State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Applauds Resolution in LAUSD Teachers' Strike

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent Tony Thurmond today commended the work of officials from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), and the office of Mayor Garcetti for their roles in reaching a resolution to end the teachers’ strike at LAUSD.

The LAUSD strike, their first strike in nearly 30 years, lasted six days and affected more than 30,000 teachers and a half million students. Thurmond has been in communication with officials from both sides since taking office to assist in finding a resolution.

“I would like to commend the sacrifices and dedication by the teachers for fighting for a better future for our students. I applaud all parties involved for coming to an agreement that will get our children back into the classroom tomorrow and I am glad that I was able to have played a support role to keep the parties at the table.

Going forward over the next few years, my office and I look forward to working with districts, the Governor, and Legislature to identify new and permanent funding sources to help districts provide smaller class sizes, have increased staff such as librarians and counselors, and to support and improve public education overall in our state.”

The resolution came after an all-night negotiation session that began on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and ended at approximately 6 a.m. this morning.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100