Irvine : Pact Eliminates Plan to Lay Off Teachers

More than 100 school employees who received layoff notices earlier this year will not lose their jobs under a contract agreement reached between the teachers’ union and the Irvine Unified School District.

Teachers approved the pact last week on a 760-29 vote. District trustees are scheduled to vote on the contract at their May 4 school board meeting.

Both district and Irvine Teachers Assn. officials expressed satisfaction that they were able to reach an accord without resorting to layoffs.

Under the contract, teachers agreed to cut about $1 million in benefits and bonuses in an effort to spare the targeted teachers.

As a result, teachers will have to wait longer before receiving salary bonuses that are granted after they earn graduate degrees or complete professional-growth classes.

The contract eliminates the year-end bonuses that are based on state lottery revenues. Last year’s bonuses amounted to about $20 for each teacher, said Barbara Dresel, president of the Irvine Teachers Assn.

The contract also places a cap on the district’s contribution to the teachers’ insurance benefits.

Faced with a $2-million budget shortfall, district officials had said the layoffs might be necessary unless a suitable contract was hammered out.

In March, the district sent out 119 layoff notices to teachers and other certificated employees. Dresel said that only about half of those who received the notices actually faced any serious threat of losing their jobs.