Little Lake City School District is still on strike but back on negotiation table

Despite the Los Angeles Unified School District unions averting what could have been one of the biggest strikes after a last-minute tentative agreement was reached, other local school districts have already gone on strike, hoping for a similar outcome. 

Teachers, staff and educators in the Little Lake City School District (LLCSD), which primarily serves students in Santa Fe Springs and portions of neighboring Norwalk in Los Angeles County, have been striking for more than a week. 

The teachers' union, the Little Lake Education Association (LLEA), is currently on strike, demanding smaller class sizes, additional special education services for students, increased pay and an affordable healthcare plan for its educators.

As of today, Monday, April 27, Jonathan Vasquez, the former superintendent of the Little Lake City School District, has officially retired. He had previously said he would be departing in the summer, but announced on Friday that he would leave his position early due to health reasons.

On Sunday, in an emergency meeting, the district’s governing board appointed Monica Johnson, a district administrator, as interim superintendent. 

LLEA and LLCSD are back at the bargaining table, but the association said the strike will continue until an agreement is reached. The union said that on Monday, April 20, the district walked out of negotiations after 15 hours and made no meaningful movement. 

“The district has the power to end this strike right now. Our parents and community members stand with us because they understand what’s at stake,” Rebecca Guzman, LEA organizing co-chair, told CALÓ News.

Teachers have been on strike since April 16, with negotiations between the district and the union dating back to last fall. This is also the first strike in Little Lake in 150 years. 

“Interim superintendent Monica Johnson has a clear choice to make: meet our demands and end this strike. The decision is hers—tomorrow will show where she stands,” said LLEA president, Maria Pilios. 

Guzman said teachers have gone three years without a wage increase. The union also claims that mid-year cuts to healthcare benefits have led some educators to lose access to care and others to pay up to $1,400 out of pocket to maintain health coverage. 

“LLEA remains committed to protecting class sizes so every student gets the individualized attention they deserve, expanding support for the growing needs in special education so our most vulnerable students can learn with dignity and securing affordable healthcare so educators can afford to stay and serve this community,” Guzman said. 

Teachers have also tried to recall the entire Board of Education, including Jasmine Sanchez, Hilda Zamora, Lisa Chavarria, Manuel Cantu and Gina Ramirez. 

Last Tuesday, the teachers rallied at the California Teachers Association’s Santa Fe Springs office, then headed to City Hall to personally serve Cantu with the recall notice, which they had to mail since he was not in his city hall office. 

At that time, Vasquez said teachers are in their full right to ask for a recall but told the Southern California News Group that the district's problems go beyond that. “We respect the right of voters to select their representatives through the electoral process,” he said in a written statement. “A change in leadership will not change the difficult realities of declining enrollment, rising healthcare costs or the fiscal solvency concerns that our district must deal with now and into the future.”

The district has about 3,500 students, with approximately 90% of them being Latinos. The district, serving areas in Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk and Downey, has a high percentage of students from low-income households.

Today, the district has seven elementary schools and two middle schools.