LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who is paid $250,000 a year (it should be $300,000, but he voluntary staved off $50,000 for budget reasons), is once again leading by example by taking his furlough day next Monday. “How can I ask LAUSD employees to take what amounts to a pay cut if I am not willing to share the sacrifice?" he said. "These are dire times. The savings accrued from furlough days are needed to keep deeper cuts away from students and the classroom."
Like the city of Los Angles' budget woes, the school district faces a $570 to $670 million deficit in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. That's $100 to $200 more than anticipated because Schwarzenegger's latest budget proposal shortchanges education again.
If every district employee took a furlough day, it would save $15 million, according to the district. If every employee took four furlough days between now and May, $60 million would be saved.
"Cortines often reports to work before 5 a.m., so it remains to be seen whether he can resist making a few work-related phone calls Monday," noted the LA Times. "It seems unlikely that he'll attempt to run the district electronically, however, as the famously non-computer savvy superintendent doesn't type his own e-mails."
