Post by title1parent on Mar 30, 2010 8:52:29 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/2129955,2_1_AU30_OSSCHOOLS_S1-100330.article
Oswego schools to lay off 61 teachers
March 30, 2010
By ROWENA VERGARA rvergara@stmedianetwork.com
OSWEGO -- Oswego High School's theater director, a learning disabilities teacher and a gifted-resource teacher are just three of 61 first-year teachers who will receive honorable dismissal notices today from Oswego School District.
The Oswego School Board on Monday voted 7-2 to pass the second phase of its deficit-reduction plan, which included layoffs to 61 first-year teachers, 12 of which are part-time. The board also voted to release 10 teachers in their second and third years of service, who were funded by grants, were covering leave of absences or were let go because of performance.
Six social workers contracted from Kendall County Special Ed Co-Op also have been eliminated, a savings of $300,000.
The district faces an estimated deficit of $12.6 million because of declining property taxes and an anticipated drop in funding from the state for the 2010-11 school year.
Earlier this month, the School Board passed the first phase of its cost-savings plan by approving $5.5 million in budget cuts, including the reduction of about a third of the district's support personnel.
To meet its additional shortfall of $7.1 million, the board enacted a plan that would cut $3.7 million from operations, and $3.4 million from reserves.
Some of the revenue measures include full-day kindergarten, and a 15-cent increase to school lunches.
About $2.4 million in cuts will come from the managerial side, including a health insurance savings of $1 million, the result of the district's improved insurance claims history. Health care rates were lowered without any major changes to coverage, District spokeswoman Kristine Liptrot said.
The plan also includes an administrator health care premium contribution of 10 percent. But School Board members Laurie Pasteris and Michael Scaramuzzi had wanted all administrators to pay into their health care.
A smaller crowd turned out for this second round of cuts, but comments stirred even more emotion than during the first round.
"I know these have been tough decisions and I appreciate the tough position you are in," Teaching Assistant Deborah Nemanich said. "What I haven't heard, and what I desperately need to hear, are some words of compassion. If you hate sitting up in front of all of us, then will one, two or three of you tell the community that?"
At the end of the nearly hour-long public comment, School Board President Lynn Cullick said the community needs to band together. But as board members expressed their sincerity, they were also realistic.
"This may not be the end for us. This does not take into account what the state owes us," School Board member Dave Behrens said.
"Everybody just has to pull together. We're just going to have to go through it the best we can."
Oswego schools to lay off 61 teachers
March 30, 2010
By ROWENA VERGARA rvergara@stmedianetwork.com
OSWEGO -- Oswego High School's theater director, a learning disabilities teacher and a gifted-resource teacher are just three of 61 first-year teachers who will receive honorable dismissal notices today from Oswego School District.
The Oswego School Board on Monday voted 7-2 to pass the second phase of its deficit-reduction plan, which included layoffs to 61 first-year teachers, 12 of which are part-time. The board also voted to release 10 teachers in their second and third years of service, who were funded by grants, were covering leave of absences or were let go because of performance.
Six social workers contracted from Kendall County Special Ed Co-Op also have been eliminated, a savings of $300,000.
The district faces an estimated deficit of $12.6 million because of declining property taxes and an anticipated drop in funding from the state for the 2010-11 school year.
Earlier this month, the School Board passed the first phase of its cost-savings plan by approving $5.5 million in budget cuts, including the reduction of about a third of the district's support personnel.
To meet its additional shortfall of $7.1 million, the board enacted a plan that would cut $3.7 million from operations, and $3.4 million from reserves.
Some of the revenue measures include full-day kindergarten, and a 15-cent increase to school lunches.
About $2.4 million in cuts will come from the managerial side, including a health insurance savings of $1 million, the result of the district's improved insurance claims history. Health care rates were lowered without any major changes to coverage, District spokeswoman Kristine Liptrot said.
The plan also includes an administrator health care premium contribution of 10 percent. But School Board members Laurie Pasteris and Michael Scaramuzzi had wanted all administrators to pay into their health care.
A smaller crowd turned out for this second round of cuts, but comments stirred even more emotion than during the first round.
"I know these have been tough decisions and I appreciate the tough position you are in," Teaching Assistant Deborah Nemanich said. "What I haven't heard, and what I desperately need to hear, are some words of compassion. If you hate sitting up in front of all of us, then will one, two or three of you tell the community that?"
At the end of the nearly hour-long public comment, School Board President Lynn Cullick said the community needs to band together. But as board members expressed their sincerity, they were also realistic.
"This may not be the end for us. This does not take into account what the state owes us," School Board member Dave Behrens said.
"Everybody just has to pull together. We're just going to have to go through it the best we can."