Los Angeles Teachers Go On Strike

On Monday, January 14, 30,000 Los Angeles teachers went on strike. The teachers are fighting for decreased class size, more librarians and nurses, and higher pay. According to a study by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, there is only one nurse for every 2,000 students in Los Angeles County. As states become more focused on standardized test scores, schools spend more of their budget on math and reading, while other areas such as health care and books are neglected.

The strike affected 900 schools and the education of nearly 500,000 students. Out of support for the teachers, many parents kept their children home. Only 30 percent of Los Angeles students showed up to school on Monday.  City recreation centers and libraries also helped by offering free childcare to parents that had to go to work. Despite the absence of many children, substitute teachers still had difficulty controlling the students in attendance; some schools had less than 10 teachers and administrators in the building. Teachers are not going to bend soon though— this strike has been brewing for two years and they are just getting started.