Thousands of Los Angeles teachers protested proposed state budget cuts Friday in a morning job action that delayed the beginning of class for most students but caught the attention of state and local politicians and parents. The hourlong demonstrations were peaceful as students were supervised in gyms, athletic fields and auditoriums.
The district twice tried to stop the demonstration during the week because they were concerned about students' safety. No injuries were reported and attendance throughout the district was typical for a Friday in June -- about 94%, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, June 12, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 42 words Type of Material: Correction
Protest: An article in Saturday's California section about a Los Angeles teachers protest reported that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about the demonstrations during a conference call. He was responding to a question at a news conference addressing the state's new cellphone laws.
The demonstration was intended to draw attention to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest budget, which provides a $193-million increase over last year's education funding but does not include a cost-of-living increase and cuts support to some programs. As a result, L.A. Unified estimates that it will face a $353-million shortfall. The district's Board of Education is preparing to vote on the district budget Tuesday.
The protests, which drew widespread media attention, appeared to achieve its goal, union and other officials said.
State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said the demonstrators -- who included teachers in red T-shirts, parents with young children and students -- were heard by the governor and state lawmakers wrestling with a $17-billion budget shortfall. She said Democrats in the Assembly and Senate will not accept any budget that is balanced through cuts only.
"I absolutely support the action taken by the teachers, and if it wasn't for the swearing-in activities, I would have walked on the picket line right along with them," said Bass at her ceremonial inauguration as Assembly speaker at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. "What the teachers did today was they sounded the alarm for the people of Los Angeles to understand how serious this crisis is."
Even Schwarzenegger, who asked teachers to report to their classrooms on time, said he understood their frustration.
If he were a teacher he too would be upset at the state "that we have a broken budget system that is taking schools on a roller-coaster ride continuously," he said in a conference call with reporters Friday.
Teachers union President A.J. Duffy called the coordinated demonstrations "a great day for the teachers of L.A." but said the protest would have been more powerful if Supt. David Brewer had walked the line as well.
