Los Angeles Unified teachers will provide more live instruction, under new agreement

Los Angeles Unified and the union representing teachers in the district have reached an agreement over rules for distance learning during the new semester that begins in January.

The agreement sets rules for distance learning that are mostly similar to those that were in place for the fall semester, with some adjustments. The district and the union, United Teachers Los Angeles, needed to reach a new deal because their current agreement is set to expire on Dec. 31.

Under the new rules, teachers must provide an additional 20 to 30 minutes of live or “synchronous” instruction for grades 1-12 on Mondays. During the fall, teachers were required to provide 90 to 100 minutes of live instruction on Mondays and between two and three hours each day from Tuesday through Friday. Requirements for live instruction from Tuesday through Friday will remain the same in the spring.

Teachers will also be required to hold more office hours in the spring — an additional 30 hours each day from Tuesday through Friday .

“This progress in online instruction reflects the shared learning of all who work in schools about the need to maximize the interaction between teachers and students and their families,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a statement.

The district and union are continuing to negotiate over what a return to in-person instruction will look like in L.A. Unified schools. The two sides have set a Jan. 24 deadline to come up with a plan for providing in-person instruction under a hybrid model once “health conditions allow,” Beutner said.