Los Angeles board affirms elimination of some plant managers

From The Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles school board has voted to keep intact a budget cut that will eliminate plant managers from hundreds of elementary schools, a move that critics say will result in dirtier and less-safe campuses. Some board members had tried to restore the positions, but superintendent Ramon C. Cortines denounced the board's intervention in an internal memo and threatened to resign early over the issue. Cortines says reversing the cuts would have cost about $16.3 million. Plant managers oversee custodial and maintenance operations and handle a range of school emergencies, including broken tree limbs and water pipes as well as sewer leaks. They secure the campuses and deal with assorted other tasks. A typical elementary school formerly had a plant manager and two maintenance workers.