Lawsuit settlement in Los Angeles district could alter district policies

From The Los Angeles Times: A lawsuit filed this year against the Los Angeles Unified School District began with a narrow demand: Stop layoffs from decimating the staff at three of the city's worst-performing middle schools. But when the district announced a proposed settlement last week, what emerged was an ambitious assault on some of the district's longest-held practices. The tentative pact would require layoffs to occur at about the same rate campus by campus across the district. Less experienced teachers at some schools would thus be spared at the expense of more veteran colleagues elsewhere. And up to 45 schools could avoid layoffs completely if they demonstrate academic growth.