Monica Johnson named interim Little Lake superintendent as teachers strike continues

Little Lake City School District’s board named Monica Johnson interim superintendent on Sunday as its teachers’ strike rolled into a third week. (whittierdailynews.com) (llcsd.net) Johnson was already the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services, a role she has held since July 2018 after serving as a teacher and principal in the district. (llcsd.net 1) (llcsd.net 2) She steps in after Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez said on April 24 that he would leave the following week for health and family reasons, then moved up his departure to Monday. (whittierdailynews.com) (abc7.com) The labor fight began April 16, when nearly 200 educators represented by the Little Lake Education Association walked out after months of stalled bargaining. (foxla.com) (nbclosangeles.com) Union leaders say the district changed health benefits in the middle of the school year, with some employees facing monthly costs as high as $1,400. They are also demanding smaller class sizes and more support for special education students. (foxla.com) (capitalandmain.com) The district says it has continued operating schools during the strike and earlier authorized substitute teachers at $500 a day to keep campuses open. Little Lake serves nine schools in Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk and Downey. (foxla.com) (llcsd.net) Sunday’s board meeting drew hundreds of teachers, parents and residents, with some union members calling for a board recall as frustration spread over the superintendent change and stalled talks. (whittierdailynews.com) Little Lake was founded in 1871, and multiple outlets described this as the district’s first strike in 154 years. (llcsd.net) (capitalandmain.com) (edsource.org) As Johnson takes over, the immediate question is whether new leadership can help restart negotiations before more school days are lost. (mynewsla.com) (whittierdailynews.com)