LAUSD School Workers Rally To Urge Legislators To Refrain From Adding More Cuts
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Los Angeles Unified School District employees hit the streets Monday night, the day before the district board will vote on a budget that includes significant cuts to student programs and services for the 2012-13 school year. Custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, early education teacher assistants, and other school workers will continue to rally until the meeting begins on Tuesday. They are urging Sacramento legislators to "fix this mess" and support a budget that doesn't force local schools to make further drastic cuts to student programs and services.
The 2012-13 state budget proposal presented by Governor Jerry Brown calls for big cuts to education, including home-to-school transportation and the dismantling of funding for other core student services. In response to the Governor's proposal, the LAUSD is considering significant cuts to student services including early education centers, cafeteria services, maintenance, transportation, and after-school programs if additional revenue is not approved by voters. The District estimates it will need to lay off 8,000 - 10,000 classified employees who provide these services and has already sent out nearly 12,000 Reduction In Force Notices, or layoffs slips.
At their March 13 meeting, the LAUSD School Board will take the first step toward adopting this crisis budget by voting on program and staffing cuts.
"We get budget information from the state every day. If there are no surprises in the governor's May revise, some RIF notices will be rescinded shortly thereafter. And, I will keep working to restore as many positions as possible," school Superintendent John Deasy said.
