Why is the Faculty Guild (the American Federation of Teachers chapter that represents LACCD faculty) not supporting Steve Schulte’s candidacy for the LACCD?

Question:  Why is the Faculty Guild (the American Federation of Teachers chapter that represents LACCD faculty) not supporting Steve Schulte’s candidacy for the LACCD?

Well, shame, I say.

I graduated from Yale, I have Master’s degrees from the University of Iowa and UCLA. I have done additional studies at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico (one of the country’s elite “great books” schools).  So it can’t be that my credentials are lacking.

I have strong, demonstrated experience in local government and politics, in not-for-profit management, in education (environmental, safety, regulation, handling hazardous materials and the transportation of hazardous material). So this lack of endorsement is not based on shallow experience.

I am pro-union. I taught elementary school in Newark, New Jersey after Yale and I was arrested (along with about 175 other teachers) for violating a court order against striking. (We struck for smaller classes, more counselors, greater parental involvement, and better salaries for aides). Each of us spent 10 days in the Essex County Penitentiary for our actions. So, clearly, I am not hostile to union activity or to aspirations of people who work in education.

Why, then, the lack of endorsement?

Well, there is more. Neither I nor any other candidate other than the Guild slate of four (including my opponent) was even offered an interview by the Guild. Moreover, the Guild and the LA County Democratic clubs are reputedly dumping $325,000 into the race to stop me and other candidates. Depressing.

And this is all a great shame. I am pushing for increased District-wide accountability, more money for fulltime faculty (more than half are now part-time) and for counselors, increased funding for essential student services to assist students who need extra help to get through the system. Further, I am pushing to raise academic standards for the colleges and to greatly increase educational outcomes. I am advocating making the system overall more student-focused and I am in favor or greater emphasis and effectiveness in overseeing the District’s large budget.

One would think the Guild would welcome all of this.

But, after observation and reflection, I can only conclude that the Guild is really supporting the status quo. That is, the under-performance of the colleges, the continuation of using part-time faculty, the great shortage of classes, the shocking lack of student support services and the unacceptable “success rate” of all nine LA colleges (measuring the percentage of two-year students who get to a four-year college in the allotted time).

Please examine all of this for yourself. If your conclusions are then the same as mine, please support me and join me in making the District colleges institutions that we can all be proud of. Community colleges that support all students who are qualified, who are willing to work hard and who deserve to benefit from the colleges.

I am committed to making this happen. I trust that you are too.

Steve