Local News in Brief : Ruling on Teachers’ Pay Due on Friday

Saying that substantial constitutional questions are involved, a Superior Court judge Tuesday delayed a decision on whether the Los Angeles Unified School District can legally withhold paychecks from thousands of teachers. Judge Dzintra Janavs said she would rule on the matter Friday.

As a pressure tactic in a year-old contract dispute, thousands of union teachers have refused to turn in grades to the district, and instead have given marks directly to students on union report cards. School Supt. Leonard Britton has said paychecks due March 3 will be withheld from teachers who do not turn in grades by Friday.

The United Teachers-Los Angeles is asking the judge to block Britton’s action on the grounds that it is unconstitutional to withhold entire paychecks for failure to perform a portion of non-mandatory duties. The district insists that its plan is legal and, in any event, has argued that Janavs has no jurisdiction to intervene because the dispute is a matter for the state Public Employee Relations Board.