This week, the principals of an organization came together for what in years past had been the traditional meeting at our home-away-from-home, also known as Pickwick. The virtual meeting had some informative sessions proudly led by AALA School Support Administrators. The meeting was also sprinkled with District brass thanking our members for all they do. No mention was made
One member put it best, “Just when I think the week cannot get worse, the District outdoes itself by completely ruining my weekend. I used to approach Fridays with a Thank Goodness attitude. I now approach Fridays with depression, doom, gloom, and outright fear of what the District is going to impose on me after close of business. By the way, this can be said of most every day. The District does its very best work by sending missives, directives, and [things] to do, already added to a brimming list, after close of business, which is typically at 5:00 p.m. However, I can say the one thing the District is doing right during this pandemic
The AALA Bargaining Team (Juan A. Flecha, President; Kevin Kilpatrick, Vice President School Support Administrators; Phyliss Lott, Unit J Vice President; Nery Paiz, Elementary Vice President; Elsa Madrid, Adult Vice President; Dr. Ayanna Davis, Early Childhood Education Vice President; Dr. Judith Perez, Lead Negotiator) has begun negotiations with the LAUSD Office of Labor Relations.
The AALA team is approaching this demand to bargain with
Maybe publishing the newsletter is not such a great idea after all. The idea is for members to share voices and experiences from the field in a safe and confidential matter. More importantly, the intent is for the District and the Board of Education to get a pulse of what is happening in schools and offices and use it to make immediate course corrections. Regrettably, it is having the opposite effect. Matters are worse today than a week ago.
This week’s Update wrote itself. The “Tales from the Crypt” as told by our members are ineffable and disheartening. The foci of this week’s edition are:
• Your harrowing voices from the brick-and-mortar field.
• AALA’s demand to bargain.
• Immediate job actions to take starting Monday.
March 13 and all that happened starting the following Monday seems like a life time away. And despite the breakneck speed of going from brick-and-mortar to virtual, in retrospect, the District showed some heart and sensitivity, even though it did not feel that way at the time.
Dear Mr. Flecha:
After reading your post in the last newsletter referencing the report that 42% of current principals are considering leaving their jobs due to heavy workloads, low pay and lack of autonomy, I have to wonder how AALA is working with the District to improve working conditions for principals. It seems every week I read in your newsletter the same anonymous letters reporting how so many principals are overworked, overwhelmed and mistreated.
These complaints usually land on deaf ears, as things just seem to be getting worse. Now the District is reorganizing to community-based local districts, which will result in more senior administrators and support staff creating more work for principals. When are principals going to stop being the hard labor for the District just so everyone who doesn’t work at a school site can justify their jobs? How is this repurposed idea going to benefit principals, teachers and students at the school site?
If you really want to support principals, work toward giving every school an assistant principal, increased pay and more autonomy, and maybe we’d complain a little less. But DO SOMETHING! What’s most disturbing is that principals have been reduced to writing anonymous complaint letters to AALA (in fear of retaliation from the District) as the only way of being heard. What a sad state of affairs.
Another anonymous letter from a principal
cc: Superintendent Beutner
Dear Another Anonymous Principal:
I want to thank you for your thoughtful insights and feedback; and apologize for the delayed response. The AALA bargaining team, like you, has been working assiduously on proposals to address the very same issues you raise and others.
I hope the side letters the bargaining team negotiated for our certificated and classified members is proof positive I AM DOING SOMETHING!
Two years ago AALA authored an article entitled Abracadabra! And 3027 is gone! (Click HERE.) And with the stroke of a red pen, a couple of vaguely opaque sentences, and a dash of hocus pocus the District made the unthinkable happen in the Superintendent’s Final Budget 2018-19 ― the disappearance of Program 13027 funds. The good news is AALA went into immediate action with the Superintendent and the Board of Education and schools were held harmless.
Regrettably, we are at the same crossroads yet again
I want to thank you for having the back of the Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD). As a long time former (retired) member of the department, I was touched by your words and grateful for your support. In these trying times, your response to UTLA’s call to eliminate LASPD was brave. Your response was greatly appreciated by past and present members of the organization.
If UTLA knew
“A harm to one is a harm to all” has been the quintessential battle cry of one of our sister unions. The hypocrisy of them now turning their backs on their own sisters and brothers is ineffable and unfortunate. How can one union (United Teachers Los Angeles) opportunistically seize a moment of national grief and turmoil to call for the eradication of another sister union (Los Angeles School Police Department)? How can a brother from one union intentionally deny another brother the ability to put food on his family’s table? How can a sister union utterly turn its back on an ally in a post-Janus world? Only the UTLA Board of Directors “push[ing] for the elimination of police in schools…” and the UTLA brass know the answer.
Accolades go to the two sensible
Are you sitting silently on the sidelines? Is it because you are not Black and the police have not brutalized a family member or someone you know? Is it because you are not Latino and have not shed tears over the pictures of undocumented children in cages? Is it because you are not Native American and did not have a family member that was sent off to a reservation boarding school? Is it because you are not Asian and did not have a family member that was sent to an internment camp during World War II? Is it because you are not of Irish, Italian, or Jewish descent and did not have family members treated as vermin when they immigrated into this nation? Is it because
Below is a letter sent by AALA President Juan A. Flecha to the LAUSD Board of Education Members and the Superintendent:
AALA has been sounding the alarms about the untenable and unsustainable working conditions of our members for years on end. The District’s responses have varied from outright indifference and a “manage-up, butter cup” mentality to temporary
Many principals considering leaving, survey reveals
Almost half (42%) of US school principals are currently considering leaving their roles, according to a new report based on a survey conducted by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which reveals concerns over heavy workloads, low compensation, and lack of evaluation practices. Principals surveyed also complained that they lack decision-making authority and access to professional development and learning opportunities. The number of principals planning to leave is higher for those in high-poverty and rural schools. (Education Dive, May 14, 2020)
Sadly, this article was forwarded to AALA by many administrators. And while the title is “Many principals considering leaving…” the truth of the matter is
When we think of the repercussions of school closures, many people immediately think of the massive instructional conversion to remote learning and we hear accolades for school-site staff members who have had to adjust to online education. However, our real unsung heroes are those who make all of this work behind the scenes
The AALA Executive Board is the planning body of the Association and is crucial to the operation of AALA. The duties of the Executive Board include providing counsel and advice to the president regarding matters of fiscal policy, reviewing performance evaluations of AALA employees, and determining policies and procedures of the Association. In accordance with the recently amended AALA Constitution, we are now preparing to elect members to fill key positions on the Executive Board:
Friday, May 1, 2020, is National Principal Appreciation Day. It is a day of recognition for all elementary, middle, and high school principals for their leadership and dedication to providing the best education possible for their students. On this day, the nation honors and recognizes the contributions of principals to the success of students in schools across the United States. In these unprecedented times, we know that not only principals, but all administrators and other staff members, are working hard to maintain continuity and provide instruction and nutrition for the students of LAUSD. We celebrate your professionalism, dedication, and courage.
We are holding the AALA Representative Meeting today, Thursday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. This will be an historical meeting as it is the first time the association has ever had a representative assembly meeting virtually. We want to thank you in advance for your patience as the format for today will be different than a typical representative assembly meeting. Our newly established Zoom account has the capacity to host 500 participants this evening and we hope everything runs smoothly. Click on the link below to join the Zoom meeting at 5:00 p.m.
In the previous issue of Update we provided a link for members to share their hopes, fears, and gratitude and committed to share the concerns with the District. (The link is still active for your continued sharing, click HERE).) Below are some of the heartfelt, perceptive, and critical responses we received. We have shared them with senior leadership at the District and
I was reminded by a senior District-represented leader on the importance of gratitude. My thoughts quickly went to expressing my gratitude to the hundreds of administrators who have taken their lives into their hands to disinfect and distribute devices and provide thousands of meals per day through Grab and Go.
Many of you have done so with no protective gear