I am a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in California. We have been hit especially hard financially. Last year alone, we lost thousands of teachers and increased class size in order to make up for the financial shortcomings of our district. Again this year, our superintendent is asking that we increase class size, take a 12% cut, and possibly lose 5000 more teachers, all in the name of producing a balanced budget. As a child advocate, I feel that cuts must occur away from the classroom. Increasing class size and letting go thousands of talented, young teachers is not the right thing to do. We are already among the lowest paid educators in California.  Neighboring districts pay their teachers more and are not subjecting their members to the same demands that we are facing in LAUSD. What can we do to advocate for our students?