L.A. teachers union wins dues increase, vows to battle foes of traditional public education

[Omaha Steve]

Source: LA Times

By Howard Blume

Los Angeles teachers have overwhelmingly agreed to raise their membership dues after union leaders said they needed more money to battle the growth of non-union charter schools and other challenges to the traditional public education system.

The votes were tallied Wednesday at United Teachers Los Angeles headquarters in Koreatown after members mailed in ballots and cast votes online. Eighty-two percent of those who cast ballots supported the dues increase.

Union President Alex Caputo Pearl said the 30% increase in dues is needed, in part, to fight well-funded opponents, including foundations and wealthy donors who have bankrolled efforts to limit teacher job protections and spur the growth of charter schools.

Charters are independently operated and currently enroll about 101,000 students in Los Angeles. Because funding is tied to student attendance, a panel of independent experts recently concluded that charter growth could push the L.A. Unified School District into insolvency or force severe cutbacks.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-utla-dues-increase-20160210-story.html

[bemildred]

1. My wife voted for that.

[olddots]

2. very good news for a town that got Reaganized

and destroyed by ignorant greedy scum bags .