A Commitment to the Leaders Who Prepare Our Youngest Learners
At AALA Teamsters, we recognize and deeply value the extraordinary work of our Early Education Principals and Early Education Directors. These leaders carry tremendous responsibility—not only for leading schools and programs, supporting educators and staff, and managing complex day-to-day operations, but also for laying the foundation for our youngest learners as they prepare for a successful transition into K–12 education.
Your work matters. Your leadership matters. Your voices matter.
Our Early Education leaders deserve to have their workload, working conditions, responsibilities, and compensation examined thoughtfully and fairly. It is with that commitment to our Early Education brothers and sisters that AALA Teamsters and LAUSD have entered into a Side Letter establishing a joint committee to review the classifications of Early Education Principals and Early Education Directors.
A Joint Committee: Bringing Your Voices to the Table
The committee will be comprised of six members:
- Three members appointed by AALA Teamsters
- Three members appointed by the District
The committee will meet to discuss concerns related to workload and working conditions and will make recommendations regarding a salary study to be conducted by Human Resources (HR).
Human Resources will conduct a salary study and provide a written response to the Committee for review. Within 90 days of receiving the job study results, the Committee will reconvene to review HR‘s response and make recommendations to their respective bargaining teams for consideration and proposal.
This process creates an important opportunity for us to move beyond individual experiences and develop a comprehensive understanding of the work being performed by our Early Education leaders. [Read SIDE LETTER HERE)
Your Voice. Your Experience. Our Data.
As we prepare for our committee meetings over the next several weeks, we will be sending a survey to all Early Education Department members.
The purpose of the survey is to gather information regarding:
- Workload
- Working conditions
- Responsibilities and expectations
- Classification-related concerns
- Challenges impacting your ability to lead effectively
- Areas where additional support may be needed
- Other concerns and priorities identified by our Early Education members
Our goal is to ensure that our conversations are grounded in data and that our decision-making is data-driven.
Your participation is important. The more comprehensive the information we receive from our Early Education brothers and sisters, the better positioned the committee will be to understand the issues and identify areas for further review.
Early Education Town Hall
Data tells an important part of the story. Your voice tells the rest.
To provide personalization and, most importantly, an opportunity to hear directly from our Early Education members, I invite you to join us for an Early Education Town Hall.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
4:30–6:30 PM
Casa Italiana
1051 North Broadway
This will be an opportunity to come together, share your experiences, raise concerns, ask questions, and help inform the work ahead.
I personally invite you to attend. Your presence, your voice, and your concerns matter greatly to me. ( Register HERE)
A Commitment to Being Present
I also want to acknowledge the importance of being present with our members.
Last year, both our Certificated and Classified Collective Bargaining Teams were engaged in negotiations for approximately 15 months. Many of our CBA meetings took place on Fridays, which unfortunately meant that I was unable to attend some of our organizational meetings in person.
In total, AALA Teamsters has 15 organizational meetings, most of which are held via Zoom. I have made a commitment to attend these meetings and remain connected to our members.
The Early Education Department‘s meetings are held in person, and moving forward, I have reviewed the scheduled meetings, placed the dates on my calendar, and make a commitment to attend the in-person Early Education organizational meetings.
When I am unable to attend, however, you will not be without AALA Teamsters leadership representation.
We are fortunate to have a Vice President and two Directors who represent Early Education and serve on the AALA Teamsters Executive Board. In my absence, they will bring greetings, updates, and information directly to our Early Education members. A PowerPoint presentation will also be provided to ensure consistent messaging, communication, and updates across our membership.
Leading Through Grace, Gratitude, and Service
As I enter my third year as your President, I continue to approach this work from a place of grace, gratitude, and service.
I recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to representing our members.
AALA Teamsters represents six departments, and each department has unique responsibilities, challenges, priorities, and needs. Our commitment must therefore include opportunities for greater personalization and differentiation in how we listen, communicate, advocate, and serve.
For Early Education, this committee and the work ahead represent an important opportunity to listen carefully, gather meaningful data, understand the realities of your work, and ensure that your experiences are part of the conversation.
To our Early Education Principals and Directors: thank you for the leadership you provide every day to our youngest learners, their families, and our District.
Your work is foundational to the educational journey of our students—and your voices deserve to be heard.
I look forward to seeing you at the Town Hall and continuing this important work together.
In service,
Maria
President, AALA/Teamsters
