EDUCATION : School Districts : Montebello May Reconsider Layoff of Bilingual Teachers

More than 100 parents and teachers packed the board meeting this week to protest $19 million in budget cuts approved last month for the Montebello Unified School District.

Most of the parent criticism centered on the laying off of about 150 temporary contract teachers, many of whom are bilingual. More than a third of the district’s 33,000 students have a limited ability to speak English.

Board President Willard Yamaguchi said the board’s cuts might put it out of compliance with state regulations for bilingual instruction. “I think we need to rethink our decisions,” he said.