Los Angeles Unified School District Approves Layoffs – 9000 Affected

The Downsized Staff — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:50:44 +0000

In a move that should be unthinkable in an increasingly competitive global economy that is only going to get tighter, the Los Angeles Board of eduction is considering releasing teachers and staff to combat dire fiscal crisis affecting the state and the nation as a whole. The decision to layoff roughly 2000 elementary school teachers, 3500 nontenured teachers, and 3500 district and classroom support staffed will be made in the face of enormous protest by the teacher’s union. The district with an operating budget of $19.9 billion dollars (2008) is expected to see a budget shortfall of $700 million dollars over the next year and half with the possibility of that amount growing to an eventually higher number by the time the period is over. While the decision to release personnel will have to be made in June, the potentially affected staff were issued notices that their jobs would be on the chopping block.

The Los Angeles School District is the second largest school district in the nation (only New York is larger). Over the last decade enrollment has increased and declined with an annual enrollment of close to or exceeding 700,000 students. The district includes schools in the cities of Bell, Cudahy, Florence, Gardena, Huntington Park, Lomita, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Maywood, San Fernando, Southgate, Topanga, Universal City, Vernon, View Park, Walnut Park, West Athens, Westmont, West Hollywood, and portions of Carson, Commerce, East LA, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Monterey Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, West Compton, and Willowbrook (2).

The district contains 878 K-12 schools (as of the 2007/2008 school year) and employs over 83,000 people, over 45,000 of whom are regular teachers. Teachers within the district are represented by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union. Per the union, notices for a reduction in force need to be delivered to permanent teachers by 3.15.2009, though nonpermanent teachers would only get 14 days notice. Final notices for layoffs would be delivered the the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) by May 15th for permanent teachers, if they are to be delivered at all.

UTLA members who have received a reduction in force (RIF) notice should see the union website and download an RIF packet.The packet includes the following:

RIF FAQs (for Permanent Employees) (for Non-Permanent Employees)
RIF Basics
RIF Fact Sheet
COBRA Assistance Subsidy Program
Samples of RIF notices (for Permanent Employees) (for Non-Permanent Employees)
Displacement Guide
RIF Parent Flyer
RIF Parent Flyer (Spanish)

Sources:

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Los Angeles Unified School District Approves Layoffs – 9000 Affected