[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he L.A. teachers strike is at its a core a struggle between the future of public education in Los Angeles, a future that is murkier than ever.
Ingrid Villeda is a fifth grade teacher at 93rd Street Elementary, and a 20 year veteran of LAUSD. When I talk to her on Sunday night, she’s focused, but noticeably exhausted. It’s the night before the first teachers strike in L.A. in 30 years, and Villeda is one of tens of thousands of teachers that walked the line in front of her school.
I meet Villeda at a community forum put on by UTLA last week in South Central for parents of kids at LAUSD schools. She’s kind, confident, and forthright when she speaks, like a lot of good teachers.
“UTLA has been trying to negotiate a contract for teachers with the district for 20 months,” Villeda says. “That’s almost two years. That’s just ridiculous.”