Good Morning, My name is Anita Gustafson and I am a Special Ed Assistant at Sylmar High School. I’ve worked for the district for 24 years.
If I could give myself a job title, it would be Self Esteem Raiser. I give children a lot of attention and encouragement. I only talk to them about what is good about them and I make sure they know how important education is.
I have many stories of children whose lives I’ve changed. There was the autistic girl who used to run away from teachers and supervisors. No one wanted to work with her. After the years I spent with her, she ended up in a mainstream classroom and she was very independent and self-motivated.
Then there was the boy who was always getting into fights. I spoke to him with a lot of respect and showed that I really cared about him. He graduated this year and he’s going to attend Mission College in the fall.
Finally, there’s the boy who never wanted to do any of his homework. “I don’t have to because I don’t need to graduate. I’m going to sell fish like my grandpa,” he’d say. I explained that even to sell fish you need to know some math. We found out he was very good at algebra and that changed his mentality completely. Now he is headed to Mission College to learn how to open his own restaurant.
I work with a lot of very dedicated people. One co-worker almost lost her home when her hours were cut. Her husband also works for LAUSD as a groundskeeper and they cut his summer hours. It was a very bad situation for them. They have young children in LAUSD schools. A salary increase would help them keep a roof over their kids’ heads and ensure those children have the stability they need to succeed in school.
I urge you to approve a budget that includes a $15 minimum wage and a 15% increase over three years for those making more than $15.
Thank you.
