Fieldwork Project: Member of the UTLA Board of Directors
I am currently serving my second, 3-year term on the UTLA Board of Directors for North Area, which encompasses Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, Koreatown, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, and Downtown. I chose this project to be part or my Fieldwork Portfolio because as a member of the Board of Directors, I am often communicating with UTLA Chapter Chairs and principals in UTLA North Area schools. I consult frequently with stakeholders at school sites about local issues, including budgetary conflicts, disputes about the matrix, and other contractual concerns. Also, as a member of the Board of Directors, I work with other Directors to set policy for the union. During Board elections last spring, I ran on a slate called Union Power, and we won all of our seats. This was very exciting for us because UTLA has a history of dysfunction within its leadership, and the Union Power slate agreed to work together to transform our union with a greater focus on social justice issues. We began a campaign called Schools LA Students Deserve (SLASD), which advocates not only for better working conditions for teachers, but for better learning conditions for students as well.
This year, UTLA bargained with LAUSD for a new contract. As a member of the Board, I was able to attend several negotiation sessions. In the sessions that I attended, the discussion centered around the idea of class size. The District was hesitant to engage with us about imposing “hard caps” on all classes – the old contract allowed for schools to exceed maximum numbers of students in the case of “fiscal emergency” – but our current UTLA leadership is adamant about reducing class size, with no exception. According to several NEA reports, California has the highest class size average in the nation. Our Union Power group sees class size as one of the major issues in our SLASD campaign. I am proud that we have begun the conversation of lowering class size. I was quoted in a UTLA publication about the negotiations that went out to over 30,000 members. For the full article, click here. Though we were able to change the contract to include stricter class size restrictions (including extra funds to be used to reduce class size in 8th and 9th grade Math and English classes), I intend to use my position on the Board of Directors to continue to challenge the class size issue.
Another one of our main contract demands was for fully-staffed schools. The layoffs and budget cuts dramatically reduced the number of counselors, nurses, librarians, and HHS workers at school sites. One major victory we achieved during negotiations was to reduce the counselor-to-student ratio to 500:1. I would argue again that this reduction does not go far enough, but compared to the old ratio (1000:1), it is a significant step in the right direction.
As a director, I have focused on organizing schools and communities around the Schools LA Students Deserve campaign. I have helped to set up and facilitate parent meetings throughout the city, organized public demonstrations to bring the class size issue to light, and mediated discussions between UTLA Chapter Chairs and administrators in the interpretation of the contract.
My duties as UTLA Director include several of the California Administrator Performance Expectations (CAPEs). The table below outlines the CAPEs I addressed in this project.
My role in the UTLA North Area Board of Directors is important because I am the North Area Director with the most experience (the other two are serving their first term), and I have more relationships with UTLA Directors in other areas and know more of the North Area Chapter Chairs. Also, because I have more experience facilitating meetings and dealing with logistics (equipment, food, etc), I play a key role in organizing our monthly area meetings and often coach the other North Area Directors and emerging UTLA leaders in North Area about building capacity at school sites and as an area. I am proud that my level-headed approach to conflict and reputation as a reasonable, competent person has been an asset for UTLA. I often accompany the UTLA officers when they meet with community organizations and District officials and am listed as a main media contact because the UTLA leadership trusts me to stay on-message and represent the union in a positive way. Also, my experience as a classroom teacher in urban middle schools and the fact that I am National Board Certified helps to dispel the stereotype of “bad teachers” being active in the union.
One thing I would have done differently is running for Area Chair. UTLA has eight geographic areas, and each area has four directors. One of these directors is the Area Chair, and is the leader of that area’s directors. I was hesitant to run for Area Chair during elections, because the Chairs miss more days of school attending Union meetings and strategic planning sessions. As a classroom teacher, I was unwilling to be out of school so many days. However, in November, I took an out-of-classroom position which would have made it much easier to attend the UTLA meetings. Now, our Area Chair (a classroom teacher) is concerned about the amount of school he misses and often feels frustrated and overwhelmed by his union responsibilities. Although I help him whenever I can, he is still struggling. With my previous experience and flexible schedule, I may have been a better fit for this position.
Artifacts
