Prop. 187 Would Cut 10,000 Teaching Jobs, Officials Say

Los Angeles Unified School District officials predicted Friday that 10,000 teachers would lose their jobs and some campuses would be closed if Proposition 187 passes and is enforced.

Board of Education President Mark Slavkin warned that all schools and students would be affected by the initiative and that the system stands to lose up to $628 million in federal funds.

“This is very real for all students,” Slavkin said. “Citizen children . . . will be hurt by a loss of funds. There is no surplus, no savings, no extra money generated for schools to use.”

Although officials said they are unsure how many of the district’s 636,400 students are undocumented, Slavkin said the number could be as high as 100,000.

Slavkin said campuses on the Westside and in the San Fernando Valley would be likely targets for closure. Many of those schools receive Latino students bused from overcrowded campuses in heavily immigrant neighborhoods throughout the district. Officials did not know which campuses would be closed.

The U.S. Department of Education has threatened to withhold federal funds from school districts if Proposition 187 is approved by voters Nov. 8 because the measure would require officials to violate federal privacy laws.

But an education department spokeswoman said Friday she does not know when the money would be withheld and that questions remain about how students’ immigration status would be determined.