Glendale teachers to avoid furlough days

Glendale teachers will not face any furlough days during the current school year under a tentative agreement reached this week.

The agreement, reached Aug. 22, between Glendale Unified officials and the Glendale Teachers Assn. leadership, must still be ratified by the school board and teachers, respectively.

School officials had scheduled one unpaid furlough day for the 2013-14 school year, amounting to $650,000 in savings.

During the past six years, Glendale Unified has made millions in budget cuts, a response to years of decreasing state educational funding.

But when the school board passed a tentative budget in June, they estimated that the district would receive $7 million more in revenue than the previous school year, allowing for removal of the furlough day. Officials said they anticipate the uptick to continue, which would potentially allow the elimination of furlough days in future terms.

“Both [The Glendale Teachers Assn.] and the district are very excited about this news,” said Glendale Unified Asst. Superintendent Maria Gandera.

The item will also move to the Glendale school board for their approval during an upcoming meeting.

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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.