A strike long in the making

Re “Why teachers should strike,” Opinion, Aug. 23

Social studies teacher Glenn Sacks catalogs the ills that plague teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District in their efforts to educate children. As a retired LAUSD teacher, I experienced these same issues; the only difference is that class sizes appear to have grown.

Back in the 1980s, my middle school was part of a UCLA study to determine how much time a secondary school teacher spent in a typical week with each individual student. The study showed that each student received about five minutes of personal attention per week. My classes in those days averaged about 30 students.

For the district to have increased some classes sizes to 40 or more kids does a genuine disservice to them. And with the other campus shortcomings in staffing and services, it is no wonder that progress in student achievement is limited and delayed.

Austin Beutner, the LAUSD’s superintendent, cannot label himself the “chief kid advocate” while ignoring teacher experience and allowing these conditions to continue.

Arnold Tosti

Sunland

In a series of comprehensive, thoughtful reports, the non-aligned, well-respected LAUSD Advisory Task Force outlines the enormous fiscal crisis facing the district.

Without significant budgetary changes, the district will be out of money and likely facing bankruptcy by 2021. The teachers union may believe the reserve, which is currently being spent down, is higher than $1.2 billion, just like I can believe in the existence of pink unicorns.

But as teachers must surely know, the numbers are the numbers. Whatever the teachers union thinks a strike will accomplish, it will not help students and it will not help address this coming fiscal calamity.

Gregory McGinity

Redondo Beach