Newly approved budget in Los Angeles Unified means hundreds of layoffs

$7.8 billion spending plan provides salary hikes for teachers and administrators, but also eliminates hundreds of positions.

June 24, 2015

The Los Angeles Unified School Board has approved a $7.8 billion operating budget for the 2015-16 school year that calls for laying off hundreds of employees.

The nation's second-largest school district says in a news release that the spending plan also will provide pay increases of up to 10 percent over the next 18 months for teachers, nurses and counselors.

The district had issued layoff notices earlier this year to 609 employees, but in the end, the board was able to restore 227 of the positions.

The Los Angeles Times reports that adult education programs accounted for 261 teacher layoffs, about 20 percent of a program that already had suffered steep cuts in recent years.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines also indicated that if more funding for adult education becomes available, many of the 382 eliminated positions could be restored, as well as adult classes that have been eliminated.

Officials say an infusion of state money later this year is possible and would enable the district to rehire many adult school teachers by October, but that funding is not guaranteed.