News Update

United Teachers Los Angeles reaches deal with LA Unified

Teachers in Los Angeles will have the flexibility to create their own work schedules and will not be mandated to teach classes via live video under an agreement the Los Angeles Unified School District reached with the district’s teachers’ union, the union announced.

The union, United Teachers Los Angeles, reached the tentative agreement with California’s largest school district after weeks of bargaining, including 30 hours of negotiations this week. Prior to the agreement, major points of conflict included whether teachers should be required to teach over a live video platform and whether teachers should be able to set their own schedules or if those schedules should be set by schools.

In the end, the two sides agreed that using live video “is encouraged, but not required,” the agreement states. Meanwhile, teachers will get to set their own schedules but will be required to “create, share and follow a regular weekly schedule” that includes instruction, student support and three office hours each week.

Among many other provisions in the deal, the two sides also agreed that teachers will teach or provide student support for 240 minutes daily.

“The agreement reflects the extraordinary times we are in, when educators are doing a complete reset of our practice while dealing with the stress and uncertainty of a global pandemic that has upended our lives,” the union said in a statement. “Our focus is on supporting our students and delivering instruction as equitably as possible given the extreme circumstances we are in and the needs of our own families and loved ones.”

The full agreement can be found here.