Teacher displacement disrupts the learning of students

Benjamin Recinos • September 23, 2024

Students protest for the reinstatement of both music teacher Wes Hambright and Spanish teacher Glenda Hurtado on Sept. 23. Hambright was reinstated that day, but students called for the return of both teachers.

When news broke out that music teacher Wes Hambright and Spanish teacher Glenda Hurtado were displaced, we were livid. This injustice is an extreme hindrance to students’ education and our school as a whole.

Following Norm Day on Sept. 13, our enrollment is at the lowest it has ever been, at 188. This low number was the reason the teachers were displaced on Sept. 18. By this displacement, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) further drove down the appeal to attend our school, exacerbating the issue. Although a budget was secured for Hambright’s position, Hurtado is still being displaced. With Hurtado absent, the Spanish department will be shut down or moved online.

LAUSD has made it clear that its five Strategic Plan Pillars are key to students’ success. Unfortunately, LAUSD has not abided by its guidelines. The district claims that engagement and collaboration are very important steps to student success. However, they decide to displace our teachers, taking away the people engaging the classrooms. Another pillar is investment in staff, but they ignore this as they displace crucial teachers. At a small school like DPMHS, losing one teacher could mean everything.

In Los Angeles, almost 50% of people are Hispanic, making Spanish an extremely important language to learn. Hurtado was the only full-time foreign language teacher, making her class essential. Two years of a foreign language is necessary for students to graduate. Now, students have no in-person method of learning such a crucial language.

Without a teacher, students will have to take Spanish online through Edgenuity. It has been shown time and time again that an online platform cannot effectively substitute for an in-person teacher. A real teacher can provide feedback and engage with students. Online learning severely hurts students’ ability to learn due to the lack of engagement, once again violating an LAUSD pillar.

By displacing our staff, LAUSD is showing students, teachers and parents alike that they are turning a blind eye toward the needs of their students and our school. The district shows an indifference towards our right to a quality education. As students, we must advocate for better.

Bring back our teachers, they deserve better.

To avoid conflict of interest, our advisor Adriana Chavira is not reviewing or editing any of the stories before they are published.

Jasmine Thompson contributed to this article.

About the Contributor

Benjamin Recinos, Staff Writer

Benjamin Recinos is a senior and this is his first year of being a staff writer. He hopes to sharpen his writing skills, photography skills and to be more of a team player. As a senior, he hopes to make the most of his last year in high school and his time on The Pearl Post. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, guitar & writing music.