LA school workers protest layoffs at board meeting

LOS ANGELES

About 150 employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District are protesting the layoffs of about 1,000 non-teaching staffers scheduled to lose their jobs Wednesday.

The protesters, wearing red and white union T-shirts, demonstrated Tuesday outside the school district headquarters as the school board held a meeting inside, chanting "Two, four, six, eight, why don't we negotiate?" and carrying signs that read "Don't Disrupt Children's Education."

School Superintended Ramon Cortines says the district had no choice but to lay off the workers and reduce the wages of another 1,600 employees who work largely in school maintenance.

Cortines says the district faces a $142 million deficit for the 2011-2012 school year.