I always knew my union was important for my colleagues and me, but it wasn’t until the teacher strike that I saw how it matters to the entire city. Now it’s a United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) election, not a strike, that will have far-reaching consequences for students and families for years to come. The...

Children who lack access to healthy food options — at home and in schools — have a more difficult time learning. Kids who are hungry or not well nourished are more likely to have trouble focusing, exhibit behavioral problems, and struggle academically. We see this in classrooms and schools across the country, and for students...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. Two Bay Area teacher union locals followed the lead of United Teachers Los Angeles and endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. The Oakland Education Association (2,605 active members) and United Teachers of Richmond (1,666 active members) issued...

What’s the secret sauce for academic success? A great teacher? More school funding? At-home support? This is a subject that generates impassioned debate in the halls of government as well as around kitchen tables across the country. Parents often think the key to their child’s academic success lies in which teacher they are assigned to...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. It’s election season — not just for America’s political parties, but for United Teachers Los Angeles. The union mailed ballots to members this week. They will vote by mail or online, with the results to be tabulated Feb. 28. Active members will choose the UTLA...

When students meet me and learn that I was in the NFL, their eyes light up and they shower me with questions: What’s it like being on TV? How much money did you make? What kind of car do you drive? But being a former professional football player doesn’t define me. What I’m most proud...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. The California Teachers Association is “310,000 members strong,” according to its website. But it’s difficult to track that number over time, or assess its impact on California school districts, because our only sources of information have been the union’s public pronouncements. Until now. Culled from figures...

Do the presidential candidates understand what it will take to ensure our public education system serves all students? It’s hard to know because they haven’t said enough in debates and other public sessions, so far, about how they plan to improve public education. We know they agree with us that increased funding is necessary and...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. The California Teachers Association has made the passage of a split-roll property tax initiative its top priority for 2020, allocating an initial investment of $6 million for the campaign. But three months into signature-gathering to place the measure on the November ballot, the union is...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. In the summer of 2015, Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, gave a state of the union speech in which he alerted members to the dire necessity of raising dues by 33 percent. Without the increase, he said, UTLA would be “bankrupt or...