Othisha base-Ivy Academia e-Los Angeles bangabakamuva ukujoyina igagasi lezinyunyana ezihlela ukunqoba ezikoleni eziqashiwe.

Othisha nabeluleki abangamashumi amahlanu nesithupha ujoyine inyunyana yothisha LA ngoFebhuwari, kulandela izithende zezikole zaseMichigan naseNew York. I-American Federation of Teachers ithi abasebenzisana nayo manje sebemele amalungu ayizi-8,000 ezikoleni ezingama-charter eziyi-191. Inhlangano Yezemfundo Kazwelonke imele ngokuhlanganyela ama-charter amaningi ane-AFT futhi ibala ukuthi kukhona cishe ama-charter ahlanganisiwe angama-625.

Othisha be-Ivy benza ngaphansi kothisha bezikole zikahulumeni futhi banikezwa imisebenzi eyengeziwe ngaphandle kwekilasi, kusho uTom Kuhny, uthisha wesikole esiphakathi e-Ivy iminyaka eyisikhombisa.

“Ungena ngeholo elincane. Usebenza amahora amaningi ngoba uzimisele,” kusho yena.

UDeb Schwartz, uthisha wesiNgisi webanga le-11, uthe onyakeni wesikole ka-2012, othisha banikezwa izinsuku eziyi-13 zokusebenza kulindelekile inkinga yesabelomali sikahulumeni. "Sibone sengathi asinalo izwi kwezinye zezinqumo nezinguquko," kusho uSchwartz.

Ngesikhathi kubuyiselwa imali yesikole, othisha bathola izinsuku ezinhlanu kuphela kwezingu-13 ezingakhokhelwanga. “Ngaleso sikhathi,” esho, “wonke umuntu wahlangana wathi, ‘Lokhu akubonakali kulungile.’”

Othisha nabo bebefuna uzinzo. USchwartz uthe, “Kuhlale kuphezu kwamakhanda ethu mihla namalanga ukuthi kunenqwaba yothisha abalindele ukusivala, ngoba asinayo inyunyana.”

U-Schwartz no-Kuhny bakhangwa i-Ivy ngoba bethanda umgomo wayo, okuhlanganisa namaphrojekthi wesikole lapho abafundi beqala khona amabhizinisi abo futhi bafunde ukufunda ngezezimali.

HLELA UMNCINTISWANO

Izinyunyana zothisha zibambene ngezihluthu nezifunda zezikole njengoba zivala izikole zikahulumeni zafaka ama-charter, izinyunyana eziwubona njengemizamo yokusungulwa kwamabhizinisi azimele.

Noma kunjalo, ama-charter ayaqhubeka nokukhula-futhi i-AFT kanye ne-NEA baphoqelekile ukuba benze kanjalo phendukela ekuhleleni othisha lapho. UMnyango wezeMfundo uthi isibalo samashatha siphindeke kathathu phakathi kuka-2000 no-2010, kanti isabelo sabo sezikole zikahulumeni sikhule sisuka ngaphansi kwamaphesenti amabili saya kumaphesenti amahlanu.

Akukho ndawo lapho lokhu kwanda kubonakala khona ngaphezu kwaseLos Angeles, enama- charter angu-183. Babhalisa cishe kabili inani labafundi banoma yiliphi elinye idolobha, abacishe babe ngu-80,000.

Zingu-40 kuphela izikole ezinyunyana kuze kube manje. Amashumi amabili ayingxenye yochungechunge lwe-Green Dot futhi axhumene ne-NEA's state-level California Teachers Association. Eziyisithupha ziyizikole ezigunyaza ukuguqulwa, lapho othisha bafaka isicelo sokuba isikole esizimele futhi bahlale enhlanganweni yabo yasendaweni, i-United Teachers Los Angeles. I-UTLA manje imele othisha abangama-900, kubaqashi abayisishiyagalolunye abahlukene.

Ucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi amashatha anenzuzo ephezulu kunezikole zomphakathi ezijwayelekile. "I-Turnover ngokuvamile iyinkinga yothisha," kusho uprofesa waseBrooklyn College uDavid Bloomfield. “Umehluko wukuthi iyingxenye yezinhlelo zebhizinisi kuma- charter amaningi, ngoba igcina amaholo ephansi. Igcina izimfuno zezinzuzo ziphansi.”

Ama-charter akhokhelwa isamba ngomfundi ngamunye ofana nezikole zikahulumeni yisifunda noma umbuso, kodwa yonga imali ngoba ayikhokhi impesheni kanye nezikhwama zezinzuzo ngendlela izifunda ezihlangene zenza ngayo. Ama-charter nawo angakhululwa kweminye yemithetho nemithethonqubo okufanele ilandelwe yizikole zomphakathi, kuye ngomthetho wezwe.

UBloomfield uthe ukujoyina izinyunyana zothisha abaqashayo “kuyingxenye yokuvuthwa kwenhlangano yokuqasha, ngoba, njengoba othisha abangakashiyi bekhula, bafuna ukulawula isiphetho sabo somsebenzi.”

IZINDLELA ZOKUHLELA

E-Ivy Academia, othisha bagwema impi edonsa kanzima evamile yokuhlela imikhankaso ngokubonisa ukweseka okukhulu kwenyunyana: othisha abafanelekayo abangu-54 kwabangu-56 basayina amakhadi aqashelwa ibhodi lezabasebenzi likahulumeni.

Baphinde basebenzisana ne-UTLA ukuhlanganisa abaholi bomphakathi nabezepolitiki ukuze bakhuthaze isikole ukuthi siyibone ngokushesha inyunyana yabo, ukuze bakwazi ukungena ezingxoxweni.

Kuzwelonke, izindlela zokuhlela ziye zahlukahluka, kuye ngokuphikisa komqashi namaqhinga.

Abanye abaqashi baveze ukuthi bangaphansi kwebhodi leNational Labour Relations Board elilawula izinkampani ezizimele. Nakuba abanye abasebenzi bomkhakha kahulumeni bengakwazi ukuzuza ukuqashelwa kwenyunyana ngokubonisa ukwesekwa abaningi ngamakhadi asayiniwe, abasebenzi bemboni ezimele ngokuvamile kufanele badlule esinyathelweni esengeziwe sokuwina ukhetho lwendawo yokusebenza. Lokhu kunikeza umqashi isikhathi esengeziwe sokukhankasela inyunyana.

Izikole eziqashiwe ngokuvamile zibhekwa njengezinhlangano zomphakathi—njengoba zixhaswa ngokuyinhloko ngamadola abakhokhi bentela—yize ziphethwe izinhlangano ezingenzi nzuzo ezizimele noma izinkampani.

I-Math and Science Academy yaseChicago yafaka isicelo ku-NLRB ngemuva kwalokho othisha bathola ukwesekwa okuningi emakhadini okugunyazwa ezaqashelwa ngohlaka lwase-Illinois olulawula abasebenzi bomkhakha kahulumeni.

I-NLRB yathatha uhlangothi lobasi, yanquma ngoDisemba 2012 ukuthi isikole esiqashiwe siwusonkontileka ongaphansi kukahulumeni futhi ngaleyo ndlela singaphansi kombuso waso. Yize lesi sinqumo siqondene ngqo nesikole saseChicago, sinamandla okubeka isibonelo kwenye indawo.

Umqhubi we-charter wase-Philadelphia elandela isibonelo saseChicago. Othisha ku-charter ye-New Media bafake isicelo sokuthi izwe liqashelwe eminyakeni emibili edlule, ukuthi lijoyine i-Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, inhlangano kazwelonke ye-AFT yezikole eziqashayo (inezahluko eChicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Michigan, naseMassachusetts) .

Kodwa i-charter iphushele ukhetho lwe-NLRB. Izinhlangothi zombili zigcine zivumelene ukuhlela ukuvota ngo-Ephreli 24.

Ama-charter amaningi asahlelwa ngaphansi kwamabhodi kahulumeni wobudlelwano bezabasebenzi, nokho, okuhlanganisa i-Ivy Academia namanye aseCalifornia.

Ngisho nasezimbonini ezizimele, abaqashi bangakwazi ukuqaphela ngokuzithandela inyunyana—ngakho izinhlangothi zombili zingaxoxisana ngendlela yokuzuza ukuqashelwa.

E-Chicago, e-UNO, iketango le-charter eliqhutshwa umphakathi oxhumene nezombusazwe kanye nomholi webhizinisi, muva nje uvumile ukuhlela imithetho eyisisekelo nge-AFT charter local. Lokhu kufaka phakathi ukuqashelwa kwesheke lamakhadi nokungathathi hlangothi kuyilapho othisha benquma ukuthi bahlele yini.

A ihlazo lenkohlakalo elambulwa iphephandaba laseChicago kungenzeka inikeze i-UNO isisusa sokugwema ukungqubuzana komphakathi.

I-Ivy Academia inamahlazo ayo: abasunguli besikole basanda kutholwa unecala lokusebenzisa budedengu i-$200,000 yezimali zomphakathi. Bake bashiya esikoleni ngo-2010.

Othisha nabeluleki bakwa-Ivy babheke ngabomvu ukuxoxisana ngenkontileka yabo yokuqala. Baye bafinyelela kubazali ukugcizelela ukuthi ukuhlanganisa inyunyana kuyinzuzo yabo bobabili othisha nabafundi.

“Sinesikole esihle ngempela,” kusho uthisha webanga lesithupha uJaime Marks. “Lokhu kuzonyusa amathuba okuthi abafundi baphumelele.”

Lesi sihloko silungisiwe ukuze kucaciswe ukuthi izikole eziyisithupha zase-Los Angeles's conversion charter ziphethwe ngokuzimela aziqhutshwa abaqhubi bezikole eziqashiwe. Ngemuva kokuguqulwa kwezikole, othisha basala e-UTLA kodwa baxoxisana ngokwehlukana nezikole zezifunda.

USamantha Winslow ungumbhali wezisebenzi kanye nomhleli onamanothi Ezabasebenzi.samantha@labornotes.org 

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