Post by momto4 on Mar 23, 2010 7:30:01 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2117501,6_1_NA23_D204_S1-100323.article
Despite pleas, D204 board approves layoffs
Birkett says cuts necessary to balance budget
March 23, 2010
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@stmedianetwork.com
"Heartless."
That’s what one audience member called out after the Indian Prairie District 204 Board of Education voted 5-2 late Monday to release 145 non-tenured teachers – the most the district has ever released.
“They’re all sound teachers in good standing and we hope to retain them,” said Nancy Valenta, assistant superintendent for human resources. “It’s a sobering moment to put this in front of you.”
Voting to release the teachers were President Curt Bradshaw, Mark Metzger, Cathy Piehl, Susan Rasmus and Alka Tyle. Casting the opposing votes were Dawn DeSart and Christine Vickers.
Both Vickers and DeSart wanted to delay the vote two weeks to allow for better communication of how the laid off teachers were selected.
“What’s the actual harm if we just wait a couple of weeks to hash this out?” Vickers said.
But several board members said to delay the inevitable would be cruel. Metzger said it would get the hopes up of those who were given notice, and also leave many retained teachers wondering if they will get a notice instead.
Metzger said it would be “immeasurably cruel to extend this. I think it’s a lot better to take the pain now.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, nearly 20 teachers and parents spoke about the recommendation to cut 145 non-tenured teachers, which includes those in their first through fourth year of teaching. Through staffing reductions, the district will save more than $7.4 million in its effort to close an estimated $12.2 million gap in the 2011 budget resulting from the state funding crisis.
Representatives from the teachers’ union urged the board to delay the vote approving non-renewal notices for the time being. By law the district has to inform teachers whether or not they will be rehired for the following year by April 15.
“The administration’s process of releasing non-tenured teachers though legal was terribly flawed and lacked transparency,” said Val Dranias, president of Indian Prairie Education Association.
As a result, she said, the union asked the board to postpone the vote on the release of non-tenured teachers, instruct administration to go back and review the process, include the association in the review and make the recommendations based on “logic, standards and compassion.”
Dranias said throughout the process, teachers were only given general numbers and vague information until they were notified of their releases a week and a half ago. She questioned how the selections were made.
“In 38 instances we found third- and fourth-year teachers released while first- and second-year teachers with the same qualifications were re-employed,” she said.
Superintendent Kathy Birkett said if only first-year teachers were cut, it would have “decimated” an entire building.
“These are really horrible times. I feel for everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t become less painful because you’re a first-year teacher.”
Martha Baumann, assistant superintendent for elementary leadership services, said non-tenured teachers are not proportionally distributed among elementary schools. By releasing only first- and second-year teachers, consistency would be reduced for students and in some buildings multiple teachers from a single grade level would be cut.
“It’s tough to not have been at the table and to second guess the complexities of some of the movement that was made,” Valenta said.. “It’s also a very tough thing for people to accept at face value, which we’re asking them to since they weren’t at the table.”
The goal from the beginning has been to use as many natural exits as possible, Valenta said.
Administrators looked at retirements, staff not invited back because of performance issues, part-time staff released every year, one year only contracts, resignations.
“We scooped as many of those people up as possible and we’re continuing to do that,” Valenta said.
The district is working with the union to encourage retirements where possible.
“We hope that as many retirees as we get we can bring back our certified staff,” she said.
The district will not offer any positions to anyone outside the district until they are first offered to the 145 released, she said.
Among the teachers that spoke was Shelley May, who also attended District 204 schools from elementary through high school. She told the board of the influence the district and it’s music program have had on her life. In fall 2006, she was hired as a music teacher at Gombert. She is one of 19 music teachers issued non-renewal notices.
“This is my fourth year teaching in District 204, and I was notified I would be cut, as I am a non-tenured music teacher. It appears that my 20 years through District 204 has come to and end,” said May, as her voice quivered with emotion. “I am now a name and a face on the 145 teachers whose positions have been cut. A displaced tenured music teacher will probably take my place. I sadly have to say goodbye to my students and the school I love.”
Despite pleas, D204 board approves layoffs
Birkett says cuts necessary to balance budget
March 23, 2010
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@stmedianetwork.com
"Heartless."
That’s what one audience member called out after the Indian Prairie District 204 Board of Education voted 5-2 late Monday to release 145 non-tenured teachers – the most the district has ever released.
“They’re all sound teachers in good standing and we hope to retain them,” said Nancy Valenta, assistant superintendent for human resources. “It’s a sobering moment to put this in front of you.”
Voting to release the teachers were President Curt Bradshaw, Mark Metzger, Cathy Piehl, Susan Rasmus and Alka Tyle. Casting the opposing votes were Dawn DeSart and Christine Vickers.
Both Vickers and DeSart wanted to delay the vote two weeks to allow for better communication of how the laid off teachers were selected.
“What’s the actual harm if we just wait a couple of weeks to hash this out?” Vickers said.
But several board members said to delay the inevitable would be cruel. Metzger said it would get the hopes up of those who were given notice, and also leave many retained teachers wondering if they will get a notice instead.
Metzger said it would be “immeasurably cruel to extend this. I think it’s a lot better to take the pain now.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, nearly 20 teachers and parents spoke about the recommendation to cut 145 non-tenured teachers, which includes those in their first through fourth year of teaching. Through staffing reductions, the district will save more than $7.4 million in its effort to close an estimated $12.2 million gap in the 2011 budget resulting from the state funding crisis.
Representatives from the teachers’ union urged the board to delay the vote approving non-renewal notices for the time being. By law the district has to inform teachers whether or not they will be rehired for the following year by April 15.
“The administration’s process of releasing non-tenured teachers though legal was terribly flawed and lacked transparency,” said Val Dranias, president of Indian Prairie Education Association.
As a result, she said, the union asked the board to postpone the vote on the release of non-tenured teachers, instruct administration to go back and review the process, include the association in the review and make the recommendations based on “logic, standards and compassion.”
Dranias said throughout the process, teachers were only given general numbers and vague information until they were notified of their releases a week and a half ago. She questioned how the selections were made.
“In 38 instances we found third- and fourth-year teachers released while first- and second-year teachers with the same qualifications were re-employed,” she said.
Superintendent Kathy Birkett said if only first-year teachers were cut, it would have “decimated” an entire building.
“These are really horrible times. I feel for everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t become less painful because you’re a first-year teacher.”
Martha Baumann, assistant superintendent for elementary leadership services, said non-tenured teachers are not proportionally distributed among elementary schools. By releasing only first- and second-year teachers, consistency would be reduced for students and in some buildings multiple teachers from a single grade level would be cut.
“It’s tough to not have been at the table and to second guess the complexities of some of the movement that was made,” Valenta said.. “It’s also a very tough thing for people to accept at face value, which we’re asking them to since they weren’t at the table.”
The goal from the beginning has been to use as many natural exits as possible, Valenta said.
Administrators looked at retirements, staff not invited back because of performance issues, part-time staff released every year, one year only contracts, resignations.
“We scooped as many of those people up as possible and we’re continuing to do that,” Valenta said.
The district is working with the union to encourage retirements where possible.
“We hope that as many retirees as we get we can bring back our certified staff,” she said.
The district will not offer any positions to anyone outside the district until they are first offered to the 145 released, she said.
Among the teachers that spoke was Shelley May, who also attended District 204 schools from elementary through high school. She told the board of the influence the district and it’s music program have had on her life. In fall 2006, she was hired as a music teacher at Gombert. She is one of 19 music teachers issued non-renewal notices.
“This is my fourth year teaching in District 204, and I was notified I would be cut, as I am a non-tenured music teacher. It appears that my 20 years through District 204 has come to and end,” said May, as her voice quivered with emotion. “I am now a name and a face on the 145 teachers whose positions have been cut. A displaced tenured music teacher will probably take my place. I sadly have to say goodbye to my students and the school I love.”