(The Los Angeles Times) |
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Unified School Board has approved a budget that could cut nearly $1.6 billion over the next three years.
The budget for the 2011-2012 school year, approved on Tuesday, could force the elimination of full-day kindergarten and layoffs for half the district's nurses and elementary art and music teachers.
The plan also makes layoffs more likely for 2,200 teachers and up to 2,000 custodians, cafeteria workers and other school employees.
The district has slashed almost $700 million, about 10 percent of this year's operating budget, and taken money from teacher training, professional development and transportation, in order to maintain funds for classroom instruction.
The approved budget includes $132 million in cuts for the current fiscal year and about $143 million next year.
In 2011-12, when federal stimulus money for education runs out, district officials project that they will have to make $844 million in cuts.
Teachers union officials said they will continue to fight against layoffs and have not agreed to any pay cuts or scheduling changes. United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy said the latest reductions would have a devastating effect.
Union members have urged the district to use more federal stimulus money to save teaching positions and prohibit schools from paying non-teaching staff with the federal funds.
Superintendent Ramon Cortines said it would be irresponsible to spend all of the federal money at once and that giving school staff more autonomy will help cut bureaucracy at district headquarters.
State law requires Cortines to file a three-year budget by July 1. He also asked the board to approve a parcel tax to generate money for schools that would go to voters next spring. That decision is pending.
Cortines also complained that the unions have not offered concessions.
Union leaders have said they have negotiated in good faith.
Several board members said they felt they had to vote for the budget but would not approve some specifics of the plan later on.
The budget for the 2011-2012 school year, approved on Tuesday, could force the elimination of full-day kindergarten and layoffs for half the district's nurses and elementary art and music teachers.
The plan also makes layoffs more likely for 2,200 teachers and up to 2,000 custodians, cafeteria workers and other school employees.
The district has slashed almost $700 million, about 10 percent of this year's operating budget, and taken money from teacher training, professional development and transportation, in order to maintain funds for classroom instruction.
The approved budget includes $132 million in cuts for the current fiscal year and about $143 million next year.
In 2011-12, when federal stimulus money for education runs out, district officials project that they will have to make $844 million in cuts.
Teachers union officials said they will continue to fight against layoffs and have not agreed to any pay cuts or scheduling changes. United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy said the latest reductions would have a devastating effect.
Union members have urged the district to use more federal stimulus money to save teaching positions and prohibit schools from paying non-teaching staff with the federal funds.
Superintendent Ramon Cortines said it would be irresponsible to spend all of the federal money at once and that giving school staff more autonomy will help cut bureaucracy at district headquarters.
State law requires Cortines to file a three-year budget by July 1. He also asked the board to approve a parcel tax to generate money for schools that would go to voters next spring. That decision is pending.
Cortines also complained that the unions have not offered concessions.
Union leaders have said they have negotiated in good faith.
Several board members said they felt they had to vote for the budget but would not approve some specifics of the plan later on.
