Local News in Brief : Boycotting Teachers Get Smaller Checks

Several thousand Los Angeles Unified School District teachers participating in a boycott of certain duties will receive considerably smaller paychecks today.

Monthly checks going out today include the first full pay period since the boycott, an outgrowth of a contract dispute that began in early October. Many teachers expect to have $250 to $300 withheld by the district for refusing to file student grade reports with school offices.

Associate Supt. Gabriel Cortina estimated that more than $1 million may have been withheld from teachers’ checks so far. But the teachers’ union said the amount is much higher.

Nearly 5,000 teachers have filed grievances with the district over the docking of pay, contending it is illegal.

The boycott, which includes refusals to supervise playground activities and attend parent conferences, is to protest slow-moving negotiations for pay raises.