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LAUSD Teachers Get Contract. Bonus: Increased Class Sizes
LAUSD took to the streets in protest in January. Photo by bryanvillarin via LAist Featured Photos
The Los Angeles Unified School District reached a tentative agreement yesterday with the union representing its teachers which gives them a new contract that will last until 2011, according to abc7.com. Under the deal, teachers will not have to take furlough days, as proposed by the LAUSD, and while they would "be fully funded for health benefits," teachers will not be seeing any "salary raises under the terms of the contract." Teachers will now vote on the contract to put it in effect.
But the district's teachers aren't at the end of their troubles. The contract does not address layoffs, which continue to be on the horizon as the district faces the urgent need to shave millions from their budget. About 8,000 LAUSD face being laid off in the coming months, and the district intends to further probe the issue this month.
On top of layoff woes comes word from yesterday's Board of Education meeting that LAUSD teachers can expect class sizes to go up. "The high school class size would increase on average by two students, with many classes much larger," explains an LA Times brief. That means classes in the 11th and 12th grades could now be sized at 43 students, Kindergarten through 3rd grade upped to 24 (from 20), and 4th and 5th grade increased to 31 (from 29). Budget cuts will also take away from "counseling, library services and school administrators."
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