Public school teachers go on strike in LA; 500,000 pupils affected

LOS ANGELES - More than 30,000 public school teachers in Los Angeles walked off the job on Monday to press their demands for better pay, smaller class sizes and more educators.

The strike -- the first in 30 years -- is affecting some 500,000 students in the nation's second largest school district, with intense negotiations in past weeks failing to lead to a breakthrough.

The action is being watched closely by teaching unions across the country that are engaged in labor negotiations and also considering strikes. 

"Here we are on a rainy day in the richest country in the world, in the richest state in the country, in a state that's blue (Democrat) as it can be -- and in a city rife with millionaires -- where teachers have to go on strike to get the basics for our students," Alex Caputo-Pearl, the head of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, told a news conference.

"Here we are in a fight for the soul of public education," Caputo-Pearl added. 

"The question is: do we starve our public neighborhood schools so that they (become) privatized, or do we re-invest in our public neighborhood schools for our students and for a thriving city?"

Although the teachers' union and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) agree that class sizes -- some at more than 40 -- must shrink, teacher salaries must improve and more support staff are needed, they differ on funding.

School district officials insist they have taken great pains to avert a strike and negotiate with the union and say the district simply doesn't have enough money to meet all of the demands.

A revised offer submitted on Friday and calling for roughly $24 million more in funding and 1,200 more teachers for the upcoming school year was rejected.

'WE'D LIKE TO RESOLVE THIS'

LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner on Monday said his office had reached out to the governor's office and the mayor's office to see if they could help broker a deal.

He said the teachers' demands would cost about $3 billion and push district into insolvency.

"We remain committed to resolve the contract negotiations as soon as possible," Beutner told reporters. "We urge (the union) to resume bargaining with us anytime, anywhere, 24-7. We'd like to resolve this." 

Despite the walkout, the 1,240 schools in the sprawling district remain open, he said, with classes taught by administrators and substitute teachers.

Last spring, a strike by teachers in the state of West Virginia over low wages and rising health care costs set off a wave of similar action in several other states and garnered strong public support.

The walkout in Los Angeles could have a similar effect.

In Denver, Colorado, for example, the teachers union has threatened a strike unless an agreement can be reached by the end of this week on salary conditions.

Teachers' unions across the country offered support for those striking in Los Angeles, with many educators and parents wearing red T-shirts in solidarity.

Red became the signature color of striking teachers last year after an early demonstration called on them to wear "Red4Ed."

Monday's strike action also drew support from Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren.

"I support @UTLAnow & LAUSD teachers who are for fighting for better pay, smaller classes, & better resourced schools for our kids," she tweeted. 

"When we fail our public school teachers, we fail their students – and we fail our future. I'm with our teachers all the way.

jz/ft

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Florida legislature passes law allowing teachers to be armed

Miami, United States - The Florida House of Representatives Wednesday passed a law that restricts some access to guns while paving the way for a program allowing teachers and school employees to be armed.

The "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act" passed the state senate a day earlier and will now be sent to the governor to be signed into law, weeks after a school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland.

The legislation passed by 67 votes to 50, House Speaker Richard Corcoran said.

Republican Governor Rick Scott has not indicated whether he would veto the law -- but he has previously expressed opposition to US President Donald Trump's call to arm teachers.

America's long moribund gun control debate was revived by survivors of the Parkland shooting, who a day after their school was attacked launched the "Never Again" movement.

lm/ska/ia

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pinoys in demand as educators in Indonesia

BALI – Filipinos are in demand here as educators and teachers, the Philippine ambassador to Indonesia said.

Ambassador Rosario Aguinaldo said in an interview on the sidelines of the 21st Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that Indonesians see Filipinos as a valuable ally in their quest to improve their English communication skills.

“They want to be good in speaking English, and they have opened several international schools here. And because Filipinos are fluent in speaking the language, they hired a lot of Filipino teachers,” she said.

Aguinaldo said that aside from English, Filipino teachers are recruited to teach Science and Mathematics.

“We have a lot here in Bali, also in Medan and Surabaya, and not just in Jakarta,” she said.

“Perhaps this is our contribution, one big contribution here. And this is on top of the Filipino accountants, auditors who have remained as consultants,” she added.

Aguinaldo said there are around 10,000 Filipinos also work here as financial consultants, directors of hospitals, general managers of hotels and entrepreneurs.

The Philippines is reviewing various bilateral agreements with Indonesia to ensure that projects do not overlap and ensure that the full benefits of each agreement will redound to both countries.

“It is important that we see for ourselves the extent of their implementation, but because they have too many, we can’t implement everything,” she said.

She said trade relations between the two countries are also under review.

“We have had problems bringing in some of our products and we’re working on this now. Among them are bananas, shallots. We’ve had trouble, a little trouble, bringing them in because of the regulations,” she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

UST steers clear of Varsitarian rant

MANILA, Philippines - The University of Sto. Tomas (UST) on Tuesday washed its hands of a scathing attack made by its campus publication, The Varsitarian, on other teachers and students of other universities supporting the reproductive health (RH) bill.


UST, in a press statement, said it did not have any say in the publication's an op-ed article titled “RH bill, Ateneo, and La Salle: Of lemons and cowards.”

"The opinion expressed in the Varsitarian Opinion-Editorial insofar as it supposedly called the pro-RH Bill professors of the Ateneo de Manila University and the De La Salle University as "intellectual pretenders and interlopers" does not bear the University's imprimatur," UST said.

"Arguments for and against the controversial Reproductive Health bill have been expressed in various fora including the social media. Since the bill is a highly charged topic, emotions indeed may reach feverish pitch in the healthy exchanges of ideas," it added.

"The University of Santo Tomas has been steadfastly consistent in its opposition to certain provisions of the bill which are repugnant to the teachings of our Catholic faith," it said.

"The University thus supports the Varsitarian, its official student publication, in its stand against the RH Bill and for that matter any organization united in this regard with the Catholic Church," UST said. "While it is one with the Varsitarian in this light, the University does not impose its will nor exercise prior restraint on the opinions of the school paper's writers nor the manner by which they are expressed."

source: abs-cbnnews.com