Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is making his latest efforts to save jobs for thousands of teachers across the city as educational officials recommended layoffs due to the budget deficit facing local public schools.

Villaraigosa met on Monday with teachers and parents at a middle school to discuss ways to avoid the layoffs, which the mayor and other opponents say would hurt student learning, according to his office.

If no solution is found, the nearly US$718 million deficit for 18 months facing the Los Angeles Unified School District could result in more than 3,000 teacher layoffs, warned officials.

According to his office, Villaraigosa will make several suggestions to minimize layoffs, including cutting school administrative costs and forgoing raises for teachers.

Saying they had too many unanswered questions to make such a momentous decision, the city's school board earlier delayed a vote on March 31 on the proposed layoffs of about 8,540 employees, including more than 3,500 teachers.