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Teacher's Union, LAUSD Reach Tenative Agreement

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Friday that it has reached a tentative agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles and will save about 3,400 jobs and maintain class sizes in elementary schools at their current levels.

In exchange, union members would take four furlough days in the coming school year -- three teaching days and one day when students are not in school.

UTLA's leadership said the union would agree to the furloughs on the condition they are reduced if the district receives more state or federal funding than anticipated. It could also endure two additional furlough days if the district's budget deficit grows worse.

"While this agreement does not restore all the cuts -- because our schools are still drastically underfunded -- it goes a long way toward providing the resources and personnel for our students to succeed," LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy said in a statement.

The agreement would restores more than 1,700 elementary and secondary teachers as well as 1,680 librarian, counselors and art teachers. It also would maintain K-3 class size ratios at 29 students for each teacher.

An additional 1,700 positions, including school psychologists, and social workers, could be added under the plan if state budget decisions remain favorable to the district.

"This agreement demonstrates that when UTLA and the district collaborate, problems can be solved to the benefit of our students," UTLA President A.J. Duffy said.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

 

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