"There is absolutely zero risk," Deasy said in an interview.
- Be afraid. Be very afraid.
LAUSD chief seeks to rescind furloughs, restore 180-day calendar
By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer LA Newspaper Group/Daily News | http://bit.ly/Qwdm5l
11/09/2012 07:44:53 PM PST :: Just a week after voters approved a package of tax hikes to fund public education, the LAUSD board will consider Tuesday rescinding 10 furlough days for employees and restoring this year's academic calendar to 180 days.
LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy addresses school administrators during an annual meeting on Aug. 9, 2012 at Washington Prep High School in Los Angeles. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer)>>
Superintendent John Deasy said Friday that revenue generated by Proposition 30 will allow the district to stabilize its budget and begin rebuilding programs lost during the financial crisis.
"With their strong support of Proposition 30, the voters of Los Angeles County made it clear they want the LAUSD to do what's best for our youth," Deasy said. "Restoring the full calendar and keeping our employees in the schools is a pivotal step in this effort."
Proposition 30 was approved Tuesday by 65 percent of the Los Angeles electorate and 54 percent of voters statewide. It is expected to generate about $6 billion annually through raising the sales tax by a quarter-percent for four years and the tax rate for incomes of more than $250,000 for seven years.
Had Proposition 30 been defeated, Los Angeles Unified would have had to slash $255 million from this year's budget and more than $650 million in 2013-14. That likely would have meant reducing this year's already-shortened calendar from 175 to 160 days and canceling home-to- school transportation for students.
"The voters of this state literally saved us from an educational calamity," Deasy said.
To help balance LAUSD's $6 billion budget, the district's labor unions had agreed to accept 10 unpaid furlough days, half of them instructional days.
United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren Fletcher hailed Deasy's plan to put students and teachers back in class.
"Our teachers took a risk last year, approving the Jobs Restoration and Furlough agreement, which included up to 10 furlough days," Fletcher said. "As always, they put students first.
"And now, we are on the cusp of having those furlough days canceled and being able to provide our students with a full year of instruction."
Since the financial crisis hit in 2008, California has been deferring some of the money due the state's public schools, forcing them to borrow money to cover their own costs.
This year, for instance, LAUSD should have received $6,718 per student, but got only $5,221.
Proposition 30 will allow the state to begin paying down that debt, and eventually increase education funding by about $200 per student.
School board member Tamar Galatzan, who held several workshops about Los Angeles Unified's finances in advance of the election, said the planned restoration of the school year demonstrates the district's commitment to its students and parents.
"We hoped the public would pass Proposition 30 and prioritize public education. They did. And we will fulfill our end of the bargain," she said.
"We are immediately moving to re-invest that money in our schools, for our children."
District officials said no changes will be made to the calendar this semester, which is slated to end Dec. 14. Parents will be notified of the changes to the second semester calendar soon after the Tuesday meeting.
According to information on the UTLA website, employees will be reimbursed for a furlough day in October, and an unpaid day in December will be canceled. Schools will still be closed Thanksgiving week, but those lost instructional days will be added on to the end of the school year.
Deasy wants full calendar restored, furlough days rescinded
After passage of Prop. 30, the L.A. schools superintendent will ask the school board to restore a full 180-day academic calendar and rescind all planned employee furlough days for the current year.
By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/Xs7bRU
November 9, 2012, 8:37 p.m. :: In the wake of this week's passage of a state tax measure, Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy said Friday he will ask the Board of Education to restore a full 180-day academic calendar and rescind all planned employee furlough days for the current school year.
The success of Proposition 30 on Tuesday means that school district budgets across the state are protected from $5.4 billion in cuts that had been scheduled to take effect.
Teachers union officials had called on the L.A. Unified School District to restore full pay for employees and to bring back a full school year. Teachers had accepted up to 10 unpaid furlough days; five of them are instructional days.
"With their strong support of Proposition 30, the voters of Los Angeles County made it clear they want the LAUSD to do what's best for our youth," said Deasy in a statement. "Restoring the full calendar and keeping our employees in the schools is a pivotal step in this effort."
Proposition 30 will add a quarter-cent to the state sales tax for four years and impose a tax hike on California's highest earners for seven years. The money raised by the measure — up to $8 billion in the current fiscal year — will prevent the planned cut from primary and secondary schools, as well as a $250-million reduction in each of the state's two public university systems.
"It would have been catastrophic," Deasy said.
The measure passed statewide with 54% of the vote. In Los Angeles County, voters supported the temporary tax increase with a plurality of 60%.
Deasy said the district, the state's largest, will receive about $340 million in funding that had been deferred. About $200 million of that will fill in the budget gap currently bridged by the shortened school year and furlough days. The superintendent's proposal, which he expects the board to approve Tuesday, will do nothing to further strain the district financially, he said.
"There is absolutely zero risk," Deasy said in an interview.
United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren Fletcher said in a statement that he is pleased by Deasy's move. Teachers put students first in agreeing to take furlough days to stave off deeper cuts this school year, he said.
"And now we are on the cusp of having those furlough days canceled and being able to provide our students with a full year of instruction," Fletcher said.
School board member Tamar Galatzan said she will support the motion next week and promptly begin to "re-invest" in education.
"We hoped the public would pass Proposition 30 and prioritize public education. They did," she said in a statement. "And we will fulfill our end of the bargain."
Should the motion pass, the academic calendar will continue through the end of the first semester as planned. Changes in the calendar would occur in the second semester.
Prop 30: LAUSD Can Now Restore Staff, Programs
Huffington Post – 9 Nov.
With a financial catastrophe averted by the passage of Proposition 30, Los Angeles Unified officials said Wednesday they'll begin looking for ways to restore some of the personnel and programs lost during five years of budget cuts. LAUSD would have had to ...
LA school board may rescind furlough days, restore school year
Los Angeles Times – 9 Nov. Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. John Deasy in 2011. Credit: Mark Boster. In the wake of the passage of a state tax measure, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. John Deasy will call on the Board of Education next week to restore a full 180-day ...
After Passage of Prop 30, LAUSD Asks for 180-Day School Year Again
Patch.com – 9 Nov.
Thanks to the passage of Proposition 30, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy will ask the Board of Education next week to restore the district's 180-day school year and rescind all furlough days for the 2012-13 school year.
LAUSD Superintendent to ask board to restore lost week of instruction
89.3 KPCC (blog) – 9 Nov
Now that Proposition 30 has passed, Superintendent John Deasy will ask the L.A. Unified school board Tuesday to erase teacher furlough days and restore the week of instruction that had been cut from this school year. During the summer, the district's unions ...
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