Deal could restore jobs to many laid-off Los Angeles teachers

Los Angeles teachers would surrender some compensation in exchange for preserving jobs under terms being negotiated between the teachers union and the Los Angeles Unified School District, The Times has learned.

The deal, if completed, would reverse many, if not most, of just over 2,000 teacher layoffs that took effect on July 1.

A key to the bargain is about $65 million in class-size reduction money that is expected to be available from the state, said sources close to the talks. Faced with a budget deficit, L.A. Unified surrendered these dollars rather than pay its share of what it costs to lower class sizes to a ratio of 20 to 1 for students in kindergarten through third grade. But if the union agrees to compensation concessions, the district would then have funds to qualify for the extra money. The lower class sizes would mean more classroom jobs.

Elementary teachers would be in line to reap the benefit, although the discussions have included possible ways to rehire secondary teachers as well.

The union membership would have to approve the deal, but union leaders could sell the pact as getting added value in exchange for the sacrifice.

The terms of the giveback are still being worked out. But a one-year freeze of automatic wage increases based on experience and training would save $65 million, according to district calculations. A temporary districtwide wage reduction of 1% would save $40 million.

An agreement on this type of trade-off could have been reached months ago, but the leadership of United Teachers Los Angeles has previously opposed all concessions as unnecessary -- or at least premature until the school system made more reductions elsewhere. Union president A.J. Duffy also pushed the district to use all of its federal economic stimulus money immediately rather than spreading it across the next two budget years, as the district plans to do. Duffy declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations except to say that he was encouraged by how they were going. 

Over the past few months, the state budget picture has worsened, and even a deal now would not spare the unions and the district from facing deep layoffs next year.

Because the potential pact is so late in coming, some teachers have found jobs elsewhere and some schools already have hired replacements. That means one goal of both sides — keeping school faculties intact — may not be realized.

A partial exception to this outcome could be the 10 schools under the stewardship of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. These schools were especially hard-hit by layoffs because they employ a large number of teachers with limited seniority. In anticipation of a possible deal, the mayor’s team agreed to pay for the health benefits of laid-off teachers through July. They also hired laid-off staff as long-term substitutes at their schools. The strategy was to keep these teachers at hand and solvent pending a deal that would save jobs, said Marshall Tuck, chief executive of the mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

Overall, teachers union officials have remained critical of the mayor’s team. They say the partnership has given teachers little input into managing its schools — in contrast, they say, to promises that were made.

The district, too, has processed laid-off teachers as substitutes, but has not to date provided a healthcare subsidy or kept all former positions open at schools in anticipation of a return of the laid-off staff.

All told, the district laid off 2,057 teachers as of July 1, of which 1,574 are elementary teachers. The remainder are secondary English and social studies teachers, according to district figures.

-- Howard Blume

Comments

[Carol]

This teacher will vote against even a 1% pay cut. There are still too many non-teaching, non-school site positions that can be cut and never missed.

Shut down Channel 58. Shut down the 7 mini-district offices. Cut cut cut!!

And, the more charters that open, the more expensive these off site positions become, on a per pupil basis.

[Roman A]

"The terms of the giveback are still being worked out. But a one-year freeze of automatic wage increases based on experience and training would save $65 million, according to district calculations. A temporary districtwide wage reduction of 1% would save $40 million."
Wow. Not rasing the salaries by 1% would save how much? Imagine if they agreed to a 10% cut? That would save 650 Million, along with countless jobs and programs. But heaven forbid they sacrafice for the kids.

[Jim Q. Citizen]

If people would stop breeding children that they cannot afford- and the state would stop encouraging and rewarding people for doing so- then a vast majority of our economic problems would go away. When, exactly, did living within one's means become so unpopular?

[Chris]

Roman-

Many of us have already taken reductions in the number of hours that we work, and for which we are paid hourly, myself a 12.5% total cut, my boss a 25% cut. Know of which you speak before you open your mouth lest you look foolish. We work hard everyday for these kids.

[jules]

Knowing the amount many teachers are making, up to $90,000 I can't see why a pay cut isn't acceptable. The standards of teaching has definitely gone down, so should their high wages.

[Bob Johnson]

What a joke. The garbage teachers who make more money than in any other state, and cannot, under any circumstances, be fired, are having to "sacrifice" by not getting raises. And their 50% dropout rate? Just part of the job.

[LA Teacher]

Sorry but I work way too hard at my LAUSD school for this. Tax big oil and the rich and stop taking from the working class. My rent is over 1/2 my take home pay. I don't think so Duffy. This teacher is voting no.

[Lewis]

Carol, as a new teacher who just received their credential, I ask that you give not only myself, but the hundreds or even thousands of new teachers who can't even get into a classroom the chance to do so. No one seems to remember us, all of the talk is about the probationary teachers. I hope that this does happen so I have a chance to finally get into the classroom and teach.

[Sean Leys]

As one of the participants in the Hungry for a Better Education fast I've been working for a deal like this for months, meeting privately with both union officers and LAUSD board members.

While it was difficult to get a majority of UTLA members and officers to trust the district enough to offer some kind of temporary concessions, they did agree to exactly this back in May, voting to make it the official bargaining position of the union. It was the district that refused to negotiate, intentionally dragging this on past the July 1st deadline for reasons I can only guess at.

Howard Blume's assertion that this could have been solved months ago but for the teachers' union is factually untrue and reveals a disturbing lack of objectivity for a journalist.

[Robert D. Skeels]

Sadly, our hard working teachers are having to consider taking a pay cut to cover a disaster created by the lords of finance capital. Has the Chairman of Goldman Sachs considered doing the same? How about our Mayor? Our communities should demand we tax the rich instead. Even a nominal increase on the highest percentile of earners would eliminate California's budget woes. According to the CBP, the bottom fifth of California income earners pay 11.7%, while the top one percent only pay 7.1% [1]. Just raising the rate of the top to equal that of the bottom would make this discussion moot.

It's also a shame the billionaires club doesn't donate millions of dollars to public schools instead of their corporate alternatives. The Waltons, Gates, and Broads pour millions into EMOs and CMOs like Steve Barr, Marco Petruzzi, and Ben Austin's corporation--Green Dot, which the recent Stanford/CREDO report [2] show as underperforming traditional public schools. Troglodytes can criticize our communities and teachers all they want, but unlike their critics, teachers actually work hard for a living!

[1] http://californiabudgetbites.org/2009/03/12/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-part-2/
[2] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thehomeroom/2008/05/report-offers-m.html

[la city worker]

La City Workers LA School teachers State Employees All are getting shafted far worse then the private sector.

When times are good, Elected officials spend and spend and spend, when times are bad the consistently force there employees to Giveback the little they earned from the last time they were stolen from.

lacityworkers.com highlights this fact by reprinting a union ballot which only shows half of our raises we were entitled too, I guess it's easier to vote on giving back your raises if you think you aren't getting any.

California has been practicing the same give back ploy for years in 1994 city workers were told to take a four year ZERO % contract or they would all be fired and replaced.

Exactly 15 years later the same method of bargaining has been employed an "or Else" mentality.

Try that with DWP and see how far it gets you, 31% Raises and your gonna like it. Recap If you can't keep the lights on or are a cop or fireman you don't provide any essential service to elected officials or the public, thanks.

[Jason]

It's time that the union and teachers in general face the reality that the rest of the country has dealt with for the last year. Money is tight and things are going to get worse before they get better. There just isn't enough money to maintain the current situation. Teachers need to take a cut too.

[Henry]

Taking another cut in pay would benefit who? The problem is with the spending habits and lack of accountability by the district. The majority of teachers I know, including myself, are already spending our own money (thousands of $) to supply our students with the necessary materials that LAUSD claims they don't have the money to provide. As a teacher, I know that I will never receive the pay I deserve, but I love what I do and I will continue to teach! Take a look at this report before you throw stones: http://www.aft.org/salary/2007/download/SalarySurvey-CA.pdf

[Jake Lockley]

Here's an idea: Start by only allowing legal citizens into the schools. Next, stop providing free lunches through school for those in poverty. Let the welfare system provide food to the families and have them pack their lunches. At least the parents will make sure the kids eat the food we are paying for rather than throwing it away. Then tell me how much it will cost to support the education system.

[FallingForIt]

Year after year after year the reporters and columnists fall for the same nonsense. The headlines say, big cuts to education, but what they really mean is cuts to the Increase in the budget. Big jobs reductions are merely cutting vacant positiions. Every year layoff notices appear, every year, they are rescinded.

And next year the reporters and columnists will parrot it all over again. Meanwhile there is less and less enrollment.

[Brent Obillo]

"But heaven forbid they sacrafice (sic) for the kids. " This is so insulting to teachers who do sacrifice for our kids. I'm not going to use all of the non-paid time I use to coordinate field trips, grade papers, plan, or organize activities ti argue about sacrifice. I will say, before I take a cut, let's cut out the waste. Countless "training days" could have been cut. The sub pay from pulling teachers out of the classroom could have saved teaching positions.

[Robert D. Skeels]

Sadly, our hard working teachers are having to consider taking a pay cut to cover a disaster created by the lords of finance capital. Has the Chairman of Goldman Sachs considered doing the same? How about our Mayor? Our communities should demand we tax the rich instead. Even a nominal increase on the highest percentile of earners would eliminate California's budget woes. According to the CBP, the bottom fifth of California income earners pay 11.7%, while the top one percent only pay 7.1% [1]. Just raising the rate of the top to equal that of the bottom would make this discussion moot.

It's also a shame the billionaires club doesn't donate millions of dollars to public schools instead of their corporate alternatives. The Waltons, Gates, and Broads pour millions into EMOs and CMOs like Steve Barr, Marco Petruzzi, and Ben Austin's corporation--Green Dot, which the recent Stanford/CREDO report [2] show as underperforming traditional public schools. Troglodytes can criticize our communities and teachers all they want, but unlike their critics, teachers actually work hard for a living!

[1] http://californiabudgetbites.org/2009/03/12/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-part-2/
[2] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thehomeroom/2008/05/report-offers-m.html

[LA Teacher]

Jules, I don't make 90,000 a year or even close. It takes 30 years to make that much. I will lose 4,000 dollars this year if this freeze goes through. I can't afford that. The new teachers should not expect us to sacrifice. Blame Sacramento, not us. I spend on average about 200 dollars a month on my classroom and supplies. No way, no freeze.

[A teacher]

To all those non-teachers with the disparaging remarks:
Within the next two months, go to Staples, Office Depot, Target, Walmart, Kmart, and Office Max. You'll see droves of teachers buying school supplies for their students. Each spending several hundred to several thousand dollars because their districts can't supply their classrooms with basic necessities. I wonder what your sorry selves would do if your boss told you that he wouldn't supply you with things you needed for your job and that it had to come out of your own pocket.

[FWV]

So those teachers who are safe from the layoffs are willing to deal with the incredibly huge class sizes? How much teaching will in a classroom packed with students? I hope the union members sees the bigger picture... that these sacrifices are needed for now!