Storm Brewing at Santee

Santee Students Discuss Their Next Move

According to reports earlier today from Jose Lara, a teacher at Santee Education Complex, students are prepping for a walkout in the coming days. Teachers are also preparing for a hunger strike. However, in the last few hours Lara reports that Santee High School is “on lockdown” and that students from Manual Arts School and West Adams have walked out and are circling Santee in an act of solidarity.

A storm is brewing within the LAUSD. Last night, teachers, parents and students couldn’t help but express anger at a community forum hosted by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. PLAS officials, CEO Marshal Tuck and Superintendent Angela Bass headed the meeting, which was organized in response to student protests at Santee Education Complex on Monday. Although LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines was rumored to attend, students were disappointed when he was a n0-show. They entered the auditorium chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, budget cuts have got to go” and waving hand-made signs, before retreating to the back of the room to await the Superintendent’s appearance. The media, too, had got wind of the potential guest appearance and were out in abundance. However, it soon became apparent that the forum was not going to be as dramatic as those in attendance anticipated. After briefly interviewing a couple of parents and a student, the TV crews promptly left.

Activist Tells Parents: "Your Children are getting a poor education."

Tuck handed out “update” sheets on the budget crisis within the LAUSD, outlining the deficit - which, he said, has increased from $600 million to almost $1 billion following the defeat of Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E in the local elections on Tuesday. He also emphasized that the LAUSD had, to date, retracted notices for 2000 permanent teachers. At Santee, this means a reduction from 55 to 22 lay-offs. “Remember, we all want the same thing.” said Tuck. “Teachers are the most important part of the learning process.” But Tuck also offered a warning: Santee should not stage any more protests  that interupt student learning. Students should not walk out of school or strike. “Action can be loud and strong outside the school day,” said Tuck.

Christian, a student at Santee, said that the protests were a necessary way to bring much-needed attention to the issue. Attendees at the community forum were surprised and dismayed that “powerful” officials were not participating in the dialogue. “These cuts are mostly affecting low-income, Latino and African American schools. What is the Mayor doing?” one parent asked.

One student interrupted the meeting to say, “I just want to ask the question that is on everyone’s mind: Where is Cortines?”

Listen to the students chanting, and hear how PLAS CEO Marshal Tuck answered that question: