Teachers Union Pushes Hard to Cut Subdistricts

“L.A. Teachers Union Chief Pressures Supt. Romer to Dissolve Subdistricts” (May 30) portrayed the current debate over the L.A. Unified School District mini-districts as a battle of wills between Supt. Roy Romer and me. It is not about us. The issue is where to find the money to restore badly needed student services that have been cut from the budget. The school board faces a clear choice: cutting an administration that consumes more than 10% of the district’s $12.3-billion budget or restoring $50 per student per classroom, retaining nurses and counselors and not increasing class sizes in grades nine through 12.

Some of the same critics had no problem when United Teachers Los Angeles threw its full political weight behind the last three school bond measures. UTLA opposed the previous board because it increased class sizes instead of reducing the mini-districts. Voters agreed. The public understands that smaller classes, not more bureaucrats, are the main reason test scores have improved.

John Perez

President, United

Teachers Los Angeles