Community College Furloughs Considered

The board of the Los Angeles Community College District voted unanimously Wednesday to take a step toward furloughing as many as 120 administrators, including the chancellor, for up to three weeks in the next school year.

The district also is moving ahead with plans to return about 20 administrators to the classroom and to lay off several others.

The board voted to send letters of notification to administrators who could be affected by cutbacks. Notification is a preliminary move that, under state law, must be taken by March 15 to enable the district to go ahead with furloughs, layoffs and demotions of administrators in the coming school year. The major cutbacks are not expected to receive final approval until this summer.

The administrators union has accused the district of singling out its members and failing to pursue more effective cost reductions. Top district officials counter that many more steps will be considered in response to the state budget crisis.

Through furloughs of administrators and other nonfaculty employees, district officials say they could realize savings of $2.5 million a week. If Chancellor Marshall “Mark” Drummond is furloughed for the full three-week period, he will lose $11,340 from his annual salary of $197,000.