Two months ago I wrote about the preliminary layoff notices that had to be given to certificated teachers by the March 15th deadline. The next deadline in this process is May 15th, where effectively “final” termination notices are given to these certificated employees. Although the District could always hire employees back, as a practical matter it’s not likely we will have new open positions next year, and presumably these folks will go looking for another job.
The original list in March included 28 employees who received these preliminary “pink slips” and this covered approximately 18.5 FTEs (as some folks do not work full time). Over the last two months, with a ton of work from staff, teachers’ representatives, and the Board, this list was whittled down to 18 employees and approximately 13 FTEs. Of course it is absolutely terrible that we need to layoff anyone — and it certainly impacts the education and the programs that we deliver — but we’re fortunate to have mitigated this damage somewhat. I’m also happy to report that two of the positions that will NOT be reduced are the middle school assistant principals, as I believe those roles are essential to the functioning of our middle schools.
Although the final budget is not completed — nor is the contract for next year with the teachers’ union — the effect of these staff reductions will likely mean class sizes increasing by two students per class across all grade levels, with some flexibility at some sites to increase classes by two more to properly balance classroom, avoid splits if appropriate, etc. And of course these are not the only cuts we will be making. These too are not finalized until the budget is adopted in June, but they will likely include some reductions in programs as well as salary reductions across the board (note that this is on top of cuts already made, including a number of positions eliminated at the District office mid-year). Also, the Superintendent has been very aggressive in looking for additional revenue sources, including grants as well as our SMART-E camp/after-school program. These activities have also contributed to mitigating the necessary cuts.
We’re hardly out of the woods yet — we still need to find out what the state will do to our budget (the Governor’s “May revise” comes out tomorrow) as well as ensure that we renew Measure D next year. I encourage everyone to attend the final set of board meetings this year as budget will continue to be the primary topic. And of course, continue to give (and encourage others to give) to the San Carlos Education Foundation — that source of funding is absolutely crucial to our maintaining the excellent school district that we have!
