LAUSD, Teachers Reach Tentative Deal on Voluntary Acceleration Days
United Teachers Los Angeles has reached a tentative agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District to move a set of voluntary “acceleration days” to winter and spring break. The plan comes as teachers were preparing to boycott the first of the four voluntary school days, which were added to the calendar without negotiations with UTLA.
LAist lays out the changes contained in the agreement:
New dates: Instead of holding these acceleration days on four Wednesdays throughout the year, the acceleration days will take place on Dec. 19, Dec. 20, Apr. 3 and Apr. 4 (all Monday and Tuesday dates).
As originally planned, attendance on these acceleration days will be optional for both students and teachers. However, teachers who show up will be paid for extra days of work — which was also part of the original plan. Last spring, LAUSD board members voted to set aside roughly $70 million to cover this cost.
No more ‘random Wednesdays’ off: The four originally-scheduled optional days — Oct. 19, Dec. 7, Mar. 15, Apr. 19 — will become normal school days. Attendance on those days will be required.
A new last day of school: Since the optional days now overlap with previously-scheduled off-days on the calendar, LAUSD can now shave four days off of the end of its school year. Students’ new last day of school would be Friday, June 9.
Supt. Alberto Carvalho praised the development of “consensus” on what was quickly becoming a divisive issue. The goal of the extra days is to make up for some of the learning loss sustained during the pandemic.
A vote to finalize the agreement is expected by Tuesday of next week.
