Los Angeles teachers, staff shut down schools in strike

Tens of thousands of teachers and support staff in the nation’s second-largest school district began a three-day strike on Tuesday. Los Angeles Unified School District canceled school to prepare for the strike. The district serves more than 600,000 students in more than 1,000 schools. About 150 schools will remain open with adult supervision but without instruction. Dozens of parks and libraries are offering grab-and-go lunches for children who need them.

What are they striking for? Union officials said support staffers earn about $25,000 a year and are asking for a 30 percent pay raise. Teachers want a 20 percent pay raise over two years. The Los Angeles school district says the unions are refusing to negotiate. The district offered a wage increase of over 20 percent over a multiyear period and a 3 percent bonus, Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. The contracts expired in June 2022 and the unions decided last week to stop accepting extensions of their contracts.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Dunn’s report in WORLD Magazine on school districts fighting staff shortages.