With the bill’s inclusion in the House stimulus package, students would still be eligible for the full amount, although it has now been reduced to $2,500, Schiff said.
Contract negotiations resumed Wednesday between the Glendale Teachers Assn. and the Glendale Unified School District, a day after their leaders traded barbs related to union allegations of unlawful employment practices.
Union President Allen Freemon addressed the Board of Education at its meeting Tuesday, claiming that teachers were ready to take legal action against the district for its employing too many temporary teachers before officials made a sudden decision last week to convert 164 temporary teachers toward permanent contracts.
Escalante defended the board Tuesday night, saying that the union’s case had not been tested in the courts and the district believed that its actions had been compliant with the law.
Glendale Unified School District officials made a case Tuesday for supporting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most recent budget proposals, which would cut $8 million annually from the district over the next three years, but would also give it crucial flexibility.
Supt. Michael Escalante and Chief Business and Financial Officer Eva Rae Lueck gave presentations at a meeting of the Board of Education, advocating for a plan that would allow the district to freely use money from currently restricted state grants to help address budget shortfalls.
About 90% of the district’s $186-million unrestricted budget is allocated for paying salaries and benefits, Lueck said. Without provisions for freely using the district’s $85 million in restricted grants, also known as categorical funds, the district would have to resort to harmful cuts, possibly in classrooms, to be able to meet all of its financial obligations, she said.
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