Education

Los Angeles Teachers Union Wants Student Loans Forgiven For ‘Teacher Appreciation Week’

REUTERS/Alex Dobuzinskis

Chrissy Clark Contributor
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The largest teachers union in Los Angeles used “Teacher Appreciation Week” to demand that school districts and politicians forgive their student loan debt. It also demanded that they close public charter schools and put ethnic studies courses in all schools.

United Teachers of Los Angeles sent out a list of demands Monday amid “Teacher Appreciation Week.” Teachers called for higher salaries, smaller classes, smaller workloads, the end of standardized tests, the forgiveness of student loans, the end of charter schools, more gardens, ethnic studies in all schools and restorative justice disciplinary practices.

Corey DeAngelis, the director of research for the American Federation for Children, told the Daily Caller that invoking left-wing political demands is a theme for the United Teachers of Los Angeles. DeAngelis referenced when the union demanded a wealth tax and “Medicare for All” before returning to in-person learning.

“The Los Angeles teachers union is at it again. In their 2020 report on safety reopening schools, they let the mask slip by calling for unrelated political demands such as a wealth tax, Medicare for all, and a ban on new charter schools,” DeAngelis said. “Now they’re using Teacher Appreciation Week to demand a bunch of stuff including student loan forgiveness.”

United Teachers of Los Angeles weighed in on other political issues, including a draft leak of a Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. (RELATED: Teachers Unions Conflate Ending Roe V. Wade With Racism, Voting Rights)

DeAngelis said that public schools and unions push for more tax dollars, but have limited incentive to spend the money wisely. He claimed that after adjusting for inflation, U.S. education funding per student increased by 298% since 1960, yet academic outcomes remain flat.

“These unions can constantly push for more resources from the taxpayer – and use any reason imaginable – because they can do so without consequences,” he said. “And the reality is that the funding will never be enough for the same reason: the government school monopoly doesn’t have any incentive to spend that money wisely.”