L.A. Schools To Lay Off Nearly 9,000

(AP)  More than 8,800 teachers and other employees of the second-largest U.S. school district will receive notices of impending layoffs for the next school year, Los Angeles school board members decided Tuesday.

The district, with 688,000 students, faces a $718 million budget shortfall.

Layoff notices will go out by March 15 and the actual number to be laid off will be determined no later than June 30.

A raucous group of nearly 50 teachers and a few parents disrupted the board meeting. The group announced it was staging an act of civil disobedience and came prepared to be taken away in handcuffs. Some had previously volunteered to be arrested.

However, district officials made no move to carry out arrests and the group abandoned its effort.

"We got our message across. We made the best of it. We'll move on from here," said A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

Teachers said layoffs will increase classroom sizes, get rid of some of the younger, more energetic teachers due to seniority rules, and eliminate innovative programs.

"As it is, it's a struggle to reach every one of my students," said Gilliam Russom, a history teacher at Roosevelt High School.

Los Angeles schools Superintendent Ramon Cortines said factors that will determine the actual number of layoffs in the district will include declining enrollment, the effectiveness of an early retirement incentive package being developed, state funding and the amount of money the district may receive from the federal economic stimulus.

"I am attempting to make sure that we have all options so that we do not face the issue of bankruptcy," he said.

The district has 36,000 teachers and 12,000 professional workers.

According to the California Teachers Association, about 14,000 teachers in the state received layoff notices last year, but fewer than half that number ended up losing their jobs.

[colt8881]

With all the Tax Cuts and Lay Offs California is going to have to Leagalize Pot to make some money.

[keithle1]

How many Americans want to pick fruit & vegetables in the hot sun day after day for the money that the folks doing it now get paid? Nice to say they should be paid $20 an hour & have health benefits, etc, but they're not. You have got to be pretty desperate to do that kind of work.

[keithle1]

WOW. That's a heck of a lot of teachers. More foreclosures & bankruptcies. Tax base takes a big hit.

Illegals aren't teaching in our schools. Are they? Unless it's Spanish. That's not an area threatened by illegals like construction, retail, service industries, janitorial, landscaping, etc. If there were no countries south of the border, those jobs would be filled by poor blacks & whites & the wages would be higher because you wouldn't have the competition from the illegals. But so long as our economy is so much better than the economies of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, etc, they will continue to arrive looking for work.

Too many people in Mexico, Not enough jobs. How do you get the birth rate down.

.

[coachwrobo]

8,000 Teachers to be layed off in LA! The stimulus package was suppose to create 3-4 million jobs! 650, 000 jobs lost in February, 630,000 jobs lost in January! That's 1.2 million jobs in just two months! What is going on America? What is going on President Obama? We are going the wrong way! This is change alright!!!

[frankinaz]

"Your sheet is showing, heard the same about the Jews during WWII."
At least the Jews in Germany were legal citizens of that country.

[cheetah-man7]

president Urkel has FAILED!
Posted by bigwhtpony

__________________________

Another sore loser Republican! Grow up and deal with it - Obama is our president! If you don't like it - move to Mexico!

[rickwar98]

One has to only look at Calif. which is basically mostly an Spanish speaking, Bankrupt state that cannot afford to provide Welfare, Schooling, Medical, Prison cells etc. for millions of MS-13 Gang bangers, Drug dealers, Rapist and other assorted Criminals and uneducated, fast breeding, third world rejects from Mexico!

In a very few years it will be impossible to see where Mexico ends and Calif. begins as both will be an third world cesspool!

Posted by american_11-2009 at 8:52 AM : Mar 11, 2009

Your sheet is showing, heard the same about the Jews during WWII

The numbers for California

2,209,000 illegal aliens
36,553,215 total population

Total poulation of th e US about 300,000,000
Total illegals, all (estimated) 30,000,000 or a whopping 10%

Hate and fear take on many faces, including an exaggeration of facts to try and convince others of their viewpoint.

I don't agree with illegals, but it's a fact in virtually any country of the world where there is work and opportunty. I'd lke to see all folks legal, fact is it won't work. There were illegal Irish, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, English and on and on. It's a fact one has to live with, you won't catch them all.

As to the Liberal Dems? What did your buddy Bush do? Uh, that would be nothing. What did your congressmen and seantors do? That would be noting. What did the IRS do that knows of many payments under the same SS number? That would be nothing.

You talk about jobs for Americans that illegals take, are you willing to take those jobs? The answer genrally comes back "I'd never do that job"

[bigwhtpony]

president Urkel has FAILED!

[rushlimpdrug]

And so Obama carries the torch for educating the children.

Oh, maybe he doesn't know about this.

Could someone explain to him how this might impact some childs education?

[Professor2U]

Due to the WEAK economy, many companies in California have been forced to cut their work force 15% to 30% on average. Since there is less work for the ILLEGALS and many have headed home, it only stands to reason that the SCHOOLS that were giving them a FREE education, LAYOFF 15-30% of their workforce. The rest of the State should be doing the same. Instead our corrupt State government officials VOTED to increase our TAXES!!! Rather than CUT, they want to TAX the citizens to financial ruin!!! I say: TAX REVOLT 2009!!!