Los Angeles, CA – On October 29, East Los Angeles (ELA) residents, led by the community group Centro CSO, scored a major win against a proposed charter school in their neighborhood. Centro CSO members and residents spoke at a meeting of the LA County Board of Supervisors to oppose Extera Charter School’s plan to build a new facility on Gage and Eastman Avenues.

Angelina Chavez, a community member voiced her concerns, stating, “This project will bring constant traffic, noise, and pollution to our quiet street.”

At the meeting, Extera representatives brought over 60 parents, mostly mothers in Extera T-shirts, to voice support. However, opponents highlighted that charter schools often pressure parents to advocate on behalf of projects. Ruben Rodriguez, a resident living adjacent to the site, expressed his frustration: “I live right next to this project, and I am against it because it will cause pollution and more traffic to our community.”

Extera’s plan involved purchasing an old church to build a school for 528 students in the residential neighborhood. The charter organization is already co-located in several local Los Aneles Unified School District (LAUSD) campuses, drawing criticism for taking resources and space from public schools. Both Centro CSO and the United Teachers of Los Angeles have previously protested Extera’s intrusion.

Centro CSO had previously raised concerns about the saturation of charter schools in ELA to LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who responded by challenging the project. Solis noted that the school’s location, near Interstate 5, would worsen traffic, endanger pedestrians, and block driveways. Her objections swayed the board, resulting in a unanimous 5-0 vote against the project – marking a clear win for ELA residents.

Centro CSO Education Committee Co-chair Antonieta Garcia emphasized the health risks posed by the construction site, stating, “The Extera construction site is not safe for the community. If they break ground, it will spread lead contamination.” Garcia celebrated the victory, remarking, “We worked hard for this, canvassing the community and convincing neighbors to stand up and fight. When we fight, we win!”

Key support also came from Los Ruco, a group of retired Chicanos who canvassed door-to-door, attended meetings, and spoke out against the project. Together with Centro CSO, they engaged with residents on their needs and living conditions, rallying neighbors and empowering them to join the fight.

The victory is the latest in Centro CSO’s long-standing fight against privatization in public education, which they see as part of a broader struggle for Chicano power. Centro CSO sees their work as a continuation of the historic ELA high school walkouts of March 1968, when thousands of Chicano students took to the streets to demand educational justice. These walkouts launched the Chicano Power movement of the late 1960s, leading to gains in bilingual education, affirmative action and ethnic studies – victories that Centro CSO fights to protect today.

Centro CSO’s past wins include blocking the construction of a KIPP charter in Boyle Heights and stopping Green Dot from taking over Garfield High School. Their advocacy recently contributed to the election of Dr. Rocio Rivas to the LAUSD board. Centro CSO calls on community members to join them in defending public education.

If you would like to join Centro CSO be sure to contact them @CentroCSO on social media or attend their monthly meeting which takes place every third Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., in Boyle Heights.

Carlos Montes is the Centro CSO Education Committee co-chair.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #Education #Public Education #CentroCSO #CharterSchools #Feature

Los Angeles, CA – In a hotly debated September 26 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board meeting, a motion to mitigate the negative impact of charter school co-location on public schools passed by 4 yes to 2 no with 1 abstention. 

The motion by Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rociso Rivas called for a study by the superintendent on the negative impact of charter schools that reside inside public schools. The charter industry has used CA Proposition 39, passed in 2000 and enacted in 2003, to target Black and Chicano community public schools to take up classroom space and recruit students. This negatively impacts local public schools with less funding and classroom space.

The September 26 motion makes one of the most significant changes to local charter school policy since the state first required school systems to offer space to charters more than 20 years ago. 

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) led the campaign in support of the motion; uniting with ACCE, Reclaim Our Schools, Eastside Padres and Centro CSO.

The community group Centro CSO led successful campaigns against charter schools at Garfield High School stopping a Green Dot take over, at Roosevelt High School stopping a Collegiate Charter school co-location and stopping KIPP Promesa from building a large charter school in Boyle Heights.

Antonieta Garcia, a mother of LAUSD students, called in to make a public comment supporting the motion and giving examples of how charter schools target students with recruitment campaigns causing lower enrollment in local public schools. 

Boyle Heights and East LA are saturated with charter schools due to the former LAUSD board member Monica Garcia opening the door to them. Four of our good public schools have an Extera Charter school on campus – at Second St. Breed, St. Lorena and Eastman elementary schools. East LA also has several KIPP, Arts and Action and now a charter high school Ednovate Esperanza near Garfield High School.

Antonia Montes, a teacher at Eastman Avenue school spoke in person pointing out how Extera charter school took over more space, causing problems at Eastman Avenue school.

“We are saying to that school that the room your staff was using to work with deaf students to do speech therapy is no longer available,” Goldberg said last week. “So go find a corner of your auditorium or, as one of my schools does, find a space on the stairwell in between the first and second floor and have your work with disabled students done.”

Dr. Rocio Rivas in particular has cast charter backers as trying to destroy public education by “privatizing” it. The charter industry, she said, has been “taken over by charter school management organizations, huge industries that are profiting.”

The resolution prohibits charters from moving onto campuses deemed especially vulnerable to harm by disruption.

It is no coincidence that a resolution to limit campus sharing is arriving at this moment, said board member George McKenna, “because this is the first time since I’ve been on this board we’ve had a non-charter-school majority.”

McKenna and Goldberg – who won office with support from the teacher’s union – are not running for reelection. That means future charter school policy will be at stake next year in school board elections that are typically the most high-spending races in the country.

Voting for the resolution were Goldberg, Rivas, McKenna and Scott Schmerelson. Voting against it were Melvoin and Tanya Ortiz Franklin. Kelly Gonez abstained.

Carlos Montes is a member of Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #PublicEducation #CharterSchools #Community

On multiple occasions the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) – representing the educators – requested to continue negotiations in good faith. However, Urban Prep management did not agree to meet again until 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 7, after the strike was already underway.

The educators and Urban Prep management went on to bargain late into Monday night, but Urban Prep refused to compromise on several of the central issues that matter to the educators and students. No deal was reached and the strike continues.

One important sticking point is Urban Prep’s refusing to put students’ special education rights into the labor contract, where they would be enforceable. Management is also demanding an extended period to fire educators even if the educator is highly qualified. Urban Prep charter schools are well known to have a dangerously high turnover of educators.

The CEO of Urban Prep makes nearly as much money for overseeing three charter schools as the Chicago Public Schools CEO makes to oversee more than 500 Chicago public schools. The CTU is calling the question on this abuse of public monies.

In addition, CTU says Urban Prep has a long history of resorting to the use of payday loan terms and ‘sales of future receivables’ contracts with merchant cash advance organizations to finance school operations. It is otherwise unheard of for public schools to enter into these sorts of shady contracts because they come with shockingly high interest rates over time at the public’s and students’ expense. In fact, Urban Prep has paid more than $1.6 million to merchant cash advance businesses.

Urban Prep also received $3 million in forgivable COVID PPP loans, yet the teachers say they see no evidence that those funds have made it to the classroom or been used for education.

The strike is ongoing as public pressure grows on Urban Prep and its CEO.

#ChicagoIL #teachers #strike #Strikes #TeachersUnions #CTU #charterSchools #ChicagoTeachersUnion

Chicago, IL – Educators at EPIC Academy College Prep who are seeking to join the Chicago Teachers Union celebrated the afternoon of May 18, when the NLRB – the National Labor Relations Board – blocked their employer’s reckless demand that they hold an in-person union election at the school. Such an election would have forced workers to risk their own health and the health of their loved ones during the shelter-in-place order.

Educators’ relief was tempered by disappointment at the labor board’s ruling to exclude three colleagues, who are security specialists at the school, from the bargaining unit. “We are extremely frustrated with the decision that the security staff at EPIC would be considered guards alone,” said EPIC teacher Quincy Bloem. “These dedicated and kindhearted workers represent the glue that holds EPIC together; they work daily to build strong relationships with students and faculty alike to help make EPIC feel like a second home.”

Andrew Escalante, tenth grade lead teacher at EPIC, said educators will push through in their bid to join the CTU. “This decision will not stop us from establishing our union and working to ensure all members of the EPIC community are being supported.”

With those security specialists excluded, 42 educators will vote on joining the CTU. Ballots will be mailed Friday, May 29 and must be returned by Wednesday, June 24. Ballots will be counted Wednesday, July 1 at 3 p.m.

#ChicagoIL #Healthcare #PeoplesStruggles #ChicagoTeachersUnion #TeachersUnions #charterSchools #EPICAcademyCollegePrep

Chicago, IL – Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members at as many as ten more charter schools could be on the picket lines on May 1 – May Day – in what would be the third CTU strike against charter operators this school year.

This would be the first multi-employer charter strike in U.S. history.

CTU educators announced their strike date in a joint press conference, April 25, with City Colleges clerks and technical workers in AFT/IFT Local 1708, who have been without a contract for almost three years. Local 1708 workers will hit the picket lines the morning of May Day, International Workers’ Day, if no agreement is reached.

Charter educators at five schools will declare a strike on May Day, after the formal end of the school day, if they have not settled contracts with operators. And more charter schools could strike around that date, as well. CTU members at four Aspira schools voted overwhelmingly to strike this week.

“As teachers, our charge in society is to unlock the human potential of the next generation of our society and our youth, and we take that job very seriously,” said CTU President Jesse Sharkey. “But we cannot do that job if there are no resources for our classrooms, no supports for our students, or no dignity for educators. If we have to strike to improve learning conditions for our students and wages and working conditions for our educators, we will be on the picket lines in a week.”

City College workers share a common target with workers at two Instituto Progresso del Latino charter schools that could strike in May. City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado ran Instituto from 2001 until he was appointed head of City Colleges two years ago by outgoing Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. Yet despite Salgado's professed support for economic justice, City Colleges clerks work for poverty wages, just as Salgado and his chosen Instituto successors chronically low-ball wages for educators at their charter schools.

Charter operators across the city chronically steer public education dollars away from classroom needs into management salaries and non-education spending.

“For too long, charter operators have viewed public education dollars as a tool to enrich themselves, their bloated bureaucracies and their insider charter 'management' operations, while our students suffer the consequences in gutted resources, overcrowded classrooms and reduced supports,” said CTU charter division chair Chris Baehrend. “That's got to end.”

The five schools considering striking employ 134 CTU members who educate almost 1800 students. All five schools voted overwhelmingly to strike earlier this month, with 94% of union members voting, and 97% voting to strike if there is no progress at the bargaining table. That number could grow if the Aspira schools' 107 members strike. 93% of the Aspira educators who voted this week supported authorizing a strike.

“Management's bottom line is about lining their pockets, not supporting students,” said Linda Zaia of Youth Connections Leadership Academy. “At the bargaining table, management has refused to address the need for student safety, restorative justice, special education services, counselors, therapists or any other student needs. Our management makes $3.4 million a year, while we have members making less than $40,000 a year. That's wrong.”

CTU members are demanding contract language that guarantees federally mandated services for special education students; more support for English language learners and immigrant students; adequate staffing and resources for schools with serious shortages of both; and equal pay for equal work with Chicago Public School (CPS) colleagues, who teach the same students for better wages and working conditions.

Chronic under-resourcing, poor working conditions and low wages – which can be as little as 40% of what CPS pays comparable workers – drives high turnover and tremendous instability at charters. Working conditions can be so bad that staff churn can average 20% per year or more at some schools, undermining learning conditions and desperately needed support for students.

“We have an obligation to raise the question of what's right, not just for ourselves as workers, but for the entire working class in the city of Chicago, because that's who sends their kids to public schools,” said Sharkey. “We're going to do what's right – we're going to demand resources for our schools, decent teaching and learning conditions in our classrooms, we're going to bargain hard – and if we can't get what's right at the bargaining table, we're going to take our fight for justice to the picket line.”

ChiArts teachers are also battling to force the operator to contribute to their pension fund. School cofounder and wealthy investment banker Jim Mabie, who sits on both the ChiArts and Chicago Symphony Orchestra boards, opposes pension payments along with other ChiArts board members. Mabie is trying to eliminate the pensions of striking Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians, as well.

Union charter workers are fighting to reform both the targeted operators and the larger charter industry. Operators across the nation, like these operators, have a long history of siphoning off public education dollars from academic programs and student supports to bankroll bloated bureaucracies, inflated executive salaries and exorbitant management fees.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #ChicagoTeachersUnion #Strikes #TeachersUnions #charterSchools