Settlement will prevent teacher layoffs at some Los Angeles schools

From The Los Angeles Times: In a case that pits the constitutional rights of students against the job protections of teachers, a judge has approved a settlement that limits the effect of layoffs on the Los Angeles district's most vulnerable students. Up to 45 campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be shielded from teacher layoffs altogether, Judge William F. Highberger has decided, and layoffs in the district's other 750 schools must be spread more equitably. That could lead some experienced teachers to lose their jobs. The settlement is an attempt to address the devastating effect that layoffs have had in recent years. Some schools have lost as much as 50 percent of their teaching staffs to cutbacks. Representatives of United Teachers Los Angeles say the teachers union will probably appeal the order, which they say "eviscerates seniority" and will damage the morale of district teachers.