L.A. Schools to Get Extra $22 Million in State Aid

The Los Angeles school district will receive about $22 million more than it expected from the state next year because of the embarrassment of riches discovered in Gov. George Deukmejian’s revised 1987-88 budget, district officials said Thursday.

That was welcome news to school board members, who are trying to determine where to make $54 million worth of budget cuts in the coming fiscal year.

It also appeared Thursday that the windfall will give district officials and the teachers’ union one more thing to argue over as a threatened June 1 teacher strike deadline approaches.

United Teachers-Los Angeles President Wayne Johnson said Thursday that additional funding due from the state over the next two years should be used to increase teachers’ salaries and avoid a June 1 strike.

10% Raise Sought

According to Johnson, a surplus in state revenues will mean an increase of about $42 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1--$22 million to pay for inflation and $20 million for enrollment growth.

In addition, he said, there appears to be a good chance that the governor will restore $18.8 million in urban impact aid for use in this year’s budget. In a budget statement issued Tuesday, the governor indicated that he would support legislation to restore the urban impact money this year.

The district can use the extra money to increase its 8% wage increase proposal by at least 2%, making a 10% raise, Johnson said. “I’m not sure if teachers will accept that,” he said, “but I think they probably will.”

Johnson said the union sent a formal request to the district Thursday to return immediately to the bargaining table and try to negotiate a settlement of the long-running salary dispute.

A report is due Saturday from an impartial fact-finding team authorized by the state, the final step before a strike can legally be called. Johnson said the report may not reflect the news from Sacramento this week of additional funds, which would make it “kind of moot.”

“What we’re saying to the district is, in light of new money coming in, let’s go back to the table, renegotiate and avert the strike on June 1,” he said.

School district spokesman Bill Rivera said that because of the Memorial Day holiday and a legal requirement to publicize meetings at least 72 hours in advance, the earliest the board could meet would be Tuesday, the day the union plans to hold a strike authorization vote.

Rivera disagreed with Johnson that the additional state money would guarantee a larger teacher raise.

Board’s Options

“If we get more money,” he said, “the board has to make a decision whether to reduce the budget cuts or raise the salary. Wayne has known that all along, that we’re financing part of next year’s raise with a $45-million cut.”

District officials were not certain how much extra money the district will receive because of the state’s revenue surplus. Rivera said the district probably is in line for about $22 million to pay for inflation costs, but he said the enrollment growth funds have already been included in the district’s 1987-88 budget.

He said he hopes that the $18.8 million in restored urban impact aid will be approved by the governor, but he said that district officials are in the process of analyzing the budget and that the total fiscal picture is still “too muddled” to say with certainty what effect the extra funds will have.