Little Lake teachers strike hits Norwalk

Teachers in the Little Lake City School District walked off the job on April 16, leaving Norwalk-area campuses open with substitutes and supervised minimum days. (abc7.com) The strike involves about 200 members of the Little Lake Education Association across seven elementary schools and two middle schools in Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk and part of Downey. The district serves just under 3,700 students. (abc7.com) By April 23, the walkout had reached Day 6 and the union and district were back at the bargaining table after talks broke down earlier in the week. The main disputes were class size, special education staffing and health insurance costs. (mynewsla.com) Union leaders say the district’s proposed health plan changes could raise some employees’ monthly costs to as much as $1,400. Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez said the district is trying to settle a contract while keeping the school system financially solvent and meeting state reserve requirements. (foxla.com) (abc7.com) The fight is not centered on a pay raise. Union president Maria Pilios said teachers are trying to block larger classes, protect special education support and keep health coverage affordable. (capitalandmain.com) That mix of issues has turned the strike into a fight over how a small elementary district handles shrinking budgets and student needs at the same time. Capital & Main reported that 15 teachers had already received layoff notices as enrollment and attendance pressures squeezed district finances. (capitalandmain.com) The district has kept schools running by using administrators and substitute teachers, and it told families students would be supervised, fed breakfast and lunch, and offered extended care during the strike. District FAQs say substitutes were being paid $500 a day, which officials said was near a teacher’s average daily salary. (llcsd.net 1) (llcsd.net 2) Little Lake’s union called the walkout the first teacher strike in the district’s roughly 154-year history. The district was established in 1871, according to school websites. (capitalandmain.com) (llcsd.net) The next test is whether resumed talks can end the shutdown before more students stay home and more classes in Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs and Downey spend another week without their regular teachers. (mynewsla.com)