L.A. career and technical ed teacher invited to Obama’s speech
As President Barack Obama plans to promote initiatives targeted to the middle class during his State of the Union address, the spotlight may fall on one Los Angeles teacher who embodies his belief that technical skills are necessary to be competitive in today’s job market.
Katrice Mubiru, a career and technical education teacher, traveled Tuesday to Washington, D.C., as one of 22 guests invited by first lady Michelle Obama. They represent working Americans who would benefit from Obama’s proposals to expand paid family leave, make community college free and raise taxes on the wealthy.
Mubiru had written to Obama in 2012, expressing concerns that the adult technical education program where she taught, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, was in danger of closing. The program helps adults learn technical skills to get jobs in fields like physical and sports therapy.
She wrote specifically about a stay-at-home mom who couldn’t afford the $300 fees to take Mubiru’s class, but who needed to find work because her husband had been laid off from his job. The letter struck a chord with Obama aides.
“I think they really liked the personal stories,” she told StateScoop. “It was a very simple story about a real person who represents Americans today. At that time, a lot of people were losing their jobs, and there were layoffs left and right. I was one of them.”
Read the full story at StateScoop.
