This thought-provoking Facebook post by Sean McCall illustrates the importance of supervisors being sensitive and understanding when approving Flexible Time:
My new employee asked to work from home. Then she started to tell me the reason. I told her
This is the time of the year when enthusiasm surges and students, staff members, and parents begin to plan expensive overnight and out-of-state field trips. Keep in mind that the District has a comprehensive and robust policy when it comes to field trips. In the past, some of our members have been conferenced and, in some cases, received discipline
The District has made a commendable effort to ensure “forewarned is forearmed” with FREE emergency plan applications. Versions of the app are customized for employees and parents/students. Both apps are free and are available from CrisisManager in app stores for android and Apple smartphones and tablets.
For years we have adhered to the age old adage of “If it’s not written, it didn’t happen.” However, the District put a twist to the axiom in a bulletin issued by the Office of the General Counsel on April 17, 2015, Responding to Requests for Reference Information and/or Letters of Recommendation (click HERE). The policy, in essence, is if you write it, you said it, and are ultimately responsible for the contents. There used to be
Front page news in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, August 14, is an article by Howard Blume titled “Would Your Kid’s School be a 1 or 5?” (Click HERE) It is a report on the District’s response to Board Members Kelly Gonez’ and Nick Melvoin’s 2018 resolution that called for a school performance framework with the objectives to:
1. Identify and track the overall performance of each school annually;
2. Evaluate all schools
The focus of this week’s Update is to remind you of the important rights the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles affords you, as well as rights guaranteed you, as a union member, by the U.S. Supreme Court.
We are already beginning to hear that supervisors are having different interpretations and making their own rules when it comes to flexible time. Make sure to
Congratulations to our members who successfully completed the Aspiring Principal’s Program. As importantly, kudos to those who have been placed or were interviewed and selected as principals. The lists of aspirants will be published going forward on the District’s website at: Administrative Services home page and the School Based Vacancies webpage. The list of Aspiring Assistant Principals will be forthcoming. Accolades go to our members for requesting that the list be publicized by the District and AALA to both celebrate our colleagues and enhance transparency.
A very warm welcome is extended to all AALA members who are returning to work from vacation! In your brief time off, we hope that you were able to rest, relax, and enjoy good times with family and friends. To help you prepare your sites for the start of a new school year, we will primarily devote this issue of Update to compliance reminders and quick links to mandatory actions and other guidelines, which we hope will assist you in the many duties required as 2019-20 gets underway.
In 1966, a sociologist used the term model minority to describe Japanese Americans and their apparently seamless assimilation into American culture. The term gradually spread to include all Asian Americans and was documented by the stereotype that they are
Congratulations are in order for the retirees of the AALA Class of 2019! The strength of our Association comes from your professionalism, sensitivity, and doing right by the students we serve, no matter the circumstances. We are so pleased you will have more time for yourself and hope that you will now make yourself the number one priority.
On a similar note, we
Because this issue received quite a bit of publicity, we are sure that you are aware that on Tuesday, June 18, the LAUSD Board of Education voted to end the safety policy requiring the random searches of students using handheld metal detectors (wanding). The policy was put in place in 1993 after students were killed at Fairfax and Reseda high schools. We must note that these were definitely not the first students to be killed on a LAUSD campus, several had lost their lives in the preceding years, but these shootings gained national attention because
The In Memoriam was penned in June of last year with the genuine hope the District would somehow mend its ways in 2019, and the In Memoriam section could forever be retired. Sadly though, it is needed even more as our members again grieve the loss of their professional careers and livelihoods. This year, AALA members once again found themselves in the crossfire of harsh disciplinary action with little to no progressive discipline. True to form, our administrators are being released
The research is clear. Stress can have a profound impact on our physical and emotional well-being, affecting our brains, bodies, executive function, judgment, and relationships. However, it’s not the stress itself but the body’s reaction to the stress that causes damage. In the context of our work as LAUSD administrators, such an impact can often make the difference between
The Office of Labor Relations has confirmed Friday, June 28, 2019, as the date for the retroactive Unit J pay and new salary rate. The retroactive pay covers from July 1, 2017, to the present. Congratulations and accolades go to the amazing Unit J bargaining team; and the even more amazing Unit J members in good standing. Members in good standing,
On Thursday, May 23, AALA honored the 2019 Administrators of the Year, the recipients of the President’s awards, a special scholarship awardee, community volunteers, and the Friends of AALA scholarship winners at the annual Scholarship and Community Awards Banquet held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Friends of AALA, our 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, was established nine years ago under the leadership of Dr. Judith Perez, AALA’s immediate past president. Its mission is to support the association in awarding scholarships to LAUSD graduates and giving recognition to individuals or organizations for their generous volunteer service. This year,
The Tuesday, May 22, 2019, Board of Education meeting encapsulated and shined the light on the angst and misery many AALA School Support Administrators have experienced and continue to experience year-after-year. However, this time the tables were turned on the District’s very own senior leadership as most, if not all, of their contracts were renewed for ONLY one year. This is almost unheard of at the senior leadership level as typically contracts are offered for two to three years.
A lively debate ensued on the unfairness
The following individuals have been selected by their peers to receive 2019 AALA Administrator of the Year recognition. There is one recipient for each of the five AALA departments. Congratulations to:
The District recently published a news release highlighting the new Anthem Medicare Advantage Plan. The initiative saves $50 million annually in healthcare costs, and reduces the other post-employment benefits obligation by $3.8 billion. (Click HERE to read the complete news release.)
Press releases by nature cannot be comprehensive. Thus, it becomes important to provide historical context to drive home the importance of the Health Benefits Committee (HBC) to the process; and the reason why as labor partners we must always continue as a united front when it comes to healthcare.
Our noble profession has amazing and memorable rituals and routines like celebrating the 100th day of kindergarten, the ubiquitous picture day, and the granddaddy of them all, high school graduations.
Regrettably, and by the same token, there is a