When Jonathan Vasquez announced that he would be leaving the Little Lake City School District at some point during the summer, it appeared to be a low-key, planned departure—the kind of administrative change that hardly ever makes the local press. In any case, that was the plan. The plan was entirely altered by the end of April. In the midst of a teachers’ strike that had already taken up almost two weeks of the academic year and showed no signs of abating, Vasquez rescheduled his departure for Monday, April 28. It’s difficult to ignore the timing.
After 94% of union members voted to approve the strike, which started on April 16, there was little doubt about the position of educators. According to the Little Lake Education Association, the dispute is about proposed midyear healthcare changes that could increase some employees’ monthly expenses by up to $1,400. Teachers refer to that as a pay cut disguised in terms of insurance. The district refers to it as a “financial necessity,” citing reserve requirements imposed by the state that restrict their ability to spend.
When the district’s schools aren’t operating normally, a certain kind of tension permeates Santa Fe Springs, the district’s headquarters. Teachers on picket lines instead of in classrooms, parents rerouting their mornings, children returning home in the middle of the week—none of this occurs quietly. It permeates everyday life in ways that are both immediate and draining.
Just after noon on a Thursday, the district presented what it described as a comprehensive written proposal to the two parties. According to reports, the district offered to pay between 85 and 90 percent of the costs for each of the six healthcare plan options included in that proposal. Five of those six options came with larger class sizes, which was the catch—and there’s always a catch. Late that night, the union made its first counterproposal. The negotiators had left the table by 9:41 p.m. Since then, no more discussions have been planned.
Regardless of the reasons behind Vasquez’s departure, it seems as though nothing is truly resolved. Anita Dobbins has taken over as interim superintendent, but personnel changes seldom make structural issues go away. Additionally, the union is calling for reduced class sizes and increased funding for special education initiatives—demands that go far beyond the judgment of a single administrator. Maria Pilios, the president of the union, put it bluntly, citing the millions that were allegedly spent on outside contractors while the state of the classrooms kept getting worse.
Additionally, the union has filed a charge of unfair labor practices, claiming that the district improperly asked teachers to reveal their plans to go on strike. That’s a serious charge that implies the conflict goes beyond a dispute over insurance rates. Additionally, there is a call to recall all five members of the Board of Education, indicating that teachers are not only dissatisfied with a contract but also have concerns about the entire system of governance.
Students in parts of Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, and a tiny area of Downey are served by the Little Lake City School District. Although it’s not a large district by Los Angeles County standards, what’s happening here seems to be a more intense version of the conflicts that are occurring in school districts throughout California: growing operating expenses, tight budgets, teachers who feel under pressure, and administrators juggling budgetary warnings with a staff that has finally stopped silently bearing the strain.
It’s still unclear if Vasquez’s early departure was a sincere attempt to mend the district’s relationship with its teachers or if he was just a man reading the room and selecting the door. It is evident that the school community is waiting for something to give, the picket lines are still full, and the classrooms remain empty.
