Tijuana Schools Lack Teachers

**Education in Baja California Faces Challenges** Teacher shortages in Tijuana schools prompt campus occupations by parents. Efforts are underway to address staffing gaps and ongoing education and labor issues in the region.

**Tijuana Schools Face Teacher Shortages, Resulting in Occupied Campuses**

In Baja California, 11 schools have been occupied by parents due to a shortage of teachers. Of these, four are located in Tijuana. The state’s Secretary of Education, Luis Gallego Cortez, stated that these issues might be resolved within the current fortnight, with each case being addressed individually and promptly.

Gallego Cortez emphasized that these school occupations do not imply a total absence of teachers. Most of these schools have around 80% to 90% of their positions filled, but the absence of a few educators has prompted parents to take action to attract attention from educational authorities.

A significant challenge contributing to this issue is the surge of medical leave requests from existing teachers, which has led to staffing gaps. Despite having resolved all federal teaching interim posts, state-level interim positions remain.

To address the dynamic and ongoing teacher allocation challenges, efforts are underway to reassign teachers from schools with surplus staff to those in need. This process requires careful negotiation with union leaders to ensure an organized and agreeable transition.

**Updates on Education and Labor Issues in Baja California**

In recent developments unrelated to the Tijuana schools, members of the education workers union in Baja California continue to protest over unpaid salaries. Employees from various educational sectors, including administrative, library, prefect, and maintenance staff, report incomplete payments since last year.

In addition, there are ongoing labor issues within the local industries. For instance, a large-scale inspection initiative has been announced for workplace safety compliance, following a tragic incident at Prime Wheel Tijuana. The industry aims to enhance safety regulations through informational sessions to ensure adherence to safety norms.