L.A. school board to approve budget, set priorities

Los Angeles school district officials on Tuesday are scheduled to approve a $6.8-billion operating budget for next year and set key and potentially conflicting budget priorities for the future.

Also on the agenda for the Board of Education is a $30-million contract with Apple to provide iPads as part of a pilot program that L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy would like to expand districtwide.

Approving the operating budget will be less painful than in recent years, when the process was marked by thousands of layoffs and temporary, across-the-board salary reductions.

An improving economy and voter approval of tax increases have officials and interest groups debating over what to restore and where to spend more. The immediate budget plan is expected to enhance custodial services, for example, by restoring many plant managers. These managers and custodians will replace many of the understaffed cleaning teams that had to rush from school to school overnight.

The most notable budget jousting at the district’s downtown headquarters Tuesday could occur over finances for 2014-15.

Three board members (Bennett Kayser, Richard Vladovic and Steve Zimmer) have sponsored a resolution that echoes the call of the teachers union to restore staffing in many areas to pre-recession levels.

Tamar Galatzan has a resolution aimed at protecting funding for diverse, middle-class schools. She represents the west San Fernando Valley and many campuses in her area have been hit especially hard by budget reductions and policy decisions that safeguard dollars for schools that serve mostly low-income students.

Monica Garcia has a resolution to extend the length of the school year.

Deasy has talked of using available funds for salary increases that would incorporate incentives for teachers and other staff who deliver improved student achievement or take on more challenging assignments.

In an interview, Deasy also warned that the district still has a structural deficit looming for the 2014-15 school year that could derail hopes for new spending.

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Twitter: @howardblume | howard.blume@latimes.com