Hungry for a Better Education: Teachers, Parents Lead Hunger Strike Protesting Cuts, Layoffs at L.A. Schools

We turn now to the public school system in Los Angeles, the second-largest school district in the country, which is facing an uphill battle against budget cuts. After months of protests, two weeks ago, teachers, parents, and community members began a a hunger strike protesting cuts and layoffs by the Los Angeles Board of Education. These include the layoff of 2,500 teachers, a proposed increase in class-size, and the cancellation of summer-school sessions.

In April, the board voted for the cuts to close the $596 million deficit in next year’s budget. Last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger emphasized the need to make drastic cuts to the state budget.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Governor’s proposed budget would cut nearly a billion dollars to schools across the state. Well a group of teachers, parents, and students, are demanding that the Los Angeles Unified School District use all the federal stimulus money it received to keep class sizes small and retain teachers instead of firing them. The Los Angeles Teacher’s Union filed 14 complained against the school district Monday claiming it allowed schools to spend too much federal stimulus money on out-of-classroom jobs, which would increase classroom size.

My next guest is with the group staging the Hungry for a Better Education Fast. He has been on a hunger strike for 15 straight days to oppose the cuts and layoffs. Sean Leys has taught in the Los Angeles public school system for 10 years. He is a debate coach and teaches 9th and 10th grade English at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. He joins me now from Los Angeles.

Sean Leys, Teaches 9th and 10th grade English at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. He has been on a hunger strike for the last 15 days protesting L.A.’s proposed education cuts and layoffs.

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