This just in: UTLA MEMBERS APPROVE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

from e-mails and UTLA.Net | http://bit.ly/N3gjpT

June 16, 2012  5:28 PM ::  UTLA members voted to approve the tentative agreement reached this month with LAUSD, with 58% of the members voting yes on the agreement and 42% voting no.

UTLA President Warren Fletcher issued the following statement in the wake of the vote:

Thank you to everyone who cast a ballot—either for or against the tentative agreement—and for taking part in making this difficult decision. The vote has saved thousands of jobs and stopped the dismantling of vital programs and services.

The superintendent and the LAUSD School Board came within an inch of boosting elementary class size by 25 percent and laying off thousands of teachers. They came within an inch of completely eliminating Adult Education, SRLDP, and Early Childhood Education from Los Angeles. They came within an inch of decimating arts education, physical education, nursing services, libraries, counseling services, and more in LAUSD.

Our members have once again taken on the burden of saving this District from itself, but it is clear from this close vote that our capacity to bear that burden year after year is at an end. UTLA members have begun to worry—justifiably—that by sacrificing and putting the needs of our students first, we are enabling LAUSD to continue its destructive pattern of adopting wildly destructive and irresponsible budgets.

The agreement that was just ratified includes a mechanism for using funds from the Governor’s education funding initiative to remove some or all of the potential furlough days for 2012-13. This would mean a full instructional year for both students and teachers for the first time since 2008.

Today UTLA, all 36,000-plus teachers and health and human services professionals, will begin the fight to make sure those funds are secured and that the School Board and the superintendent use those moneys to restore a full instructional year for every student and a full work year for every educator.

TA VOTE RESULTS

YES 14,195 58%

NO 10,206 42%