EPCC NEWS
January 30,2009

EPCC SUPPORTS UTLA JANUARY 29 MASS ACTION AGAINST LAUSD AND STATE BUDGET CUTS

Los Angeles-- "No to Budget Cuts! Cuts Hurts Kids!"

Downtown Los Angeles became a sea of red and multi-colored banners,t-shirts and caps in the afternoon of January 29..

Led by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA),more than 5,0000 militant teachers and their allies in red t-shirts marched thorugh downtown LA and filled the Pershing Square to protest budget cuts by the California state Governor and the legislature as well as the excessive and lavish spending spree of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)at the expense of teachers as well as the public.

More than 3,000 teachers marched from the LAUSD main office in Beaudry/3rd St. while at least 2,000 converged at Pershing Square in downtown LA, chanting: " Money for jobs and education, Not for War and Occupation".

From Pershing Square they marched again during the evening to the Ronald Reagan Federal Building on 3rd/Spring. LA teachers protested state budget cuts that will lay-off teachers, increased and bigger classes,cuts in school staff, cut food for students and other educational amenities. All of these at the expense of students and families.

Protest Budget Cuts

At the same time LAUSD went on a spending spree on not needed structures, unwanted and cannot be used technology and fouled up even the teachers salaries.

The Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) support the just struggle of the teachers in LA. EPCC based in the community understand the teachers plight and vowed that they should not be made as sacrificial lambs for the mistakes of the failed state machinery and the bureaucracy of the LAUSD.

The EPCC supported the January 29 Los Angeles march action. Some of the EPCC activists marched with different contingents of the UTLA.

For more information contact Jerry Esguerra at (818)749 0272 or email at epcc_la@hotmail.com

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Downtown Los Angeles became a sea of red and multi-colored banners,t-shirts and caps in the afternoon of January 29..

Led by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA),more than 5,0000 militant teachers and their allies in red t-shirts marched thorugh downtown LA and filled the Pershing Square to protest budget cuts by the California state Governor and the legislature as well as the excessive and lavish spending spree of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)at the expense of teachers as well as the public.

More than 3,000 teachers marched from the LAUSD main office in Beaudry/3rd St. while at least 2,000 converged at Pershing Square in downtown LA, chanting: " Money for jobs and education, Not for War and Occupation".

One of the actions being taken by UTLA is not to submit assessment test results to the district. Assessment tests are uniform tests, taken frequently, to measure what a student has learned. Unlike other tests, these assessment tests have no effect on a student's grade.

Their boycott is legitimate and laudable. Teaching is more important than testing. However, this action aligns with their general anti-testing position, and I don't support it.

Testing is useful in determining where additional study and instruction are required.

Testing costs can be contained by taking them on computer, so scoring is immediate. (Students would need to be provided with computers.)

Testing should be frequent, short, and "low stakes" so they have little impact on grades. Impact on grades should be made optional.

Because testing takes time away from the school day, they should extend the school year a couple weeks.

People like tests. They like the "Purity Test", personality tests, taste tests, and puzzles. They also like scores. They like sports scores and video game scores. They like measurement too. They like speedometers, measuring cups, the numbers on the weight machine, and sometimes, the number on the bathroom scale.

People just don't like it when their own scores are low. LAUSD and UTLA don't like it that their schools score low. UTLA is taking advantage of this resentment.

Please, get over it.