LAUSD approves pink slip notices

[ilbegone]

LAUSD approves pink slip notices

EDUCATION: Nearly 5,200 employees could be laid off in budget-cutting move

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

03/02/2010

The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved sending nearly 5,200 layoff notices to teachers, administrators, counselors and nurses, as the district looks to close a $640million budget deficit for the next school year.

The latest layoff figures include pink slips for 2,252 teachers, 574 counselors, librarians, school nurses and psychologists and 2,370 administrators.

That would virtually eliminate school nurses and librarians, increase class sizes in fourth through eighth grade to a potential high of 44 students in middle school, and boost counselor loads to 1,000 students each.

In coming weeks the district will also study whether to order layoffs for nearly 1,000 custodians and janitors and more than 500 office workers.

The layoff notices were recommended by LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who said that while he hoped to negotiate with employee unions to reduce the number of layoffs he was forced to plan for the worst-case scenario to keep the district solvent.

"These are not recommendations I am taking lightly. I have taught at every grade level and know what these cuts mean," Cortines said.

"Another deadline is upon us though ... I am asking the board to join me in being responsible and noticing the appropriate number of people until we secure other solutions."

State law requires districts to notify teachers, administrators and other credentialed employees by March 15 of the possibility they will lose their jobs. Those notices can be, and often are, rescinded when districts find cost-saving alternatives to layoffs.

While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other state officials have said they did not cut school budgets this year, they kept funding for schools at the heavily cut levels of 2009.

Last year districts like LAUSD had the help of federal stimulus money to minimize the full impact of those cuts. This year, however, that cushion is not there.

So last year, while LAUSD faced a deficit of some $870million, and sent notices to more than 8,400 teachers, administrators and counselors, the district only laid off about 2,000 of these employees thanks to federal stimulus dollars.

This year, while the district faces a slightly smaller deficit of $640 million, cuts are expected to be deeper because there is no federal money to help stave off the impact.

"Last year was a piece of cake compared to now," Cortines said.

Before approving the layoff notices in a 7-0 vote, some board members got teary eyed while others made desperate pleas to employee unions to "share the pain."

"I don't want to approve these cuts," said LAUSD board member Richard Vladovic, a former district employee. "But if we don't, the county or the state could take us over ... creating absolute chaos for our children."

Board members again stressed to community members that they could help alleviate some of the cuts if they vote to approve a June ballot measure that would increase property taxes by $100 per parcel. But even if voters approve the tax, it would raise only $92.5 million a year for four years.

"I refuse to have another year where we are forced to make these difficult decisions that we then get blamed for," said board member Yolie Flores. "We need our family members to do their part, come to the table, think about the lives of kids and the jobs at stake and come up with shared solutions."

To avoid some job cuts, the district is seeking concessions from the employee unions, including a 10 percent pay cut, furloughs and ending the school year early.

Gregg Solkovits, secondary vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said that while union officials understand the district's desperate financial situation, they also want to make sure the district has not spent money wastefully or on inappropriate priorities.

"We recognize that LAUSD's funding has been severely cut, but we also know that this district has a long history of misplaced priorities and wasteful spending," Solkovits said.

District officials pointed out that most administrators at LAUSD's downtown headquarters are being asked to cut personnel by 10 to 20 percent, after they've been slashed by 40 percent since 2008. Remaining workers will also be asked to move to a 10-month-per-year calendar - mirroring the work schedule of school-based employees and forcing them to take an 18 percent pay cut.