Philly schools send layoff notices to 1,400

    The Philadelphia School District has sent layoff notices to an additional 1,400 employees as it struggles to contain costs while facing a bleak budget picture.

    The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the district issued the notices last week to blue-collar workers who clean buildings and attend to buses. The layoffs don’t take effect until Dec. 31, 2012.

    The district laid off nearly 850 similar workers in September. More than 1,000 teachers were laid off over the summer.

    A district spokesman says the layoffs were necessary because the union rejected a contract extension that included $16 million in concessions. Union leaders say the proposal was rejected after the district paid nearly $1 million to buy out the contract of former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman.

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