by e-mail from UTLA Arts Education Committee Chair Ginger Fox
13 June 2012
Dear Awesome K-12 Arts Teachers and Arts Education Advocates,
(Please forward on to your colleagues as I do not have all secondary arts teacher contact information.)
I am writing to you today as the Chair of the UTLA Arts Education Committee. I want to share with you the information that I know about the current K-12 Arts Teacher RIF situation, and potential rescissions District-wide if the Tentative Agreement is ratified. I'd also like to offer you my support and an important fight-back strategy (see below).
According to the Board of Ed Report from February 14, 2012, the following numbers of arts teachers received RIF notices:
- Music Teachers: 70 (about 22% of all Music teachers)
- Visual Arts Teachers: 100 (about 35% of all VA teachers)
Dance and Theatre teachers are much more difficult to track as the District does not currently contract in these two subjects. But from the information that I have, these are the approximate numbers of RIFs:
- Dance Teachers: 29 (about 25% of all Dance teachers)
- Theatre Teachers: 28 (about 12% of all Theatre teachers)
- Total Arts Teacher RIFs District-wide: about 225 (68 Elementary Arts, 157 Secondary Arts)
The Tentative Agreement (TA) lists 203 Elementary Arts Positions to be restored:
- While it is true that if the TA is ratified, the Elementary Arts Program would be restored to its current level (minus 20+ positions, which had previously been purchased from school sites, that will be lost due to the District hogging most categorical funds downtown).
- But, the actual Elementary Arts Teacher potential rescissions is only a mere 38 of 68 RIFs!
- 30 Elementary Arts Teachers would remain RIFed with no Elementary Arts Program positions available for them to return to!
- Dance Teachers: 7 potential rescissions + 1 definite rescission due to dual credentials; RIFs remaining: 9 (with seniority dates under PE credential back to 9/1/06, and under Elementary credential back to 9/2/05)
- Music Teachers: 19 potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: 4 (with seniority dates back to 9/1/05)
- Theatre Teachers: 9 potential rescissions + 1 definite rescission due to dual credentials; RIFs remaining: 3 (with seniority dates under Elementary credential back to 9/2/05)
- Visual Arts Teachers: 3 potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: 14 (with seniority dates all the way back to 8/28/03!)
Secondary Arts Teacher Potential Rescissions due to restoration of the Elementary Arts Program, and remaining RIFs:
- Dance Teachers: ? potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: about 12 (an 18% reduction!)
- Music Teachers: about 15 potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: about 32 (a 20% reduction since the 2010-11 school year!)
- Theatre Teachers: about 3 potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: about 12
- Visual Arts Teachers: about 19 potential rescissions; RIFs remaining: about 64 (a 40% reduction since the 2010-11 school year!)
- Total Secondary Arts Teacher Rescissions: only about 37 potential rescissions of about 157 RIFs!
TOTAL K-12 ARTS TEACHERS SAVED DISTRICT-WIDE BY THE TA: only about 75 potential rescissions of 225 RIFs! (only a 33% restoration!)
TOTAL K-12 ARTS TEACHERS LOST DISTRICT-WIDE: about 150 remaining Arts RIFs!
Please read ALL of the information regarding the TA so that you may make an informed decision, and remember to VOTE:
Full Text of the TA: http://www.utla.net/system/files/agmt_june82012.pdf
Summary of the TA: http://www.utla.net/system/files/TASummaryFINAL.pdf
Pro/Con statement of the TA: http://www.utla.net/system/files/pro-con_TA_June2012.pdf
Q & A: http://www.utla.net/system/files/TA_QA_June2012.pdf
Potential LAUSD Rescission Lists by Employee Number: http://www.teachinla.com/Placement/rif_rescissions.html
Also check out this article "A Dirge for treasured arts programs LA schools plan to cut": http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-lausd-20120606,0,5560153.column
If your position (or the position of any arts teacher that you know) has been eliminated from the Matrix (whether or not you were RIFed), or if arts opportunities for students have been reduced at your school site, PLEASE let me know. Also, it's very important that you let your UTLA Area Rep know as well. To find your UTLA Area Rep go to this link: http://www.utla.net/node/863#ar
FIGHT BACK STRATEGY:
Here's a link to an important document that was developed by the Arts Ed Committee: http://tinyurl.com/Model-VAPA-Language-SPSA which includes Model Research-based Visual and Performing Arts Language that you may include in your school's Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Please be aware that the Single Plan may be amended at any time during the year, not only when the budget window is open.
All of the information and research in the Committee's document supports the importance of maintaining arts programs in our schools, and is intended to keep the conversation focused on student needs and not on adult issues (like RIFs and Arts position eliminations/reductions resulting in displacements, etc.). This document, and any of the referenced research, may be used to assist your school community in the decision-making process to ensure that ALL students have equitable access to a high-quality, comprehensive curriculum, which by State law, must include the arts. These decisions must be made collaboratively with teachers, administrators, parents, and students. All stakeholders should be surveyed and serious consideration should be given by the School Site Council to restore the arts (dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and media arts) at school sites who have chosen to eliminate any of these vital programs that enhance the whole child. The language and research in the document may also be used to maintain and increase arts offerings for students in subsequent years.
According to the current Tentative Agreement, every school's Matrix must be redone, so NOW is the most opportune time to amend the Single Plan and restore arts courses. I know that there is very little time to do this right now, and everyone is under duress, but if we don't fight for our students, who will? If not now, when?
Please let me know if there's anything else that I can do to support you.
Onwards and Upwards!
Ginger Rose Fox
Itinerant Elementary Dance & Theatre Teacher
UTLA Chapter Chair, Elementary Arts Instructional Program
UTLA Arts Education Committee Chair
UTLA House of Representatives, Harbor Area
UTLA Harbor Area Steering Committee
"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension"
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
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