Glendale Unified ratifies furlough agreement

The Glendale Unified school board this week ratified an agreement with its teachers union that does away with three furlough days scheduled for the current school year.

The 5-0 vote, which came during the school board meeting Tuesday, finalized a deal that was brokered and announced on Jan. 12.

Two of the unpaid furlough days were eliminated entirely and one was deferred to the 2012-13 school year, according to Assistant Supt. for Human Resources David Samuelson. There were already four furlough days on the books for next year, bringing the new total to five.

The dates for the 2012-13 furlough days have not been set yet, and district officials have said the ultimate goal is to eliminate them entirely if the Glendale Unified budget outlook improves, Samuelson said.

Each furlough day is worth $458,450 to the district. The agreement followed months of negotiations between the district and union leadership.

-- Megan O’Neil, Times Community News

Twitter: @megankoneil