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Jennifer Liebe-Zelazny, a teacher at Alta Loma Elementary School, is ready to go on strike if no agreement is reached on Monday, but she knows it will cost her fourth-graders .
Roxanne Turpen for NPR
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Roxanne Turpen for NPR
Jennifer Liebe-Zelazny, a teacher at Alta Loma Elementary School, is ready to go on strike if no agreement is reached on Monday, but she knows it will cost her fourth-graders .
Roxanne Turpen for NPR
On Friday, Rosa Jimenez, a teacher in Los Angeles, began her history class in the United States with a question for her students:
"What does a union do?"
Juniors at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools go through their Notes. At the back of the room, a student, Ingrid, raises her hand:
"A union is a workers' organization formed to benefit workers" she explains . They talk about "wages, benefits and working conditions."
"Awesome," Jimenez continues, "and what are they capable of doing? It's that word – we wrote the definition."
"Strike," says the class in unison.
Jimenez gives this lesson with an eye on the possible teachers strike in Los Angeles this Monday.
More than 30,000 members of United Teachers Los Angeles is working without a contract for more than a year.On Friday, the union met again with the leaders of the unified school district of Los Angeles to try to reach an agreement.LAUSD is the second largest school district in the country and a strike would affect approximately 480,000 public school students.
Friday's negotiations take place one day after California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a draft budget providing additional funding for public education. 39, announced by the Democratic governor, LAUSD declared that he was ready to put more money to respond to the demands of the union.These demands include notably smaller classes and more nurses, librarians and counselors.
In case of a strike, the district indicates that the schools would remain open at the same hours, with the same programs before and after school. . He also said that student learning will always take place, with plans to staff schools of directors, volunteers and 400 newly hired faculty. Managers are responsible for creating plans for a school day – or more – without teachers, and it is unclear how many students would still attend classes.
Rosa Escobar and her daughter Kimberly prepare to open their home to striking teachers on Monday. "We went to Costco today, so we have a big pack of toilet paper on the spot," said Escobar.
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While some parents are still aware of the strike, others have turned to social media to show their support for teachers and organize sign – making parties.
Mother Rosa Escobar went even further: she plans to open her house. to striking teachers at Alta Loma Primary School, located nearby, where his daughter is in fifth grade.
"We went to Costco today, so we have a big package of toilet paper right here," she said Thursday.
Escobar isn The only relative of Alta Loma to have considered what he would do in case of a strike.
According to Mary Fuentes, it is important that Jennifer, her little girl, go to school, even if her teachers are not. learn more and at home they do not do anything. "
Leann White plans to keep her first-grade daughter, Saniya, at home, but she understands parents who may not be able to make that choice."
"They will want to support the teachers, but they will have to send them to school because "If I do not send you to school, how will I make money?" "
Kimberly Escobar, a grade five student at Alta Loma Elementary School, understands that her teacher may go on strike.
Roxanne Turpen for NPR
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Roxanne Turpen for NPR
Kimberly Escobar, a grade five student at Alta Loma Elementary School, understands that her teacher may go on strike.
Roxanne Turpen for NPR
Jennifer Liebe-Zelazny, a teacher at Alta Loma, is ready to go on strike if no agreement is reached on Monday. But she knows that it will cost her fourth grade students a lot of money.
"I am obviously very worried if it leaves a real impact on their progress," she says. "I'm a little stressed about it."
Liebe-Zelazny spent the past few days collecting donated books to send home with his students so that they could have something to read during the strike.
She says, "I'm trying to find a balance between being a member of a union – and not wanting to make it easier for the district – and being a teacher and mother and wanting to give everything to my children."
Los Angeles last saw a teachers' strike almost 30 years ago.
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