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Home > News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > State Budget May Mean 11 Teacher Layoffs (Update)

State Budget May Mean 11 Teacher Layoffs (Update)

Rim of the World Unified Schools Await Revised Budget

By Michael P. Neufeld
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Blue Jay, CA – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's potential state budget cuts to education recently forced the Rim of the World Unified School District to notify 11 elementary school teachers they could be out of a job June 30.

"These are some of our youngest and newest teachers," board president Bob Gladwell told RIMOFTHEWORLD.net, "and the cream of the crop gleaned from applications last year. Our secondary school student population is stable and positions at that level have been reduced through resignations and retirements.

Rim of the World School Board President Bob Gladwell (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

"It all depends on what the governor's May 15 revised state budget proposes for education," Gladwell added. "There is a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering to try and mitigate the impact to our district. As it stands right now, Rim Unified stands to lose about $2.1 million."

Board members were required by state law to notify the 11 teachers they could potentially be terminated at the end of June.

"It wasn't something the board took lightly," Gladwell emphasized. "The actual number of layoffs will depend on the number of our dedicated teachers decide to retire this year. Hopefully we won't have to layoff any teachers but it all boils down to the governor's recommendation and the action on the state budget by the state legislature.

"Roughly 87 percent of our district budget is for personnel," Gladwell noted, "and it was a difficult decision to even have to notify our teachers of potential layoffs."

Gladwell explained a special district budget committee has been looking at about 400 recommendations for possible budget cuts.

"Each one has been researched, studied and ranked for this year and future years should the budget scenario be as bleak as originally proposed by the governor," Gladwell continued.

During a recent special meeting called by the board, countless parents, teachers and citizens urged the trustees to do everything possible to keep the reduced class sizes in grades kindergarten through third grade.

"I'm a big believer in small classes," Gladwell explained, "and unfortunately that's just one of the many areas we're going to have to look at once we .know more about our 2008-09 budget."

On the day the governor's revised budget is supposed to be submitted, local board members will hold their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Rim of the World High School's Library.

"It's hard to tell at this point how much we'll know by that meeting," Gladwell concluded, "but the budget committee will meet Monday, May 19 and by that time should have a much better picture of what we're up against."

Board members have also passed a resolution making Friday, May 23 as an instructional day rather than a snow day or staff development day.

"This was necessitated," Gladwell stated, "because of the number of days school was closed by snow and dangerous road conditions and by days lost to the Slide and Grass Valley Fires."

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original story also included May 26 (Memorial Day) as an instructional day. However, Gladwell informed RIMOFTHEWORLD.net he had offered that date in error and asked that it be corrected to state only May 23 would be an instructional day.

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