Junior High Students Protest Proposed Layoff of Teachers

More than 50 students, expressing sadness and anger over the possible loss of programs such as drill team, physical education and music, marched Tuesday in front of Sun Valley Junior High School in support of 19 teachers who may be laid off or reassigned due to state budget cuts.

“It’s our future that’s in their hands,” Christopher Portillo, 14, said of his teachers. “They’re the ones we spend most of our time with.”

Fifteen teachers at the school were notified in March that they may lose their jobs because the Los Angeles Unified School District is facing a $317-million shortfall for the 1991-92 budget year. Four other teachers were told that they would be reassigned, Principal Emilio Garcia said.

Layoff notices were sent to seven Sun Valley social science teachers, two vocational arts instructors, four physical education teachers, one horticulture teacher and one industrial arts instructor, Garcia said. They are among more than 2,100 teachers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, librarians and others throughout the district who face layoff or reassignment. Final layoff notices must be issued by May 15.

The proposed cuts must still be approved by the school board and would not become final until June 30, the day before the start of the next budget year.

“The layoff of our teachers is the layoff of our futures because electives give us experience to do skills,” said seventh-grader Luis Villaneda, 13. “We won’t have jobs to do because we won’t have skills.”

Antonio Pozuelos, 15, was looking forward to developing his skills as a trumpet player in the school marching band, but that may be impossible because the band director got a layoff notice, he said. “We go to competitions, but without him, we won’t go anywhere,” Antonio said.

Lisa Rivera, 13, was thrilled to get on next year’s drill team, but her hopes were dashed when the instructor was told that she would lose her job. Rivera’s mother, May Rivera, organized Tuesday’s after-school protest.

“Without the electives, there’s going to be 50 to 60 people in a class,” Lisa said. “It’s hard to learn. It will be like baby-sitting.”

Garcia said teachers with seniority may be brought in from other schools to take over some of the affected programs.

But Sandy Bowles, 13, fears that new teachers will repeat material already taught by instructors who were laid off.

“They’ll start from scratch because they’ll think we don’t know anything,” Sandy said. “It’s stupid.”