has caused UTLA to demand a stricter quarantine regimen than what the district currently has in place. Since we are calling for more people quarantining, we must also provide quarantining students reasonable access to instruction. Here are some features of our proposal:

• Give classroom teachers the flexibility to choose among several options for connecting with quarantining students.

• Give students and families the flexibility to access instruction at times that work with their schedules

• Allow the experts, classroom teachers, to choose between using a classroom camera for students to zoom in during in person instruction or meeting with quarantined students during scheduled office hours, based on what is best for their students. Office hours outside of the contractual workday would be compensated at the teacher’s hourly rate.

Additionally, UTLA made the following demands at the table:

• A 6% salary increase, a $2,500 one-time stipend for all full-time bargaining unit members, and a $2,000 technology stipend for all bargaining unit members who worked at least 90 days during the 2020-2021 school year.

• Alternative protective strategies to safely work with students unable to wear a mask or appropriate face covering due to medical accommodations.

• Back to School Night and parent-teacher conferences shall be conducted virtually.

• No student eating inside classrooms, including for inclement weather situations, and having Local School Leadership Councils develop alternative procedures for inclement weather.

• No evaluations in 2021-2022 for permanent UTLA bargaining unit members who have not received a below standard evaluation in the last five years.

• Suspension of all standardized student assessments, other than those required by state or federal law, for the 2021-2022 school year.

• Immediate assignment to the City of Angels online academy program for all UTLA bargaining unit members seeking reasonable accommodations.

• Continuation of all the safety protocols and procedures from our June reopening sideletter.

For more details on all the above see the attached proposals. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Monday, August 30.

08.13.21.

UTLA Board votes to support vaccine mandate for LAUSD employees

The UTLA Board of Directors has voted overwhelmingly to support a vaccine mandate for all LAUSD employees. The UTLA Board had previously voted to not oppose a vaccine mandate. This stronger position comes as the Delta variant continues to surge in our communities and as students and staff prepare for a return to full-time, in-person learning next week.

“I am the parent of an LAUSD fifth-grader, and my family has been going through the same uncertainty and anguish as so many other families as we approach the return to school,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “Because of the protocols that UTLA educators and LAUSD families fought for and won, LA Unified has among the strictest COVID safety protocols in the country. But this Delta variant is unlike anything we have seen so far in this crisis — especially its impact on children — and we all need to step up to do our part to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

The current surge in COVID cases underscores why UTLA members fought so hard for mask mandates, ventilation, access to vaccines, and other safety measures for our schools. Those safety measures we negotiated include a COVID Task Force at each school, which should be doing a physical walk-through of campuses today, August 13, to note violations of safety protocols so they can be addressed before students return on Monday.

UTLA also calls on the District to actively encourage and facilitate greater access to vaccination for parents, eligible students, and the communities we serve. The District and LA County Department of Health must work together to increase outreach, vaccination clinics, and testing in communities with low vaccination rates and high transmission rates.

However, vaccines are one layer of protection. As staff and students return to school, we urge everyone to remain vigilant about all the layered mitigation strategies — from masking and ventilation to testing and tracing — needed to keep our learning spaces safe.

FAQs on new school year

REOPENING & SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Are there social distancing requirements in place for this fall?

LAUSD is required to implement physical distancing consistent with county guidelines, which currently require districts to maintain physical distancing to the degree that allows for daily attendance by all students.

Will we need to call for schools to close at some point because of the Delta variant?

At this point, state law doesn’t allow schools to be closed without the loss of state funding, but it’s impossible to predict whether COVID conditions will reach a point in the future that leads UTLA members to unite behind a call for closures or to make a demand to bargain over changing conditions. As we continue tracking the virus in our communities, we all need to keep the dialogue open.

How will class size be determined?

The district is obligated to maintain class sizes no higher than our current contract. However, some class sizes may be lower due to targeted staffing increases resulting from our successful Reclaim Our Schools LA budget campaign.

Do you get paid if you are forced to quarantine as the result of a positive test or close contact?

Members required to quarantine as the result of a positive COVID-19 test or as the result of close contact exposure as determined by a Community Engagement Team shall be paid without having to use contractual sick leave.

Who is supposed to enforce the mask mandate?

It will be, and should be, the responsibility of all staff to enforce the mask mandate.

Will there be a vaccine mandate?

At this time, the district has not announced a vaccine mandate for staff or students but that could change as more institutions embrace a mandate. The UTLA Board of Directors took a position last fall to not oppose a vaccine mandate if the district implements one, but we would demand to bargain the impact and effects of any mandate and the necessary medical exemptions.

ONLINE ACADEMY & REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

What do I do if I have not heard back about my request for reasonable accommodations?

Contact Maria Sotomayor in the Risk Management Department at msotomay@lausd.net to follow up on the status of your request.

Is it possible to push for a remote option that allows students to stay with their home school versus City of Angels?

This is not currently allowable under state law.

If I submitted a request for reasonable accommodations last semester, do I need to submit a request again if I would like to continue with remote instruction in the upcoming school year?

Yes

Will parents be able to change their minds about the online academy?

The district has vacillated on this question, but has most recently indicated the initial choice will be for the first semester and that students can change for the second semester.

07.30.21

Delta variant amplifies priority of safety protocols

We are once again in a fluid, fast-changing situation with the coronavirus. We are meeting with the district about the latest developments and will keep you updated.

The current surge in COVID cases underscores why UTLA members fought so hard for mask mandates, ventilation, access to vaccines, and other safety measures for our schools. Vaccines are like seatbelts: necessary but not invincible. Just like we need airbags and speed limits in addition to seatbelts, we need masks, ventilation, and testing to keep school communities safe.

Especially given the persistent racial and economic inequities in vaccine distribution and access and virus infection and death rates, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, so that students and educators can return to full in-person learning as safely as possible amidst the concerning trends we are seeing with the Delta variant.

Our agreement with LAUSD for the return to traditional instruction for the 2021-2022 school year maintains concrete, enforceable COVID protocols that kept students, staff, families, and the education community safer last school year. The agreement, approved in June by UTLA members, includes:

• Masks required for all staff, students, and visitors while on campus (either party can open negotiations on this issue after September 1, 2021).

• Regular COVID testing. LAUSD announced this week that all students and employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, returning for in-person instruction must participate in baseline and ongoing weekly COVID testing.

• Physical distancing consistent with LA County guidelines.

• Daily symptom screening and regular cleaning and disinfecting.

• Monthly inspection and continued use of higher-rated MERV 13 filters for ventilation until at least October 1.

• Paid leave for those required to quarantine and continued ability for high-risk staff to request reasonable accommodations in the online program.

• A COVID Task Force at every site to consistently and rigorously enforce the safety protocols. Last school year the Task Forces were invaluable in identifying issues and getting a swift resolution.

Enforcement of the safety protocols will be part of the UTLA Leadership Conference next week.

6.10.21

Tentative sideletter agreement reached on 2021-2022 school year

LA Unified plans to return to full, in-person learning five days a week for the 2021-2022 school year, unless pandemic conditions change for the worse.

The UTLA Bargaining Team has been negotiating to maintain important safety conditions both for the fall and also for the thousands of UTLA members and students whose programs continue through the summer.

We have just reached a tentative agreement with LAUSD on safety protocols and other conditions for the full physical reopening of schools for the 2021-2022 school year. The agreement is subject to ratification by UTLA members and would be effective beginning June 23. Below is a summary of the agreement. See the full tentative agreement here for details.

The major elements of the tentative agreement include:

• Maintaining necessary concrete, enforceable COVID protocols from the current agreement.

1. COVID testing: Minimum requirement of every two weeks for 20% of students and staff per school while county is in yellow tier, but the district will continue weekly testing of all students and staff working at school sites through the summer; we will continue discussions with district over fall testing plans based on evolving pandemic conditions

2. Daily symptom screening

3. Ventilation: Monthly inspection and continued use of higher rated MERV 13 filters until at least October 1

4. Daily cleaning and disinfecting

5. Mask requirement for students, staff, and visitors (either party can open negotiations on this issue after September 1, 2021)

6. Paid leave for those required to quarantine

7. Continued ability for high-risk staff to request reasonable accommodations in the online program
   

• Physical distancing: Changing conditions, including the increase in vaccinations and reduction in infection rates as well as the need to physically accommodate a full return of students, required adjustments to the physical distancing requirements in our hybrid agreement. Physical distancing requirements will be governed by the county guidelines, which are currently 3 feet.
  

• No displacement of any UTLA-represented staff for the 2021-2022 school year. Those educators who have been in danger of displacement will now be able to remain at the school for the 2021-2022 school year.
  

• Stabilization of Special Education programs: Special Education teachers assigned to special day programs will be maintained as long as classes have over 50% enrollment. Special Education teachers who are assigned as Resource Specialists will be maintained.
  

• Limiting combo classes: LAUSD must make every effort to avoid combo classes. Those required to teach a combo class will receive a $1,200 stipend for the extra work.
  

• Increased Training Pay Rate: From $25 to $50 an hour, permanently.
  

• Expanded online-only independent study program following the City of Angels model and using a mix of daily live synchronous learning and independent work.
  

• Sideletter on instructional minutes for those schools voting for 4x4 or 2X8 block schedules confirming that the required average weekly instructional minutes for those schools will be 1,350.
  

• Agreement to immediately begin the process for 2021-2022 reopener negotiations on salary and additional items.
  

The tentative agreement will be voted on by UTLA members. Dates and details of the ratification vote will be announced early next week. There will be an all-city Chapter Leader meeting on Monday from 6:00-7:30 pm, with the meeting link coming later.

This agreement addresses the urgent issues facing educators returning full time to classrooms and other assignments. We will use 2021-2022 contract reopener negotiations and our full contract campaign to fight for additional improvements and to make sure that the temporarily increased state and federal funding is put to good use to support the healthy, healing, racially just schools our students deserve.

6.6.21.

Bargaining update: Progress on safety

• Progress was made in bargaining with LAUSD last week on the physical reopening of schools for 2021-22. LA Unified plans to fully reopen for next school year, with an overwhelming majority of staff and students physically attending school five days per week, unless pandemic conditions change for the worse.
  
  With Early Education Centers reopening, itinerants on various schedules, and summer school starting on June 23, it is imperative that we get health and safety measures in place as soon as possible to protect students, families, and educators who are in our school buildings year-round.
  
  The agreement taking shape could include:
  
  • Maintaining most of the concrete, enforceable COVID protocols from our current hybrid agreement that have proven to keep students, staff, and families safe, including protocols for COVID testing, screening, ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting, and a COVID-19 Compliance Task Force at every school. LA Unified has the lowest number of COVID infections among the nation’s largest school districts because of the safety protocols we fought for and won, and we will not compromise on health and safety.
  
  • Masking requirements for students, staff, and visitors when the school year begins, with a provision that either party can demand bargaining over a potential change to this requirement after September 1, 2021. Having more children vaccinated may move us closer to eliminating the mask mandate, but as of now masking is a critical way to protect our learning communities and the most vulnerable among us.
  
  • Eliminating the hybrid instructional model. In the recent UTLA member survey, educators rated hybrid schedules as the most challenging aspect of the physical return to school. Fully eliminating the hybrid model will require changes to the current physical distancing protocols, but other layers of protection, including large numbers of vaccinated staff members, remain in place.
  
  • School staff who are high-risk can continue to seek a remote work assignment through formal requests for Reasonable Accommodations. We are also bargaining elements of an online academy for students families who choose to stay with remote learning.
  
  • Signing bonuses for new hires for next school year. When we return to physical campuses next year, our learning communities will need additional staff members to provide students with increased academic and social-emotional support. Hiring that staff will be a challenge for LA Unified in the face of a historic educator shortage in the labor market. This would be one step toward addressing the serious issue of both attracting educators and retaining them.
  
  Any agreement reached will be voted on by the UTLA membership.
  
  Organizing and bargaining continue for other elements of a healthy, healing, racially just return as reflected in the member priorities in the recent UTLA survey. Those priorities include lowering class size, raising educator pay, investing in Special Education, and hiring additional health and human services staff. In current bargaining, we have withdrawn our salary proposal, but any agreement reached would obligate both parties to immediately begin reopener contract bargaining, which will include salary.
  
  As part of the same struggle, we’re working with the Reclaim Our Schools LA coalition and other community partners to build a district budget for next year around a similar set of demands that meets the needs of our students and communities.

LAUSD Childcare Subsidy extended through July

• The LAUSD Childcare Subsidy has been extended through the end of July. While the subsidy is not a comprehensive or permanent solution for all staff facing childcare issues, it has helped some families. Childcare challenges are a continuing conversation in our union. Women across the country face hurdles to employment because of the lack of high-quality, affordable childcare, and we will keep advocating for sustainable solutions, on the local and national level.

5.21.21.

UTLA Member Survey results

• The UTLA Member Survey results shows that LA educators overwhelmingly feel that union-negotiated safety protocols have kept schools safer from the spread of COVID-19. The survey of UTLA members was conducted via email from May 19 through May 25.
  
  81% percent of survey respondents agree that the negotiated protocols contributed to a safe physical reopening of schools. 87% report that their schools or worksites are consistently implementing the safety protocols.
  
  With parent and community support, UTLA educators negotiated the strongest COVID-19 safety protocols in the country, securing an agreement for staff and students to return only when vaccines were available, when LA was out of the highest tier of infections, and when necessary safety and health protocols were in place.
  
  These COVID-19 safety negotiations are responsible for the lowest number of infections among the nation’s largest school districts. According to the online dashboard for New York City’s schools, NYC has had nearly 26,000 coronavirus cases since reopening in September. According to Chicago’s dashboard, schools there have had about 1,700 cases since they opened in March. LAUSD has had fewer than 300 cases since reopening in April.
  
  Our hard-fought battle helped suppress the spread of COVID-19 and saved lives, especially in our most at-risk communities of color.
  

• PHYSICAL RETURN
  The survey also asked about the impact of the physical return to schools.
  
  Most challenging aspect: Top answer (27% of respondents) was hybrid schedules
  Most rewarding aspect: Top answer (43%) was in-person engagement with students
  

• PRIORITIES FOR RECOVERY FUNDING
  The survey asked members to prioritize ways to spend the infusion of funding coming to the school district. LAUSD will be receiving between $2 billion and $4 billion in one-time money for pandemic recovery and an additional increase in ongoing state funding when the state budget is passed. The top 6 priorities from the results:
  
  1. Class size reduction
  2. Salary increase
  3. Technology upgrades for staff and students
  4. Investment in Special Education
  5. Educational enrichment programs for students
  6. Hiring of additional health & human services staff
  
  “The most powerful way we can impact students is to have more caring adults on campus — more staff members teaching, counseling, providing mental health support, working with our special needs students, and engaging hearts and minds with a rich curriculum that includes arts, physical education and music,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “That is how we lift our students out of the stress and trauma of the past year and build the joyful, restorative learning communities that our students deserve.”

Remind members to take the survey before 5 pm this Tuesday

• Please hold a chapter meeting to discuss the survey on the physical reopening of schools. Remind members of the importance of voicing their opinion and providing feedback on how they have experienced the physical reopening and to offer input on how the additional money coming to LAUSD should be spent. Member feedback will help prioritize our demands at the bargaining table. Encourage members to take the survey as soon as possible.
  
  The survey link was emailed again on Sunday morning. Members who did not receive an email can request a link to the survey at http://bit.ly/schoolyearsurvey. The survey will close this Tuesday, May 25 at 5:00 pm.

• The survey will close this Tuesday, May 25 at 5:00 pm.

Bargaining for what our students deserve: UTLA’s initial proposal for next school year

Bargaining with the district has shifted to the necessary conditions for schools to physically open in a traditional model for the 2021-2022 school year. The district plans to fully reopen, with an overwhelming majority of staff and students physically attending school five days per week, unless pandemic conditions change for the worse. An online option would remain for families who choose it, and the district has acknowledged that some staff members may need to stay at home for health reasons.

With LAUSD having to make some funding commitments by June, bargaining is on a compressed timeline. This week we made an initial proposal to the district on supports our students need for a healthy, healing, and equitable return: safety protocols, lower class sizes, increased social-emotional support for students, expanded support for special education and arts instruction, and educator recruitment and retention measures, including a 6% ongoing salary increase. The district presented a counterproposal on Thursday, rejecting our demands on compensation and staffing. Bargaining continues next week. Read the proposals in the links below.

LAUSD will be receiving between $2 billion and $4 billion in one-time money for pandemic recovery and an additional increase in ongoing state funding when the state budget is passed.

“For the first time in decades, we have the funding to dream big and fight forward for our students,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “Our contract proposals are what our students have long deserved and need now more than ever to process the fallout of this unprecedented pandemic. If funding choices don’t meet the social-emotional needs of students and families who have dealt with loss over the past year, then we are missing the mark.”

UTLA initial proposal for the 2021-22 school year

• Maintain critical health and safety protocols that have proven to keep our communities safer, such as masking, COVID testing, distancing, ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting, and school-based COVID-19 Compliance Task Forces.

• Address educator shortage through recruitment and retention measures, including 6% ongoing salary increase for UTLA members with a one-time 2% increase for 2021-22 and a $2,000 signing bonus for new hires. We must grapple with the historic shortage of teachers in the labor market, which has been exacerbated by the grueling year our learning communities have had.

• Lower class sizes by hiring 1,000 elementary and secondary classroom teachers so that students can get more individualized attention.

• Expand social-emotional support for students by hiring 1,800 new school psychologists, counselors, PSAs, and PSWs.

• Provide stability for our learning communities through no teacher displacements for 2021-22 and no combo classes for elementary schools.

• Expand direct support for special education students who have suffered from lack of access to the services they need by hiring 300 new Special Education teachers and 300 new DIS providers.

• Enrich the curriculum through expanded arts, music, and drama instruction by hiring 50 new itinerant art teachers.

This week we’ve launched a Physical Reopening Survey to get your feedback on how you’ve experienced the physical reopening of schools and to get input on how the additional money should be spent. Please have a chapter meeting to discuss the survey and encourage all your colleagues to participate. Member feedback will help prioritize our demands at the table.

We’ll have a bigger package of demands to fight for in full contract negotiations that will kick off with a deep member input process starting this summer and fall.

As part of the same struggle on a different playing field, we’re working with the Reclaim Our Schools LA coalition to force the district to build their budget for next year around a similar set of demands that meets the needs of our students and communities. This is the time, as a union and as part of the Reclaim Our Schools coalition, to fight for transformational change in our public schools and our society.

Feedback needed: Complete the member survey ASAP

On Wednesday we launched a new UTLA member survey on the physical reopening of schools. With bargaining on a tight timeline and our initial proposal on the table, member feedback will help prioritize our demands.

Please take a few minutes to answer all the survey questions, which cover a range of issues — from safety protocols to hybrid learning to how the district should spend the unprecedented pandemic recovery funds in ways that best support our students. Your input is critically important.

If you can’t locate the survey mail in your inbox, check your spam or junk folders. The deadline to complete the survey is Tuesday, May 25, at 5 pm.

Childcare win: District agrees to flexibility

In response to fierce organizing by UTLA members, the district agreed this week to a new districtwide policy on flexibility for childcare issues related to the return to in-person instruction. This is a great win for families who have been struggling to figure out childcare.

If you are a member with a childcare issue, reach out to your administrator and explore solutions, such as being able to Zoom from home or leaving at a different time to pick up your child. The district issued this memo and held a meeting with local district supervisors this week to tell local school leaders to be as flexible as possible in trying to find creative solutions. Even if you previously asked for accommodation but your administrator said no, try asking again now that LAUSD has clearly communicated the need for creativity and flexibility districtwide.

If you receive an unreasonable denial, talk to your chapter chair, and reach out to your Area rep and UTLA Area leadership. Also send an email to UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz, utlapresident@utla.net.

The district has also agreed to extend the deadline for the $500 per child for childcare subsidy for those who missed the previous deadline, until May 14, when the May forms are due. Check instructions at the district’s Human Resources page.

Since the return to in-person instruction, UTLA members have organized around their childcare needs — by driving petitions, amplifying the issue on social media, giving interviews to the press, and turning advocacy into action. UTLA was relentless in our conversations with Beutner, the district’s bargaining team, and various School Board members to press them on childcare issues.

This week we held a UTLA childcare forum with 75 mothers, and the stories shared were heart-wrenching — like the educator who was denied an accommodation for her medically fragile child, the teacher threatened with a negative evaluation if she didn’t return to in-person instruction, and the first-year educator who was waitlisted for daycare at every place she tried.

There were stories of desperation and anxiety — and they are paralleled in working families across the country, from warehouse workers to grocery store employees and bus drivers. Childcare for working families is a right, not a privilege.

Women of color compose the majority of the LAUSD workforce. Access to childcare is a social justice issue, and we will keep advocating for sustainable solutions, on the local, state, and national level.

UTLA to district: A mandatory extension of school year is not what students need

Weeks ago, Austin Beutner floated the idea of adding 10 days to the next work year. The idea got mixed reviews from LAUSD parents, and last week UTLA members took our own survey on the extension.

The results of the member survey were clear: 75% of members responding to the survey chose no extension of the work year as their most preferred option.

We took that message into bargaining this week, informing the district that UTLA members do not support an extension of the 2021-2022 school/work year.

“We can’t follow the most stressful and emotionally traumatic year our learning communities have ever had with the longest school year we’ve ever had,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “Families need time to be together, recuperate, and prepare for our new normal in the fall.”

The one-time state and federal money that would be used to fund an extended work year can be used in other creative and meaningful ways to support students, such as a voluntary enrichment program, after-school learning opportunities, and staffing and program improvements we have needed for years.

94% Yes: Members who deliver special services approve sideletter agreement

UTLA members who deliver specialized student services have voted to ratify the agreement with LAUSD on safely delivering specialized student services in a hybrid environment, with 94% Yes ballots cast and 6% No. The voting was conducted by Integrity Voting Systems April 7 through 9.

The tentative agreement includes safety and working conditions that will allow each specialized group to do their work, including conducting assessments and safely providing services at multiple school sites. The sideletter also provides additional specialized PPE equipment, a clearly defined workspace that must be assigned no less than 48 hours prior to being expected to physically return to work, and guidance on carrying out primary and necessary job duties.

Tentative sideletter agreement reached on special services

Affected members will vote April 7-9

In addition to the ratified sideletter on the necessary safety and health conditions to reopen schools for hybrid instruction, UTLA has reached a tentative sideletter agreement with LAUSD on how to safely provide a range of special services to students in the hybrid schedules. The agreement covers provisions for services provided by these critical staff members:

• Resource Specialist Teachers and Special Education Itinerant Services

• Special Education Teachers at comprehensive secondary campuses, Career and Transition Centers, and Special Education centers

• Preschool For All Learners/Preschool Comprehensive

• Early Childhood Special Education, Special Education Infant Preschool, Preschool Itinerants, and Carlson Home Hospital Educators

• School Nurses

• Psychiatric Social Workers and Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors

• Secondary Counselors

• Teacher Librarians

• Arts and Physical Education Itinerant Teachers

The tentative agreement includes safety and working conditions that will allow each specialized group to do their work, including conducting assessments and safely providing services at multiple school sites. The sideletter also provides additional specialized PPE equipment, a clearly defined workspace that must be assigned no less than 48 hours prior to being expected to physically return to work, and guidance on carrying out primary and necessary job duties.

The UTLA Bargaining Team worked through Spring Break to settle outstanding issues with the district. Members from the impacted employee groups joined our team at the bargaining table at various junctures over the past several weeks to provide powerful testimony about the specific needs of students they serve and to discuss how best to deliver their unique services in a hybrid reopening environment.

If ratified, the tentative agreement would expire at the end of the current school year. Unless specifically spelled out in the new agreement, all provisions of the Sideletter for the Physical Reopening of Schools for Hybrid Instruction would apply to the working conditions of the members in the sideletter.

VOTING APRIL 7-9: Affected UTLA members will vote on the tentative sideletter agreement this week, from April 7 to 9. Employees in the impacted groups should look for instructions via email early this week. Voting will be conducted by Integrity Voting, which ran the vote on the hybrid schedule sideletter. See details below on special virtual meetings this week to discuss and learn more about the agreement.

LAUSD to offer childcare support for employees

LAUSD announced today that it will offer childcare support for employees as we move toward a physical return to classrooms. The program provides full-time employees with a $500-per-month subsidy for each child age 5 and younger who is enrolled in a childcare program. It will be available for the rest of this semester and for employees who work as part of summer school through July 31.

While the program does not address the range of childcare issues faced by educators, this is a righteous win for the many UTLA members who uplifted this issue.

As millions of parents — including frontline workers in hospitals, grocery stores, food processing plants, sanitation, transportation, and other professions — have been forced to leave home for work and scramble to find childcare throughout the pandemic, it’s become more clear than ever that we as a society must do more to provide affordable childcare options for all families.

89% yes: UTLA members overwhelmingly approve agreement on safe return & hybrid instruction

UTLA members have overwhelmingly approved the agreement with LAUSD on a safe physical return and hybrid instruction. Over four days of voting from March 18 through 21 conducted by Integrity Voting Systems, 20,413 ballots were cast, with 89% Yes ballots (18,127) and 11% No (2,286).

The agreement achieves all three of our safety criteria (LA out of the purple tier, vaccine access, and safety protocols) and establishes strict and enforceable safety procedures that are the highest safety standards in the nation. The CDC’s recent shift calling for only 3 feet of physical distance in schools instead of 6 feet will not impact our agreement or any of the other protocols, including PPE, improved ventilation, and daily cleaning and disinfecting.

“Every step of the way, UTLA educators have kept our students and communities safer, from the call to close down schools early in the pandemic to holding the line against an unsafe return,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz says. “While the improving COVID-19 situation is still fragile, we believe this agreement puts LAUSD on the path to a physical reopening of schools that puts safety first.”

LAUSD is a large and complicated district that will need sufficient planning time to prepare for the return to schools, and the agreement requires that educators be given access to vaccination with time for both shots and the necessary time for full efficacy. At this point, the district is tentatively planning for a mid-April physical return for TK-6 and an end of April-beginning of May physical return for grades 7-12.

As with any contract agreement, enforcement of the health and safety provisions will be key. Every school will have a COVID-19 Compliance Task Force that includes the Chapter Chair or their designee. The task force will meet weekly to address any issues with safety compliance. UTLA chapter leaders can use this checklist to make sure that all safety procedures and protocols are in place at every school.

UTLA and LAUSD are bargaining now over how to safely provide Special Education services, Designated Instructional Services, Health and Human Services, and VAPA Itinerant services to students in the hybrid schedules. Affected UTLA members will vote on the negotiated sideletters.

Tentative agreement reached on safe return

LAUSD agrees to all 3 safety conditions supported by UTLA members

We are proud to announce that LAUSD has agreed to all three safety criteria voted by an overwhelming majority of UTLA members (91% yes) as the necessary conditions for a safe return to in-person teaching and learning. These elements are:

• Full vaccination for school staff. All educators and staff have been prioritized for vaccinations.

• Returning only when LA County is out of the purple tier. Los Angeles County must be in the Red Tier, and the parties will bargain over any change to the Los Angeles County risk level tier.

• Enforceable safety conditions and protocols at every school, including PPE, physical distancing, improved ventilation, and daily cleaning.

The tentative agreement includes hybrid instructional models for physically reopening schools when the safety conditions are reached. The agreement is the result of weeks of complicated work in bargaining and, most critically, UTLA members’ united stand against a premature return that would have endangered staff, students, and their families.

“With all of our key safety protocols met, this agreement reflects a uniform health and safety plan that we can be proud of as educators and that puts us on the path for a safe return, across LAUSD and in all of our schools,” UTLA President Cecily-Myart Cruz says.

The agreement lays out the conditions that must be met before a physical return, but it does not set an arbitrary date for a return. The full tentative agreement will be emailed to members tomorrow and posted on utla.net.

“The health and safety agreement locks in concrete, enforceable safety protocols that allow school communities to hold the district accountable for these conditions, as opposed to conditions we may not have control over without an agreement,” UTLA Bargaining Team Chair Arene Inouye says.

The agreement covers hybrid schedules for early education, elementary, and secondary. Bargaining continues for adult education, special education, and health and human services.

The tentative agreement will be voted on by UTLA members. Dates and details of the ratification vote will be announced later this week, and Chapter Chairs will be meeting on Thursday to review the agreement.

3.5.21.

91% YES: UTLA members overwhelmingly unite behind a safe return

UTLA members have voted overwhelmingly to resist a premature and unsafe physical return to school sites. Over five days of voting March 1 through 5 conducted by Integrity Voting Systems, 24,580 ballots were cast, with 91% Yes ballots (22,480) and 9% No (2,100).

“This vote signals that in these most trying times, our members will not accept a rushed return that would endanger the safety of educators, students, and families,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said.

The vote result means that members are prepared to refuse to accept an unsafe work assignment but will instead remain committed to distance learning until the three safety criteria are met:

• LA County is out of the purple tier;

• staff are either fully vaccinated or provided access to full vaccination;

• and safety conditions are in place at our schools including PPE, physical distancing, improved ventilation, and daily cleaning.

“Last March when educators first closed our classrooms and offices, we didn’t know that a year later we would still be physically separated from the students and communities we love,” Myart-Cruz said. “It has been a painful and difficult year for everyone. As much as educators long to be back to in-person instruction, it must be done safely for the sake of students, staff, and families. That has been our guiding principal from Day 1 of this pandemic.”

With COVID vaccines for school staff rolling out and infection rates decreasing, LA County is making progress toward the necessary conditions for a safe return, but we are not there yet. Some educators are having difficulty securing vaccination appointments, infection rates are still too high in many of the hard-hit communities we serve, and COVID variants could change the trajectory of the virus.

The overwhelming solidarity of our vote comes as legislators and Governor Newsom made last-minute changes to AB 86, the school reopening bill, redefining the COVID-19 tiers to try to push districts into returning to in-person instruction at levels that have been considered dangerous for close to a year.

LA continues to be the epicenter of the return-to-school debate, and the pressure on UTLA educators individually and collectively has been intense.

“Teaching in a pandemic is not easy. Standing up for students and our most marginalized communities is not easy. But our members continue to do both of these things, day in and day out because that’s our job,” Myart-Cruz said.

In the wake of the member vote, we will continue our parent and community outreach on the safe physical return to schools with a parent townhall on Saturday, March 13. We’ll share more details next week with chapter leaders so that you can invite parents from your school community.

Why it is currently unsafe to reopen LAUSD schools

• LA County remains in the deep purple tier, and the communitIes we serve are at greater risk than others. Black, Latino, and Pacific Islander residents are dying at disproportionately higher rates and getting vaccinated at disproportionately lower rates. The COVID-19 death rate among Latinx families in L.A. County is three times the rate for white residents.
  

• The overall LA County case rate does not reflect the infection levels in the LAUSD community. The state threshold for a county to be able to reopen elementary schools is 25 cases per100,000 people. In Los Angeles county, that number is brought down by wealthy communities such as La Cañada, which has a level of less than 2 cases per 100,000. Many of the communities we serve have levels of the virus 15 times greater than those in La Cañada.

• Safety standards are being eroded. In November, the Department of Public Health said it was unsafe to reopen until cases were below 7 per 100,000. Suddenly, Gavin Newsom and the Department of Public Health claim it’s safe to reopen elementary schools at 25 cases per 100,000 people. Why the change? One major factor is pressure from the Chamber of Commerce and other business interests, which want our students’ parents to go back to work, no matter the danger to their or their families’ health. They are putting profits before people.
  

• Troubling new COVID developments are not being taken seriously. LA County has reported a more than 35% increase in children with MIS-C, a rare and potentially fatal inflammatory syndrome. Latino children account for 72% of the reported cases. And the new virus variants in our communities are much more transmissible, may be more fatal, and could be more resistant to the vaccines, increasing the possibility of reinfection and another community surge in infections.

At a recent press conference, parents from low-income communities of color voice their concerns about a premature and unsafe reopening of schools

“The people speaking out are not part of our communities”

Parents call for reopening schools only when safe

Safe return: Separating politics from science

Distance learning is tough. Living through this pandemic is brutal. We all want to return to physical schools, where our students learn best and are supported by their extended learning community. But mixed messages and straight-up misinformation and disinformation are clouding the serious health and safety issues.

The call to immediately reopen schools for in-person instruction is not motivated by science — it is motivated by politics.

When Governor Newsom says schools are safe to reopen without vaccines, he should also tell us what he believes a safe number of deaths associated with that would be.

People are willfully ignoring the science and facts to score political points or, let’s be honest, to try to knock educators and unions down a peg. We will not allow this.

• It is not safe to return to in-person instruction at this time. At no point since school buildings were closed last March has LA County been out of the purple tier — the highest possible level. Purple means there is widespread COVID-19 transmission in the county.

• Mixed messages show that something other than science is at work. First Newsom said it was unsafe to reopen schools and that all teachers should be vaccinated. Now, in February, infection rates are six times higher than they were in November, but after pressure from business lobbyists and the Chamber of Commerce, Newsom has changed his tune and now says schools are safe to reopen without vaccines for educators.

• Schools in the purple tier should not reopen. Studies show that schools are safe if community transmission is under control and mitigation measures are in place. That's not the case in LA County. LA County is still in the purple tier.

• Children have a higher rate of asymptomatic infection. In LAUSD (the only school district in the state to offer widespread COVID testing) 1 in 3 children in some neighborhoods has tested positive for COVID-19. The claims that transmission does not occur in schools are often based on studies that share a vital flaw — incomplete contact tracing due to a lack of surveillance testing of often asymptomatic students. Saying no cases were found when systematic testing is not happening, particularly when community spread is high, is not a foundation on which to base a widespread return to in-person instruction.

Saying the temporary trauma from Crisis Distance Learning is greater than the illness and death of family members minimizes the reality that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts poor, Black, Latino, and Pacific Islander families in Los Angeles. Because it is the working-class families of LA who suffer the most, our elected county and state officials have made the decision to let this disease run rampant.

Although thankfully, serious illness and death among children are rare, 78% of the children who have died in the US are children of color. If this disease was disproportionately killing white children, parents, and grandparents, it’s likely the response to COVID-19 from our politicians would have looked very different.

Vaccines for school educators and staff, mitigation strategies (such as community vaccinations, physical distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, and isolation/quarantine), and low community transmission rates are all part of the solution to reopen schools safely — and that is the path we continue to pursue. That is the path based on science and the path that puts the health and safety of our school staff, our students, and their families before politics.

Agreement reached for vaccination services by school nurses

Late last night, we reached a sideletter agreement with the district for our school nurses to provide vaccinations if the district secures the vaccines to do so. Recognizing the central role a school nurse plays in the opening and beginning of a school year, the agreement allows nurses to return to their school sites full-time one week before school begins. The agreement also creates two nurse workgroups that will meet regularly to find solutions for new or ongoing workload and testing/vaccination program issues.

School nurses are already doing critically needed work at the school-based testing sites, and the sideletter will be an extension of that essential role. Shout-out to the school nurses who joined our bargaining team this week and amplified the focus on safety and workload issues: Lynn Sommer, Cecille Basilio, Sabrina Gustin, Donna Cross, Stephanie Yellin-Mednick, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Autumn Hickok, and Susan Domingo.

Bargaining update 01.25.2021

• In accordance with our second semester sideletter agreement, we are in bargaining with the district on a plan to provide targeted services for high-need student groups.
  

• The district has proposed a plan that would require in-person service for:
  
  Regular Special Education instruction
  Regular Early Education instruction
  Designated instructional services for students with IEPs and 504s
  Special Education assessments
  EL assessments
  One-on-one and small group tutoring
  School-based distance learning for prioritized student groups (EL students, foster youth, and homeless youth), with substitute teachers providing in-person supervision
  

• The district proposal includes an additional $3.50 per hour for in-person service, exemption from in-person service for unit members with a medically verified health risk, adherence to all LA County Health Department guidelines, and district-provided PPE.
  

• We’ve rejected their proposal, arguing that the breadth of services is too broad and that their plan doesn’t include enough details about how it would be implemented in a safe, fair, and equitable manner for members and students. That said, we recognize the need for some in-person services to happen at school sites and are bargaining in good faith to make those services available to our neediest students, while also ensuring that to protect health and safety, only those services that are absolutely necessary take place at physical school sites.
  

• Last Thursday, we presented a counterproposal to the district that would require some Special Education teachers to conduct in-person IEP assessments, require some EL designees to provide the ELPAC in person for English Learners, and require some related service providers to provide in-person services that can be conducted safely and not virtually. However, we also proposed that these in-person services not be provided until the practitioners have been fully vaccinated.
  

LAUSD Proposal for Specialized Services 1-22-21

UTLA Proposal for Specialized Services 1-21-21

LAUSD Proposal for Specialized Services 1-19-21

LAUSD and the UTLA Bargaining Team are in the process of bargaining the plan for the return of individuals working with special student populations. This includes speech language pathologists. We have proposed the following solutions for consideration: 1) continuation of VOLUNTARY in-person service delivery and assessments for members who feels safe, and 2) expansion of virtual special education evaluations to include initial assessments, as well as re-evaluations and 3-year IEPs with proposed changes in service delivery, placement, and/or eligibility. We have written a letter and are gathering signatures now in support of this plan. The current Side letter states that a plan must be bargained by January 24 (this upcoming Sunday). The plan we have proposed allows us to keep as many members safely at home as possible, while also ensuring we continue to serve our students. We will send the letter and all signatures to the UTLA Bargaining Team this week, as well as our own department administration so both sides are in the loop. The more signatures we have, the better! Your signatures are our way of showing unity as we organize together during this tumultuous time in an effort to keep members and students as safe as possible.

ACTION ITEM: PLEASE SIGN THE SLP LETTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but no later than Wednesday, 01/20/2021 to ensure the Bargaining Team has time to present it to LAUSD if needed. Help us spread the word by sending the link to your friends as well to ensure we are getting as many signatures as we can. Click here to review the letter and sign it.

*Here is the direct link to the letter, in case you need to copy and paste it: https://forms.gle/aJEFYDN55D2FZBmDA

Bargaining continues this month

UTLA and LAUSD are back in bargaining over plans for hybrid instruction if a physical return becomes possible at some point during the second semester. We are also bargaining over plans for how to provide in-person services for targeted student populations when it is safe to do so. We have had two sessions so far.

Per the agreement reached in December to extend the terms of the Distance Learning sideletter, the parties are obligated to reach agreement on these “plans” by January 24, 2021. This does not mean such plans would be implemented upon agreement. The timing will be determined by health and safety factors, and with the ongoing deadly virus surge in LA County, it likely would not be safe anytime soon.

Healthcare agreement reached: We are gratified to announce that we, along with our partners in the other LAUSD employee unions, have reached an agreement with LAUSD to extend the current healthcare contract for another year. With healthcare more critical than ever during this pandemic, employees are assured of continued coverage, with no changes to plans.

12.18.020

Sideletter agreements reached on distance learning

With a priority on consistency and stability amid a surging pandemic, UTLA and LAUSD have agreed to extend the terms of the current Distance Learning sideletter agreement with some adjustments that fall within the current 360-minute workday.

“We are gratified to reach an agreement to extend the sideletter, which is what our students need right now,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “In the face of the upheaval we are all dealing with, educators, students, and families need stability most of all, and our Bargaining Team worked 24-7 to meet that need.”

The sideletter extension includes:

• Maintenance of 360-minute day for classroom teachers

• Maintenance of total instructional minutes in current sideletter

• Maintenance of work flexibility for members outside of the school instructional day

• Maintenance of guaranteed work for substitute members

• Maintenance of current synchronous instruction requirements Tuesday-Friday

• Additional synchronous instructional minutes on Mondays for grades 1-12

• 15 additional minutes at the end of Monday for PD, grade level, or department meetings

• 30 minutes of additional office hours on Tuesday-Friday for connecting with students and families, with teachers having the flexibility to schedule these minutes at their discretion

Both sides agree to bargain hybrid plan and in-person services for high-need students

UTLA and LAUSD reached agreement to bargain in January over plans for hybrid instruction if a physical return becomes possible at some point during the second semester and to bargain over plans for how to provide in-person services for targeted student populations. The sideletter obligates UTLA and LAUSD to reach an agreement on these plans by the end of January.

While we would have preferred an extension that doesn’t include any of the above conditions, it’s better for us to bargain over these plans for hybrid instruction and in-person services than to let the district act unilaterally. Once the current agreement expires on December 31, the district would have been able to do that.

Agreement reached on school nurses services

We have reached a separate agreement that requires school nurses to physically provide services in the testing program and at their assigned school sites, effective January 11, with a special stipend for this work.

From the beginning of the pandemic, we have prioritized the health and safety of our students, families, and communities during school campus closures. A key part of that has been a consistent demand for a robust testing and tracing program. LAUSD has done the right thing and responded with a testing program accessible to our students and communities, and school nurses are needed for the program to work.

The agreement has language to ensure that the working conditions continue to be safe (no school nurses have tested positive as a result of voluntary participation thus far) and that related workload issues will be addressed in a fair and equitable manner.

Gearing up for January bargaining

Come January, when we bargain over plans (which doesn’t mean immediate implementation) for hybrid instructional schedules and targeted in-person services, we will bargain hard as we always do, but we need every chapter to work with their cluster leaders and build or rebuild their CAT (Chapter Action Teams), and be ready to talk with parents, target politicians, and act collectively to continue protecting our members, students, and communities.

We’re having an all-city chapter leader meeting on January 8, 2021, and this will be one of the primary focus points.

There will be struggle over these issues across the state and country, and UTLA will continue to lead as part of that struggle. Since the beginning of the school closures, we’ve had three primary goals in bargaining: protect our members from being forced to physically return to campuses unless it’s safe, protect distance learning schedules that are reasonable and flexible, and ensure the best possible learning opportunities for students in an almost impossible situation. We have succeeded on each goal for ten months and will continue fighting to do so in the second semester.

12.13.2020.

Bargaining update

• In light of the accelerating COVID-19 surge, our current focus in bargaining is an extension of the 2020-2021 Distance Learning Sideletter for the second semester. The current agreement expires on December 31, and our goal is to ensure stability.
  An extension may include some minor modifications to the daily teacher schedules, with increased office hours for connecting with students and families and additional synchronous instructional minutes on Mondays, but we’re pushing to ensure that such modifications fall within the current 360- minute workday for teachers and that the rest of the agreement remain intact. In the face of the upheaval we are all dealing with, educators, students, and families need stability.
  

• From the beginning of the pandemic, we have prioritized the health and safety of our students, families and communities during school campus closures. A key part of that has been a consistent demand that a robust testing and tracing program. LAUSD has done the right thing and responded with a testing program accessible to our students and communities. As part of an extension of the current distance learning agreement, the district is proposing that nurses be required to physically provide services in the testing program, effective January 11. Cecily Myart-Cruz and the bargaining team met with roughly 200 school nurses on Saturday to explain the proposal and hear concerns, and we will work in bargaining to ensure that the working conditions continue to be safe (no school nurses have tested positive as a result of voluntary participation thus far), and that related workload issues are addressed in a fair and equitable manner. Our school nurses are needed for the COVID 19 testing program to work, and a robust testing program is essential for the health and safety procedures required to contain the virus. We will have more information soon. We continue to bargain with LAUSD on Monday.
  

• We are also committed to bargain the details of hybrid schedules so as to be prepared if a physical return becomes possible at some point during the second semester, which is far from certain.

Email 12.07.20202

Bargaining update

• In light of the accelerating and dangerous COVID-19 surge, our current focus in bargaining has shifted to an extension of the LAUSD 2020-2021 Distance Learning Side Letter for the second semester. The current agreement expires on December 31. Our priority is to bargain an extension of a quality distance learning program until, when, and IF, we can safely reopen schools.
  

• After that, we are committed to bargain the details of hybrid schedules so as to be prepared if a physical return becomes possible at some point during the second semester, which is far from certain. We are pushing for no roving teachers, no roving students, no in-person and remote teaching at the same time, isolated cohorts of students who don't interact with other cohorts, no am/pm cohort rotation for elementary schools, and minimal master schedule changes to the greatest degree possible. Other physical return issues (e.g., leave rights, health and safety, special education services, HHS, early education, adult education, and itinerants) will be bargained after we reach agreement on the schedules.
  
  

All school-based services and child care services will be shut down

• Citing the high COVID-19 infection rates, Austin Beutner announced this morning that all school-based and child care services will be discontinued as of December 10 and will remain closed until at least January 11. This includes all of the voluntary in-person side letter agreements, except for the COVID-19 testing program that affects nurses. The Grab ‘n Go food program will also continue.
  

• Teachers who work at school sites have from Monday to Wednesday of this week to take home materials and other personal belongings. We agree with this decision and view it as a prudent step in light of the current COVID-19 numbers.

Surging COVID infections impact bargaining

California reached another troubling COVID-19 milestone this week, with new records in the number of infections and hospitalizations. On Tuesday LA County reported more than 7,500 new cases — a dramatic one-day rise. Federal, state, and local officials must take more aggressive action to slow the spread of the virus before hospitals are overwhelmed and our communities suffer even more severely. We are working with labor and community allies to amplify the demand for more immediate action against the virus.

We continue to bargain with LAUSD, but a physical return is not imminent, and no one at the table — UTLA or LAUSD — is pushing for a specific date to return. This deadly virus surge is not where we wanted to be right now. We wanted to be closer to a physical return that reunites us with our students, but instead we are moving farther away. It's clear that, at minimum, there will not be a physical return in January, and there is no clarity on whether a physical return will be possible this school year. In other words, it’s not a question of when, but if, LAUSD schools will physically reopen during the second semester of the 2020-2021 school year.

However, if we do not bargain over potential hybrid schedules, the district will be able to unilaterally impose their own version if there is a physical reopening at some point. We are using this time to bargain hybrid schedules if a physical return becomes possible. Hybrid schedules are complicated and imperfect. We will work through the questions and issues together as UTLA members and colleagues as bargaining progresses. We are pushing for no roving teachers, no roving students, no in-person and remote teaching at the same time (teachers would not concurrently teach via Zoom and live in the classroom), isolated cohorts of students who don’t interact with other cohorts, no am/pm cohort rotation for elementary schools, and minimal master schedule changes to the greatest degree possible. Upon reaching an agreement on the potential hybrid schedules, we’ll start bargaining safety procedures and protocols for every school; accommodations for members with identified health risks; and special education services, HHS services, and itinerant educator services.

We are close to an agreement with LAUSD to extend the current Distance Learning Side Letter. This is essential, because the current agreement expires on December 31. Stay tuned for more info.

LAUSD surveys will yield critical data. The LAUSD surveys for families and employees on a return to campus have landed as COVID infections go in the opposite direction of a safe physical return to school. This heightens anxieties around the survey, but we encourage everyone to take it. Solid data is needed to plan and negotiate the details of a physical return, if one happens this school year. We also want to encourage you to reach out to LAUSD parents and remind them to fill out the survey as well.

Agreement reached for providing EEC services

The work our EEC staff do with our youngest learners is foundational and sets students on the path to continued success, and we are gratified to have reached an agreement last week providing voluntary in-person Early Education Center services. The agreement is similar to the ones we reached for voluntary DIS services, student assessments, one-on-one tutoring, small group tutoring, Adult Ed/CTE instruction, physical conditioning for team sports, and nurses working in the COVID testing program.

Bargaining these agreements has been important to ensure clear safety procedures for all volunteers and protect the right to decline or withdraw from participation without reprisal. Under our agreement with the district, any in-person services provided by UTLA members are strictly voluntary.

OR READ HERE........

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND UNITED TEACHERS LOS ANGELES SIDETLETTER ADDRESSING VOLUNTARY IN-PERSON DESIGNATED INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES BY UTLA-REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES

Description:The Los Angeles Unified School District (“District”) and United Teachers Los Angeles (“UTLA”) recognize the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic depriving the students of Los Angeles of certain vital services. The parties are committed to providing voluntary in-person Designated Instructional Services (“DIS”) to students with disabilities who are having difficulty accessing services and/or learning virtually. Additionally, they acknowledge the responsibility to create and maintain safe conditions as set by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health(“LACDPH”) to ensure the safe delivery of these services. Conditions for Voluntary Service:

1.Participation by UTLA bargaining unit members shall be voluntary.

2.Services will be provided on a one-to-one basis (one employee to one student).

3.Participating unit members shall be allowed to withdraw from participation without reprisal, but shall be encouraged to provide at least 48-hour prior notice prior to withdrawing.

4.Services will be provided in an outdoor covered area when practical. UTLA bargaining unit members may elect to work in classrooms with sufficient space for compliance with social distancing protocols and adequate air circulation.

5.Staffing may include a service provider and paraprofessional working under the direction of a service provider each working with a student separately.

6.DIS services are to be provided during the regular work hours of the employee and operational hours of the District facility.

7.As needed, the District may offer voluntary additional hours outside of the employee’s workday to provide DIS services to be paid at the employee’s hourly rate.

8.If the service is scheduled and the student is absent without providing a 6-hour prior notice, the UTLA bargaining unit member shall be compensated at their hourly rate if they provide services to another available student or utilize the time to plan for future assessment during the scheduled time.

9.UTLA bargaining unit members and students shall be tested at a District testing facility or private facility of the employee’s or family’s choice following the District’s protocol for COVID-19 and cleared before providing and/or receiving in-person services.

10.Services shall be scheduled by mutual agreement between with a 20 minute transition period in between sessions for disinfecting the work area, including materials, and/or assisting students who require it, if applicable.

11.The District shall follow the guidelines set by LACDPH for the quarantine, isolation and exposure of COVID-19 for all students, parents and bargaining unit members for all District sites.

Process and Procedures:

1.Participants shall follow all social distancing and safety protocols including:

A.Daily health screening for all, including UTLA bargaining unit members, students and parents/guardians who enter campus.

B.Follow LACDPH guidelines for physical distancing when possible, which shall be no less than six (6) feet apart. When possible and practical, physical distancing shall be expanded to ten (10) feet apart and outdoor covered areas may be utilized.

C.All employees, parents/guardians and students are required to wear face coverings at all times.

D.Separately designated bathrooms for staff and students shall be available.

E.Hand sanitizer and/or hand washing locations provided for all staff and students.

2.The District shall disinfect all workstations utilized for DIS services in accordance with LACDPH guidelines on a daily basis.

3.Service provided will log their services into the Welligent System.

4.There is to be a pre-designated drop-off and pick-up location for students.Materials:

1.All UTLA represented employees shall be provided all required Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) such as:

A.Face coverings, including specialized coverings (e.g. transparent face coverings for speech teachers, DHH).

B.Face Shields ( upon employee request)

C.Hand sanitizer and/or hand washing location

D.Gloves

2.Applicable service materials and school supplies (e.g. pens, pencils, paper) shall be utilizedno more than once a day and sanitized after each usage.The parties may reopen the terms of this sideletter one month after its signing upon written request of either party.

This sideletter shall be in effect until December 31, 2020 or when students return physically to a school site for hybrid or regular instruction, whichever occurs

first.___________________________________________________________________UTLADATE___________________________________________________________________LAUSDDATEOctober 29, 2020October 29, 2020

UTLA has reached sideletter agreements with LAUSD on safety and working conditions for members voluntarily providing in-person tutoring, assessments, and targeted adult education classes — all programs that require some level of in-person work.

"We are gratified that we could reach an agreement that supports our most vulnerable students and follows best practices to uphold the health and safety of our school communities," UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said.

Participation in all three programs will be voluntary, with employees allowed to refuse participation or withdraw from participation without reprisal. The district must follow LA County Department of Health protocols, including daily symptom screening, physical distancing of at least 6 feet (10 feet when practical), daily sanitization of work spaces, and PPE provided for teachers and students. Additionally, all participating members and students must be tested (at a district testing facility or private facility) and cleared before providing or receiving in-person services.

Other elements:

Voluntary In-Person Tutoring

• Services will be provided on a one-to-one, voluntary basis. Staffing can include a teacher and paraprofessional working under the direction of a teacher, each working with one student separately.

• UTLA members will be compensated at their hourly rate for one hour per session, with prior administrative approval.

• Fifty-minute tutoring sessions will be scheduled in one-hour increments, by mutual agreement between 2:30 pm and 5 pm, with a 10-minute break in between sessions for sanitizing the work area.

• If the service is scheduled and the student is absent without providing a six-hour prior notice, the UTLA member will be compensated at their hourly rate if they tutor another available student or utilize the time to plan for tutoring during the scheduled time.

Voluntary In-Person Assessments

• Assessments covered include Special Education, ELPAC, Gifted, and other state and federally mandated assessments.

• Assessments will be conducted one-on-one on a voluntary basis during the regular work hours of the employee, with voluntary additional hours paid at the employee’s hourly rate. Staffing can include a teacher and paraprofessional working under the direction of a teacher, each working with one student.

• For assessments conducted outside of the employee’s workday: If the scheduled student is absent without providing a six-hour prior notice, the UTLA member will be paid for assessing another available student or completing assessment reports.

Voluntary Adult Education/DACE Certification Hands-On Programs only

• Courses will have enrollment maximums. Instructors can withdraw from the program with no reprisal if maximums are exceeded or if the member feels there is a danger of COVID infection.

• Agreement specifies the mix of online and in-person instructional hours for each course.

TEXT OF SIDELETTER AGREEMENTS

In-Person Tutoring

In-Person Assessments

Adult Education (DACE) Agreement

LA COUNTY ANNOUNCEMENT September 2020

Special education

Many of our members are rightfully concerned about the new guidelines allowing districts in LA County to reopen schools to provide in-person services for our special education students. UTLA stands strongly against any physical return to schools unless it is safe for our members, students, and communities, and that is not the case at this point. We double down when unilateral guidance impacts our most vulnerable students and communities who are suffering disproportionate infection and death rates during the COVID pandemic. The UTLA-LAUSD Distance Learning Sideletter makes it explicitly clear that no UTLA members can be required to physically return to work at an LAUSD building or facility until schools are physically reopened for all students, or as bargained in a separate agreement. In other words, the new county guidelines do not allow the district to require a physical return to work for our members.

Assessments

The Distance Learning Work Group is meeting with the district this week to discuss upcoming assessments. We are pushing the district to produce a statement from the Office of General Counsel to address member concerns on 1:1 and small group settings for these assessments.

BREAKING NEWS!

95% OF UTLA MEMBERS RATIFY THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT!

UTLA members ratify TA: 95% yes

UTLA members voted overwhelmingly to ratify the tentative agreement on crisis distance learning, with 95% of the 15,726 ballots cast approving of the TA. Voting was conducted by Integrity Voting Systems over three days, from August 12 to 14.

The agreement addresses crisis distance learning in LAUSD from August 3 to the end of 2020, or until students physically return to schools for regular instruction. Under the provisions, no UTLA member is required to physically return to work at an LAUSD building until schools are physically reopened for all students. The agreement creates a structured school day with some flexibility and pedagogical discretion, and a Smart Start to the school year with training time for educators and students on technology and remote learning.

The agreement also creates a Distance Learning workgroup that will allow us to continue to push the district for improvements as issues come up. Educators should share concerns in your UTLA chapter meetings so that chapter leaders can bring issues to the workgroup and we can present those issues with collective support. Other issues can be organized around within your chapter.

"This agreement is what we need in this time of crisis to strengthen teaching and learning and expand the social-emotional supports our students need," UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. "Crisis distance learning is not ideal, but it is a temporary and necessary solution to keep our communities safe. We are five months into a global pandemic that has aggravated the racial and social inequities that plague our society. Our political and economic leaders need to get serious about giving our schools the funding to reopen safely and giving our communities the safety net to survive the devastation of this pandemic.”

UTLA continues to fight for the resources necessary for a safe physical return to schools, including campaigning vigorously for Prop. 15, which would raise $12 billion for schools and social services.

LINKS

Full Text of Tentative Agreement

Distance Learning Schedules

Summary of Agreement

FAQs on TA

Cecily's Friday update

Watch on our YouTube channel

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(213) 487-5560 | (800) 556-8852

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08.12.2020.

HOW TO VOTE ON THE

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

Hello wonderful UTLA LAS Members!

Voting on the Tentative Agreement has begun today and as I move to cast my vote, I am so proud to be in a district all of you members who make our union so strong. Passing this agreement this week sends a clear message that we will protect ourselves, our teachers, our students, and the thousands on thousands of people in contact with all of us everyday.

Important notes:

The email is coming from Integrity Voting Systems and has the subject line "IMPORTANT: Online Voting Information for the UTLA-LAUSD 2020-2021 Distance Learning Sideletter." The email is not coming from UTLA directly.

Check your junk folder and all your email addresses, just to make sure!

If you did not receive this email, make ONE request at the following website: Replacement Online Ballots Webform.

If there is a "0" in front of your employee number, omit it on the form.

If you would like to see the UTLA email that went out today, look here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know!

Monday 08.03.2020

08.12.2020.

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School Board unanimously approves TA — now UTLA members vote

The LAUSD School Board yesterday unanimously approved the tentative agreement UTLA reached with the district. Now voting is under way for UTLA members, with online balloting being held over three days — August 12, 13, and 14. Polls will close Friday, August 14, at 5 pm.

The tentative agreement is a win in uncertain times that protects health and safety, strengthens distance learning, and expands student supports. Learn more about specific provisions in our TA video series with the UTLA Bargaining Team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

LINKS

Full Text of Tentative Agreement

Distance Learning Schedules

Summary of Agreement

FAQs on TA

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UTLA and LAUSD reach tentative agreement on distance learning

We have reached an agreement with LAUSD on distance learning for 2020-21 that meets our top priorities of protecting the health and safety of staff and students and strengthening crisis distance learning. Among the big-picture elements:

• No required physical return to campuses for any UTLA member (classroom or nonclassroom personnel) until students return or a new agreement is reached. LAUSD had wanted educators to teach daily from their classrooms.
  

• Expanded social-emotional supports for students.
  

• Consistent daily instructional schedules with regular student-teacher engagement that includes — but does not solely rely on — live instruction. LAUSD had wanted a micro-structured day that relied almost entirely on synchronous instruction.
  

• No evaluation of permanent educators (classroom or non-classroom) for 2020-21.
  

• Educators won’t be disciplined for an unexpected disruption that happens during instruction.
  

• A “Smart Start” to the school year to set the stage for teaching and learning, including using instructional time for walk-through sessions on technology to be used in class and time for outreach to students and parents.

There is much more in the agreement on Special Education, Non-Classroom Educators, Substitute Teachers, Early Learners, and more. Read the full tentative agreement, distance learning schedules, and a summary of key elements.

INFORMATION & RATIFICATION TIMELINE

The agreement is tentative, pending a vote of UTLA members and the LAUSD School Board.

August 3: UTLA Bargaining Team members will walk through the agreement during Facebook Live at 1 pm. Video will be available for viewing after as well.

August 3-7: FAQs emailed to members and videos on different elements of agreement posted regularly on social media.

August 5-7: Agreement discussed at the UTLA Leadership Conference, with special session during Core Training on Thursday. All members welcome to attend the free conference. Registration deadline has been extended to Monday night, August 3. Register here.

August 7-11: Chapters hold meetings to discuss the agreement.

After August 11 (Voting Dates TBA): Members vote online, with personalized PIN. Election run by Integrity Voting Systems.

Only UTLA members can vote on the tentative agreement. If you know a nonmember, encourage them to sign up for membership and have their voice heard.

LINKS

• Full Text of Tentative Agreement

• Distance Learning Schedules

• Tentative Agreement Summary

• UTLA Leadership Conference Registration

Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved.

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3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor | Los Angeles CA | 90010

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Sunday 08.02.20. 11pm

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UTLA and LAUSD reach tentative agreement

After a marathon weekend of bargaining, UTLA and LAUSD reached a tentative agreement late tonight on crisis distance learning for 2020-21.

The full text of the TA and a summary will be sent to members first thing tomorrow morning, and at 1 pm members of the Bargaining Team will walk through the agreement on Facebook Live.

The agreement is tentative, pending a vote of UTLA members and the LAUSD School Board. More details on the voting timeline tomorrow.

Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved.

Our address is:

3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor | Los Angeles CA | 90010

(213) 487-5560 | (800) 556-8852

630pm 06.31.20.

Friday: Bargaining continues into the night

UTLA and LAUSD have not yet reached an agreement on remote learning for the start of the 2020-21 school year, but significant progress has been made.

Much of today's back-and-forth has been on the daily instructional schedule. We are pressing for a consistent instructional schedule with regular student-teacher engagement that respects educators' professional discretion.

Bargaining will continue into the night. When an agreement is reached, it will be voted on by UTLA members.

Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved.

Our address is:

3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor | Los Angeles CA | 90010

(213) 487-5560 | (800) 556-8852

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UTLA Social Media Feed 06.31.20

https://www.facebook.com/UTLAnow

Update 07.30.20.

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Update from bargaining

In bargaining today, UTLA presented a revised instructional schedule and proposals on remote learning as it impacts all of our members, including classroom teachers, itinerant educators, nonclassroom staff, substitutes, and teachers in adult education, special education, and early education.

As we reported yesterday, the two sides have agreed to:

• drop LAUSD's proposal requiring our members to teach virtually from the classroom

• accept UTLA’s proposal that there be no evaluation of permanent teachers in 2020-21

• accept UTLA’s conceptual proposal for a “Smart Start” of the school year.

We will be back at the table tomorrow determined to get an agreement as soon as possible. We believe we are headed in the right direction to build a more robust remote learning program that works better for students, parents, and educators. When an agreement is reached, it will be put to a vote of the UTLA membership.

Watch Facebook Live tomorrow at 8 am to hear the highlights from the bargaining table.

UTLA Parent Survey affirms what we’re fighting for

From late June through July, UTLA surveyed parents to gather input on the safe, equitable, and appropriate return to schools. More than 3,000 LAUSD parents/guardians responded to the UTLA Parent/Guardian survey.

According to our initial analysis of the survey results, parents’ top three priorities for distance education are, in order of priority: live instruction with smaller groups of students; virtual office hours for students and parents/guardians to meet with teachers; and live meetings with the teacher and the whole class.

Other key findings confirm that the digital divide cuts deeply across race and class lines and that students need more socio-emotional support to deal with pandemic-related trauma:

• 22% of families earning less than $15,000 a year report not having reliable internet access, while only 2.7% of families making over $150,000 reported problems with internet connectivity.
  

• 15% of parents said that they “do not have enough devices for everyone to use at the same time as needed." That number climbs to 25% for families making less than $15,000 a year.
  

• 35% of parents reported that their “children are more sad or anxious than usual” during the pandemic.
  

• Asian, Black, Filipino, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islanders were 6.5 times more likely than white parents to report that “food insecurity is a concern for my family” (8% BIPOC versus 1% white) and 2.5 times more likely to report that “housing insecurity is a concern for my family” (5% BIPOC versus 2% white).
  

The parent feedback amplifies the need for our contract proposals — like the Smart Start to focus on socio-emotional support and give students and teachers time to become comfortable with the tools of distance learning — and for our advocacy for the sustained economic and social support LAUSD communities need to recover from this unprecedented pandemic.

We’ll be sharing more results from the Parent/Guardian Survey in the coming weeks

LINKS

UTLA Proposal on Instructional Schedule 7-30-20

UTLA Proposal on Remote Learning 7-30-20

TOMORROW at 8 AM: Highlights from the Bargaining Table

get the latest on the web

Update 07.29.20.

Progress in bargaining: LAUSD drops requirement to teach virtually from the classroom

The UTLA Bargaining Team met with LAUSD again today and reports significant progress. The two sides have agreed to:

• drop LAUSD's proposal requiring our members to teach virtually from the classroom
  

• accept UTLA’s proposal that there be no evaluation of permanent teachers in 2020-21
  

• accept UTLA’s conceptual proposal for a “Smart Start” of the school year.

“By focusing on social-emotional learning, walk-through sessions on technology, and parent outreach, the Smart Start to the school year recognizes this unprecedented moment and lays the groundwork for stronger crisis remote learning,” UTLA Bargaining Co-Chair Arlene Inouye said. “We are gratified that the district abandoned its risky proposal to require all educators to teach from school sites. This will help protect the health and safety of our members, especially those with health conditions or at-risk family members at home.”

We still have many outstanding issues to bargain, including the length of the work day, the structure of the work day, and UTLA’s proposal for a weekly Student Support Day. For context, here are instructional schedules proposed by UTLA and instructional schedules proposed by LAUSD this week.

Also to be discussed further is the option for members to teach from their own classrooms on a voluntary basis. As the pandemic continues to worsen, UTLA has serious concerns about the health and safety of our members. The district has yet to provide clear safety protocols or evidence that it has secured the testing and Personal Protective Equipment necessary for staff to work from school sites, among other issues.

Our Bargaining Team is working hard to reach an agreement and will be back at the table tomorrow. When we reach an agreement with the district, it will be put to a vote of the membership.

LINKS: Proposed Instructional Schedules

UTLA Proposal 7-28

LAUSD Proposal 7-29

FACEBOOK LIVE FRIDAY:

Hear from members of the UTLA Bargaining Team

Monday, August 3: National Day of Resistance

LOCAL ACTION: Meet at LA Area Chamber of Commerce at 10 am

On August 3, communities on the frontlines for racial justice in the US public school system will join forces to demand a safe, scientific, racially just and fully funded approach to reopening schools. In Los Angeles, achieving safe, healthy, equitable schools means we must choose students over billionaires.

Meet at 10 am at the LA Area Chamber of Commerce (350 S Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA 90017) for an action that will include LAUSD headquarters. Please bring a mask and practice social distancing. For more information, email info@reclaimourschoolsla.org or check out the event flyer.

Our demands:

• No return to physical schools until science and data supports it

• Police-free schools

• Close the digital divide to boost online learning

• Safe conditions like small class sizes, PPE, testing and tracing, sanitization capacity

• Protect our families and communities: prohibit evictions and foreclosures due to loss of income during COVID-19, a Safety Net 4 All regardless of immigration status, and on-the-job safety protocols for all workers

• Raise revenue to reopen schools: tax billionaires and Wall Street, which are making huge profit during the pandemic

• Support revenue for our schools through Schools and Communities First (Prop 15)

• All schools should be community schools: more counselors, nurses, and student supports

• Moratorium on new charters and co-locations

Join, like, and share the August 3 Facebook event

Friday deadline to register for free UTLA Leadership Conference

Friday is the deadline to register for the 2020 Leadership Conference — our first-ever virtual version of the annual event. Over three days, we will strategize and organize as we recognize our responsibility in this unique moment to rise together for the safety, health, and well-being of our students and communities.

There is no fee to attend. Many of the sessions are for members only, but the State of the Union address on Wednesday and the Black Lives Matter panel on Thursday will be streamed live on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s a quick breakdown for the three days:

• On Wednesday at 3:30 pm, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz will deliver her first State of the Union address, followed by a virtual DJ party at the Member Reception.
  

• Thursday will begin with Core Trainings from 9 am to 11 am, followed by a panel discussion from 11:15 am to 1 pm with activists who have been leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement long before it was a global phenomenon.
  

• On Friday at 9 am, Dr. Bettina Love will deliver the keynote address on how we acknowledge the institutional racism in education with honesty and embrace a revisioning of pedagogy and practice to improve educational opportunities for Black students. At 10 am the UTLA officers will address the conference, and then participants will break into groups for the UTLA Area meetings from 10:30 am to noon.

Register at bit.ly/UTLALC2020. Deadline is Friday, July 31

Registrants: Look for an email on Monday with conference links and info

Yes on 15 to protect homeowners and fairly tax corporation

The Schools and Communities First ballot initiative marks the most serious effort in decades to repair the damage caused by Prop. 13, particularly to our education system. Prop. 13 proponents want us to believe that the measure protects everyone equally — but that’s not true. Taxes for commercial properties have barely gone up the past two decades because businesses can circumvent the kind of reassessments that the average homeowner cannot avoid. This means that time has stood still for corporate properties while more and more of the tax burden has shifted to homeowners. In Los Angeles County, 57 percent of industrial and commercial properties haven’t been reassessed for two decades.

Schools and Communities First — Prop. 15 on the November ballot — would begin to rebalance the scales by leaving intact Prop. 13’s restrictions against raising taxes on homeowners but changing the way commercial properties are assessed. This shift would reclaim $12 billion a year for schools and community services.

Further Update 07.28.20.

08.11.21.