Watch Out for More Teacher Layoffs

From the Las Vegas Sun: About 800 Clark County School District positions hang in the balance as contract negotiations between the School District and its teachers union broke down Wednesday, likely sending the matter to arbitration.
The Clark County Educators Association declared an impasse Wednesday night after it could not broker an agreement with the School District during its four scheduled meetings. Formal negotiations began in July.
State law requires the district have at least four meetings with each of its four unions representing administrators, support staff, police and teachers before an impasse can be declared. If no compromise is reached, the matter may go to arbitration, where a judge decides the outcome of contract negotiations.
The School District is seeking $37 million in concessions from the teachers union, which include freezing step increases, having employees pay half of a Public Employees’ Retirement System rate increase and replacing the non-profit Teachers Health Trust and Retiree Health Trust with a for-profit carrier, according to the union.
“We are very disappointed the Clark County School District is seeking to balance their budget at the expense of those who spend their lives educating the children of Nevada,” union President Ruben Murillo said in a prepared statement. “The parties will now prepare for interest arbitration.”
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/aug/10/school-district-teachers-union-negotiations-break-/
CCSD has some valid points. If the Teachers Trust Fund cannot provide best value for the money, then they should be out and CCSD should go with a health insurance company, non or for profit, that best serves the district.
However, it would be a joke if CCSD says there is no fat in the CCSD budget. There is still a lot of waste in the CCSD and as a teacher in the district, I would be greatly pissed to see waste in the district while I am asked to take pay cuts.
Will CCSD cut the teachers just before school starts (about 2 teachers per school) or will they find other ways to cut the budget?
That's the $64,000 question.