No matter how Monica Garcia wants to look like the hero and save jobs by manipulating the stimulus money, there's a shortfall- and there's also a decline in the enrollment over the last decade, something more and more mentioned in news stories when covering this topic. There's still more money that's coming due and spreading stimulus dollars here stil might be something that will work. That causes some wonder, both as to why there are so many employees still in LAUSD in teaching and non-teaching positions, and why school construction is continuing so hurriedly. The District rep says that there is about one school a month completed, and this will go on for years.The school board president unveiled a surprise plan Tuesday to avoid teacher
layoffs based on a compromise being pushed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Without advance notice, Monica Garcia proposed using more federal economic stimulus dollars right away to prevent the loss of teachers in the 2009-10 school year, which begins July 1. But in exchange, employee unions would have to match each dollar spent now with pay reductions that would apply to the next school year.
Because of a looming budget shortfall, as many as 3,500 non-tenured local teachers have received notice of possible layoffs, as have thousands of non-teaching employees. In addition, because of seniority rules, hundreds of more-senior employees who lose positions could bump out those at school sites in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
On that front, Supt. Ramon C. Cortines delivered a measure of good news. He predicted that no current principals would be let go because of adequate interest in an early retirement program."
To make this work, the cooperation of people NOT endangered by layoffs has to be obtained. That would mean two things: (1.) a membership vote that would take time that is in short supply, and (2.) the majority of the membership ACCEPTING the proposal and that means giving up pay that they otherwise would keep.
That follows the idea that Mayor Villaraigosa, the collaborator working to come up with this plan, and a "leader" of Garcia, politically speaking. The Villaraigosa plan needs union membership to work and if it doesn't, it leaves the proponent of the plan the virtuous "out" as simply, "I tried, but they didn't go along with it." That makes the Mayor look good if it fizzles and the union is left to blame each other for resulting layoffs. The same outcome could be expected with LAUSD employees. If the plan gets to the point of having a vote for it, the Board President, Garcia, is out of the woods, and the employess have their fate in their own hands when it comes to job losses.
I don't expect much, other that a lot of newer teachers looking for jobs elsewhere, maybe changing career, too. The interns working on credentials while they teach are the ones that I see as being in the most precarious position since the teaching job is an integral component to the credential program, and the time allowed to complete the credential work is NOT open-ended. There is where you will see a real waste of resources should the layoffs make the intern programs disintegrate for many participants.
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