LA Family Literacy, the program just saved through grassroots action, is under the knife again.
LAUSD is slated to purge all teaching staff at 5 Family Literacy sites & close the other.
How You Can Help
Please Send a Message to LAUSD:
Keep The Same Sites and the Same Staff;
Purging The Staff Will Destroy the Program
Please support the LA Family Literacy Program by contacting Supt. John Deasy and members of the Board of Education, who promised to preserve this exemplary and nationally recognized program. (Contact information below).
Tell them that the program must keep all sites open. Further, the program depends on the experience and trust of its talented and well-trained staff. Removing all the individuals who have been serving this program will assure the program’s death.
Tell District officials they must continue the program in the same locations and with the same staff, giving staff members the opportunity to upgrade their training as needed.
Hit the "read more" link to learn more.
The background:
Families served by the LA Family Literacy program have reacted with anger upon learning that the school district is is getting rid of all the teaching staff at five of the Family Literacy sites, and closing the other one altogether.In a letter sent to District administrators, the parents said,
“This does not sound like continuing the program! This sounds like killing the program. We trusted you, and now you are going back on your word. You are betraying us and disrespecting us.”Supt. John Deasy had recommended closing the 20-year-old program when a major grant expired earlier this year, but reversed course after parents and community members lobbied and rallied on its behalf, sparking widespread news coverage. Just a few weeks ago, the Board of Education promised to continue the popular program.
Now, with less than a month to the start of school and no educational staff in place, parents are asking whether the teachers and classroom aides are being punished because they stood with the community to insist that the nationally-renowned program be saved.
For more information, see the letter below, sent by Family Literacy Program families on July 14, 2014 to Supt. Deasy, administrators and members of the Board of Education.
Here’s what you can say in your email:
Subject: LAUSD Family Literacy
Message: I urge you to keep all the existing sites open, to keep the existing staff and to halt immediately the purge of existing staff. Honor your promise to continue the program!
Send your messages to:
Supt. John Deasy
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Monica Garcia
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Tamar Galatzan
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Bennett Kayser
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Monica Ratliff
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Sylvia Rousseau
(liaison)
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Richard Vladovic
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Steve Zimmer
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Here, in English and Spanish, is the letter by the families on July 14, 2014.
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To: Supt. John Deasy, Donna Brashear, Michelle King, Maureen Dieckmann and members of the LAUSD Board of Education(Signed)
From: Families served by the LA Family Literacy Program
Subject: Family Literacy Families Say, ‘We Are Angry’
We are the people who organized to save the Family Literacy program. At the Board of Education’s June 17 meeting, we were told that the District was saving the program. We were happy then.
But now we are angry and sick at heart. We have just found out that the LA Unified School District is getting rid of all the teaching staff at five of the Family Literacy sites, and closing the other one altogether.
This does not sound like continuing the program! This sounds like killing the program. We trusted you, and now you are going back on your word. You are betraying us and disrespecting us.
This program works. Children who go through the program do well in school. Many have gone on to college. We organized to save the program. We brought signs. We spoke before the Board of Education, trying to let you know how much we have learned in the program, and what great work it does. We were very nervous, but we came because Family Literacy has taught us how important education is for our children, and because this program really works. This program helps us keep our children in school and out of gangs. It helps us be better parents to help our children achieve.
These teachers came and stood beside us. They are our partners, the ones who have made a difference in the lives of our children and our families. Now it looks like the teachers are being punished because they stood with us.
If you get rid of all the people who know our families, people we trust, you will destroy something that is already working so well. The program works because it has great employees with lots of experience. Why are you taking them away? This is not fair and it makes no sense.
If you close the doors on one of our sites, many of us will have no program to go back to. We supported this program, we rallied for this program, you promised to keep this program, and now it is being taken away. This is not fair.
We thought saving a program meant keeping a program together. There is no need to change something that works so well. We may not have much education or money, but we deserve to be treated with respect, not to be lied to.
Please: Keep your word and preserve our program. Continue the Family Literacy program with the same locations and the same staff.
Blanca Martinez
Kamilla Shamgulova
Adilene and Walter Aviles
Veronica Lara
Emma Diaz
Aida Gomez
Elizabeth Morales
Bianca Diaz
Rocelia Mariscal
Marisol Rotstein
Liliana Ramirez
David Cruz
Mayra Mendez
Dina Khahil
Maria Vazquez
Lourdes Maldonado
Mirna Nochez
Maria Sanchez
Fabiola Jimenez
Maria Montero
Leslie Flores
Marcelina Perez
Claudia Carrillo
Margarita Santiago
Maria Chavez
Monica Abundiz
Rosa Barajas
Ana Cajero
Idania Camarena
Karen Castillo
Sandra Chavez
Alejandra Espinoza
Noemi Galindo
Maria Garcia
Teresa Guzman
Alejandra Herrera
Erika Lozano
Elisa Navarro
Ana Pantoja
Yadira Pineda
Patricia Reyes
Nancy Romero
Yolanda Romero
Ana Salas
Elvira Solis
Sobeidy Soto
Angelina Tayun
Alma Velasquez
Marisol Cabrera
Susana Barbosa
Isidra Leyva
Ana Gutierrez
Sara Gonzalez
Maria Benitez
Graciela Bucio
Ismael Bucio
Alondra Martinez
Marisol Calihua
Erika Lopez
Leticia Rios
Francisca Sorto
Daniela Lopez
Lorena Luna
Bricieda Mayorquin
Araceli Guerrero
Blanca Martinez
Blanca Malagon
Lucia Gonzalez
Carolina Albino
Claudia Gomez
Juana Rodriguez
Ana Rojas
Claudia Rosales
Lorena Gutierrez
Fabiola Martinez
Saira Barragon
Alicia Hernandez
Juan Aranda
Silvia Gonzalez
Alfredo Gonzalez Ochoa
Maria Guatzozon
Fernando Hernandez
Maria Blandon
Flor Chicas
Ana Morales
Manuela Velasquez
Wendy Ramirez
Analy Cervantes
Patrieia Razo
Jacqueline Gomez
Melania Lopez
Adriana Prado
Graciela Ortiz
Laura Hernandez
Laura Garcia
Maria Chavez
Lidia Penaloza
Noelia Quevedo
Maria Espinoza
Karla Farias
Patricia Lara
Spanish version of our letter to Dr. Deasy, administrators and the school board:
Somos las familias que se organizaron para salvar el programa de Aprendizaje Familiar. El día 17 de junio, en la junta de la Mesa Directiva del Distrito Escolar de Los Ángeles, nos dijeron que el Distrito estaba salvando el programa. Entonces estábamos felices.
Pero ahora estamos tristes, molestos y enojados. Solo hemos descubierto que el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles se está deshaciendo de todo el personal de cinco sitios del programa de Aprendizaje Familiar y serraran las puertas de otro de los programas.
¡Esto no suena a salvar el programa! Esto suena más bien a destrucción del programa. Confiamos en el Distrito, y ahora el Distrito no cumple con su palabra. Nos engaña y nos falta al respeto.
Este programa funciona. Los niños que han pasado a través de este programa se benefician siendo mejores estudiantes. Muchos de ellos han llegado a la Universidad. Nos organizamos y nos manifestamos. Trajimos letreros. Testificamos ante la Mesa Directiva, para que el Distrito supiera cuánto hemos aprendido y qué gran trabajo produce el programa. Aunque estábamos temerosos, vinimos porque el programa de Aprendizaje Familiar nos ha enseñado que es importante obtener educación para nosotros los padres y así poder ayudar a nuestros hijos a que sean hombres y mujeres de bien, este programa nos ha dado las herramientas para luchar contra el ambiente en el que vivimos y es por eso que estamos luchando para que no lo cancelen, porque Aprendizaje Familiar deberás funciona. Este programa nos ha ayudado a mantener a nuestros hijos en la escuela y fuera de las drogas y de las pandillas.
Estos maestros vinieron y estuvieron de pie al lado de nosotros. Son más que compañeros y han hecho la gran diferencia en las vidas de nuestros hijos y familias. Ahora parece que todo el personal del programa está castigado por apoyarnos.
Si el Distrito se deshace de todo el personal, estas personas en quien confiamos, destruirá algo que ya funciona perfectamente. El programa funciona bien porque tiene empleados capases y con muchísimos años de experiencia. ¿Porque nos quitan a nuestros maestros? ¡Esto no es justo y no tiene sentido!
Si el Distrito cierra las puertas de uno de nuestros sitios, muchos de nosotros no tendremos ningún programa a donde volver. Nos unimos para apoyar todos los programas. El Distrito se comprometió a mantener el programa pero ahora van a cerrar un sitio y van a cambiar los programas completamente. ¡Esto no es justo!
Nosotros pensábamos que salvar el programa indicaba mantener el programa que existe. ¡No hay razón por cambiar algo que funciona tan bien! ¡No tengamos mucha educación o dinero, pero nos merecemos ser tratados con respeto y sin mentiras!
Por favor: Continúen con el programa de Aprendizaje Familiar con las mismas ubicaciones y el mismo personal.
Visit us!
Website: www.lafamilyliteracy.org
Twitter: @LAFamLiteracy
FB: LAFamilyLiteracy
Keep in Touch!
Let us know your opinions and thoughts by sending us an email. Or sign up for our mailing list.
Thanks for your interest in the LA Family Literacy Program!
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