Reduction in Force

Several teachers (and many classified employees) have received a reduction in force (RIF) notice, which means that it's very likely they won't get hired back for the next school year due to budgetary issues.

There's been talk of everyone taking a 1% salary cut to eliminate the need to RIF people. What do you think of this idea?

Should teachers/employees who aren't in danger of getting RIF'd (via the seniority list) take a pay cut in order to keep all teachers employed?

I would have to say yes they should, since the RIF's were not issued based on seniority, but on certifications. I know a wonderful teacher that got a notice and she has been with the district for years, however those just starting out didnt get the notice because they have Special Education certifications.

I think if all of the employees took a 1% pay cut (or as my neighbor suggested, work 5 days yet get paid for 4) to keep everyone employed. we could keep a LOT of our wonderful teachers!

There's also the possibility of furlough days or the 4-day week.

I think the teachers, admin and anyone in the district should take a 1-3 percent salary reduction in order to help their friends and co-workers keep their job so they can feed their families, keep a roof over their heads and generally pay their bills. Keep in mind if they don't, more teachers loose their positions, class sizes go up and the ability to instruct goes down. Teachers will become baby sitters rather than educators.
Four day weeks would help cut district expenses - we did that at a base I was working at for over one year and saved more than $500K on operating expenses. Other districts are doing this and can be used as an example. Even Northside Early Learning Center is doing it. I'm sure the Principal or district have numbers to determine if it's worth the change. These are tough times calling for some hard decisions. I did it myself - took a 6% pay cut to keep another worker employed.

A voluntary pay reduction is a terriffic cost savings measure. I personally took a 10% reduction last year as part of a cost saving measure to prevent layoffs at my bank. I was pleased to have the opportunity rather than look for new employment. I am not sure whether the reduction would cover enough of the shortfall, but they would undoubtedly save a few programs and jobs.
I believe this is an area where the district has failed. In a business, you have two choices 1. Spend less 2. Bring in more money. The district should spend more time finding ways to bring in more money. When we miss grants because we failed to meet a deadline, we should be held accountable. I believe we need more hands on deck bringing in money rather than researching cuts. At some point you cross a line where you cannot provide quality service if you continue to look at cuts as the solution. I fear we are getting perilously close.

Jhl

Jody, Why didn't you run for school board again? It seems like you have some good ideas and some common sense. I remember that you ran a few years ago. Anyway, I know it's too late to get on the ballot now, but maybe you should consider another run in the future.

Barbie, he is running again.

I agree with Jody's statement that the school district needs to find alternate sources of income. I think to many times government entities forget they are spending other peoples' money and act as though there is no end to it. When faced with budget shortfalls the first thing they do is cut, cut, cut. What about find, find, find? Find parents willing to volunteer. Find obscure grants the district can apply for. Most importantly - run the district like a business.

I'm glad to hear that Jody's running. I know of some school teachers that would gladly take a pay cut if it meant they could save some jobs. If that happened I also wish some of the people at the district office would take a pay cut too, not just the teachers...

I agree that if more parents volunteered, the district wouldn't need as many instructional aides. Northside's kindergartens has one aide for every two classrooms but if more parents helped out, they wouldn't need so many aides. (Although, if this happens, parents need to be instructed on the correct and efficient ways to use machines such as the copier and laminator...)

I think it should be administration gets the cuts this time. Possibly salary cuts right from the top.

Cuts from the top would be more productive in my opinion. First they have the biggest salary's so some cuts there could make really big changes in our districts budget overall. Second- Aids and other classified staff that get cuts at their salary levels directly impacts how much food they can bring home to their families. The same goes for our newer teachers. it just doesn't seem right to cut salary's for those in the district that are just trying to get by. When cuts in upper administration salary's will impact the extra's in their personal budgets WAY before it would impact their ability to feed and shelter their family.

Possibly elimination of positions in administration, I don't have enough information to be able to suggest details on that option.

Across the board salary cuts. Classified, Administration, Licensed of 2 to 3%. This would self regulate the impact based on salary. Those who earn less would loose a couple hundred a year while those on the upper end of the pay scales could loose a couple thousand a year.

What suggestions do the rest of you have?

If we are talking 'drastic actions' here's a few I've thought about for quite some time. Cut the District Supervisor, Assistant Supervisor and any other high level, high paying job on Richards Street that we don't need and put the school board in charge of running their district! The school board and our district lawyer should be capable of overseeing the district schools. The school principal at each school would run his/her school and if he/she couldn't do the job, the school board would take action.

Take all sports out of the school system and let city leagues prosper! Scouts will see talent no matter where a kid is playing. TALK ABOUT SAVING MONEY!!!!!! I believe some other states have done this already. http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/02/working-58.html

It's now time for a touchy subject. What about students that enter our district not speaking English? Well, we have always been very receptive and created special classrooms, given them special teachers and even all-day kindergarten to help them. We can't afford this now, so all kids will be paying the price by moving around the district and teacher's losing jobs which will create more students per classroom with just one teacher. If all of these students are legal immigrants then the time has come to put them in a classroom and let them compete with every other student. Parents will have to step up to the plate by working with them at home to get them caught up. Here's a site that might be of interest on this subject of what has happened in California:
http://vdare.com/guzzardi/cbet.htm

I have always been in favor of a dual track in high school. One track would be for a career where the student would graduate high school with a diploma in his/her career path (chef, mechanic, etc.) and the other track would be for academics for students wanting to go to college to further their education. The high school has the vocational opportunities to accomplish this task. It would make education much more meaningful to the students and parents who always question why they have to learn certain subjects when all they want to do is go into construction, and etc.

I know you're all probably thinking that the teacher's union will have a hay-day with any of these plans. So while I'm being 'drastic' consider this:
Fire all the teachers in the schools needing improvement (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/rhode-island-school-fires-74-teachers/story?id=9911693). If you visit this site, please read the comments too! The teacher's union caused the problem by protecting teachers who didn't have the interest of the children in mind! I see this here a lot too. The teacher's union protects EVERY teacher, good, bad or otherwise!

Well, I'm sure you all have plenty to think about now. Personally, I think education as my parents knew it and as I knew it as a student, has changed! We need to change the system to meet the expectations of the students and we haven't. As this district (and others) plan teacher trainings; implement new strategies for teaching; and flounder in their attempts to teach our children, they are out of the classroom and never seem to consider the students and their needs. I leave you with this thought: we need to stop the rise of teacher apathy and do whatever it takes to MAKE our district teach our children and give them hope for their future, not just pass them along year after year until they are in high school and can't pass the proficiency tests. That is not an education!

retiredteacher: I like how you backed up your ideas with links. That's wonderful!

Any thoughts about running for school board, you would have my vote!

I am glad that a few of you are reading this blog. That means that we all have concerns. The biggest concern is WHEN something will be done and how many students slip through the cracks waiting for a change to take place. I can't make a change, you can't make a change, and from past experiences, even collectively we can't make a change. I remember showing up at school board meetings to the point of standing room only, and even when the audience was so large, the meetings were moved to Lahontan Elementary School's auditorium, but all to no avail. The board and the superintendent had already made their decisions! It is very frustrating. I wish the school board was the decision making head of our district and that they were directly accountable to the tax payers! Perhaps the concerned citizens need to get a great lawyer and sue this district AND the teacher's union for failure to educate our children and to for allowing teachers, who fail to teach our children, stay in the classroom! Maybe we could get enough money to create the changes we all know we need!
Me run for school board? No thanks, at least not until the board is free to make changes without their hands being tied! In the mean time, I suggest every parent go to school and sit in their child's classroom once in a while to see what is or what isn't going on. Make those trips 'unexpected' ones! Ask to see the teacher's lesson plans for the week. Ask to see writing assignments that your child has done. Keep asking, especially if you know your child isn't doing the work he/she should be doing! Kids may like it if they don't have to write papers, or if they get to watch videos a lot, or they get to just sit and visit! They don't consider the future effects of those actions but we do and we need to make the teachers accountable when others don't!

retiredteacher wrote:In the mean time, I suggest every parent go to school and sit in their child's classroom once in a while to see what is or what isn't going on. Make those trips 'unexpected' ones! Ask to see the teacher's lesson plans for the week. Ask to see writing assignments that your child has done. Keep asking, especially if you know your child isn't doing the work he/she should be doing! Kids may like it if they don't have to write papers, or if they get to watch videos a lot, or they get to just sit and visit! They don't consider the future effects of those actions but we do and we need to make the teachers accountable when others don't!

Wonderful suggestion! Every classroom could use a couple helpful and open-minded parents. And by open-minded, I simply mean...don't go in there and take over and be aware that your child IS capable of making mistakes, so don't rip the teacher's head off.

Being a teacher once myself, I can speak on this subject with experience. When teachers know someone is going to be coming into their classroom to observe, they generally go the extra mile to impress and plan things that they normally wouldn't plan. Too bad all the teachers don't teach that way day-to-day. If they know that they could have visitors at any given time of the day, perhaps they would do a better job and even ask the visitors to help with the lesson, or work with a couple children who are falling behind. I believe that our schools need outside help and with unemployment as it is, more parents can now help! It's a chance for parents to see first-hand what their children are doing and the pressures the school is having. It could be a win-win situation!

I agree. I think its sad that they are RIFfing classified, because (in my opinion) teachers need all the help [instructional aides] they can get. I've been in classrooms where there are one or two parents helping out; with that extra support, they don't really need a classroom aide. But I rarely see parents helping out in their childrens' rooms/schools... Maybe, 3 or 4 classrooms I've been in regularly have a parent helping out.

This is true! Sadly enough, with both parents working, they have been forced to leave their children in the care of the schools for far too long. They expect the schools to work their magic and teach their children but never have time to work with them at home! Now, when job constraints aren't as tight as before, they have a chance to get involved again and really make a change in their child's education. Perhaps they'll now get involved actively in the schools rather than having a screaming match at a board meeting! The more the merrier! Even if they just walk around the schools and poke their heads in a classroom for a few minutes, they will be wiser and more informed on what is going on in their child's life. By the way, if your child's teacher refuses to have you in the classroom, there is a reason and you know what your next move is! I say, get moving around in the school and you don't have to spend every day, 5 days a week! Get in there when you can find the time. You'll probably really like it once you see that you can make a difference.

Public Education and Ambivalence - April 28, 2010
By Thomas J. Fleming

I am a huge fan of American public education. Okay… with one caveat… When it’s done well.
Where on Earth is there anything quite so amazing as American public schools? It’s the one place where no one gets turned away. No one. For any reason. Even disciplinary expulsions have limits.

Don’t speak English yet? Come on into the tent. White, black, Asian, Arab? You’re in. Mentally or physically handicapped? You’re in. Republican, Democrat, Independent, Communist? You’re in. Gay, straight, bisexual? You’re in. Rich, poor, even homeless? C’mon in! Religious, agnostic, atheist? You’re all invited into the tent.

And once in the tent, we in America go on to say: Are you athletic? We have a way for you to develop that talent. Are you musical? Are you artistic? Do you want to learn a trade? How about a foreign language? Going to college? We will provide the resources for you to have a leg up on accomplishing whatever you dream for yourself.

What makes American public education so awesome is that we, yes all of us, have to find a way to make this work. And the process of doing that… Whew! What a task. What an awesome responsibility.

Right now, in Nevada and elsewhere around the country we’re faced with a lot of decisions regarding American public education. One decision has already been made regarding my future in Fallon, Nevada.

I recently received a “RIF” (Reduction in Force) notice from the Churchill County School District (CCSD) in Fallon, Nevada. The district sends out the notice to employees who will not be offered a contract for next school year.

Our school district officials (School Board and Administration) determined that “specials” at the elementary school be cut. “Specials” are what we call the teachers who provide elementary students with experiences and curricula in Music, Art, Computers, and Physical Education.

Our district officials also decided to cut many elementary classroom positions. They closed a highly regarded elementary school. Several positions were also cut at the high school and the junior high.

Remaining teachers will thus have significantly higher class sizes. And there will be fewer potential experiences for our students.

Though I have more years of teaching in Fallon, I have the lowest number of years’ seniority. This is because after many years’ employment in Fallon, I took time off to write and when I returned to the classroom, I did so in another county. I returned to Fallon four years ago.

The consequence of my actions was loss of seniority. I knew this when I made my decisions to do what I did. I accept full responsibility for those decisions.

When cuts are made, seniority is the factor that determines who stays and who goes. I have four years of seniority. There are other music educators with more.

These are the rules regarding RIF’s. Whether one agrees or disagrees is of no consequence for the present. If RIF rules were to be changed, the process precludes having any effect on the present. There is no point wasting time and energy on words and actions that can quickly descend into acrimony, at best.

However, examining the circumstances of how we reached this point is worth the time and effort.
The problems we face, as I see it, come from fundamental public ambivalence about public education. We want our children to have a solid, well-rounded education that includes music, art, P.E., technology, vocational programs and upper-level college prep classes. We want reasonable class sizes. We want to field athletic teams in a wide variety of sports. We want other vibrant extra-curricular activities.

We don’t want – or at least we don’t begrudge – our teachers’ making a decent living wage with health and retirement benefits. We want our schools to be well-equipped with the necessary books and other tools needed to educate them.

Our ambivalence shows up when it comes time to pay for these things.

Here’s just one example of what I’m talking about in Nevada: A couple years ago, our State Legislature passed a couple of temporary tax measures that augment the state’s education budget. These measures are “sunsetting” in a few months.

There are many politicians, including our Governor, who are promising that these particular tax measures will not be renewed.

If the measures aren’t renewed, the Nevada public schools, which already rank 50th out of 50 states in per-student funding for education, will be faced with another set of huge cuts.

Will we augment our K-12 schools’ budgets through tuition payments, as state colleges do? Will we hope for another stimulus package from the federal government, which came to our rescue a year ago? Perhaps we’ll offer to pay teachers with chickens and house-painting.

Or will we simply sigh and complain about how we are forced to cut entire programs and increase class sizes yet again, placing our schools even further on the road beyond mediocrity to the quagmire of apathy.

Or. Perhaps. Hm… We can own our responsibility to make our schools work and take the actions necessary to match the words we say about how important quality schools are to all of us.

Hopefully there will be a place for Mr. Flemming in the charter school! He is a wonderful teacher and the students love him! Or, maybe, he can give private lessons to the students who want to continue under his tutorial and continue on with their musical talent. Another great teacher who loves what he is doing and loves music that has rubbed off on his many students. Makes one want to throw up! Mr. Flemming is a credit to his profession. He loves his students and his career and wants to teach his students well. What is wrong with this picture?

Mr. Fleming is a wonderful music teacher! The kids love him and learn so much from him. The music program at CCJHS is HUGE! I've never seen so much interest in band classes in kids their age. I hope Tom gets to keep a job in the school district for next year.

I did a little research to see if a school district had a legal responsibility to hire a superintendent.
This is an email from Keith Rheault who is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for Nevada.
Very informative...please read:


The Nevada Revised Statutes do not absolutely require that a school district have a superintendent. I have cut and pasted NRS 391.110 below. You can see that the NRS is permissive in that a “ board of trustees of a school district may” employ a superintendent of schools. So to answer your question, it would be legal not to have a superintendent.

I am not aware, however, of any school district in Nevada that has not employed a superintendent ( at least in the last 25 years) except for a short period of time when they are conducting a search to fill a vacancy. The more common approach is to hire a superintendent and not hire a school principal. The small districts in Nevada, like Esmeralda County School District and Eureka County School District, have had the school district superintendent also serve as a school principal in the district in the past as a way to save personnel costs in the district.

I hope this response answered your questions.

Keith Rheault
Superintendent of Public Instruction



NRS 391.110 Superintendent of schools: Employment; qualifications; term; dismissal; administration of oaths.

1. The board of trustees of a school district may:

(a) Employ any person the board of trustees determines is qualified to serve as the superintendent of schools of the school district. The Commission may require the superintendent of any school district to hold a master’s degree.

(b) Define the powers and fix the duties of the superintendent of schools.

(c) Fix the salary of the superintendent of schools.

2. If the board of trustees of a school district employs a person who is not licensed as an administrator to serve as the superintendent of schools, the board of trustees shall employ a person who is licensed as an administrator to oversee the academic programs of the public schools within the school district.

3. A superintendent of schools may be employed for an initial term not to exceed 4 years. The term of any subsequent employment may be of any duration.

4. A superintendent of schools may be dismissed at any time for cause.

5. A superintendent of schools may administer oaths or affirmations relating to public schools.

Retired teacher, I like your thinking! It has been bothering me for years how many teachers are not doing their job. I am not saying all teachers, because my children have had some excellent teachers, but over the years there have definitely been some VERY poor ones as well! But you are right about one thing, we are the solution. It may take a long time, but it is up to us as parents to get in there and do whatever it takes to make our children's education the best it can be. I know I have embarrassed my children on more than one occasion when I questioned teachers (especially at the Jr. High and high school level) the necessity for another movie in class. Another point you made was that the school board and their legal council should be able to run the district. I would have to say from what I have seen from attending school board meetings in the past is that the legal council is already pretty close to running the district and the board just looks at her after every discussion and says, "What can we do? Should we do this or that?" Then the lawyer tells them what to do and they do it. Maybe we should get a new lawyer?

I was just trying to make a point that perhaps we shouldn't keep our superintendent which would save us a lot of money right there. However, I really do think that we need a lawyer and your comment about our board looking to the lawyer for advice is proof of that. Law isn't something I confess to knowing much about. Money for a lawyer is the one thing I say we need, to keep us from being sued for some crazy thing or another! Of course, if the district isn't happy with those services, or feels that our lawyer isn't serving us to his/her best abilities, then we should find a new one! Did you see the local paper today? Our Superintendent and our Federal Programs Facilitator seem to be behind the whole West End to Numa move! Perhaps there are two jobs we can eliminate? I heard a rumor, and I will say now, it was something someone who works in the district told me. The comment was that our Federal Programs Facilitator accompanied our Superintendent on her recent trip to Alaska when she was interviewing for jobs there. I wonder who paid for those trips?
Well, we will have to keep speaking out and demanding change if we really want it! I hope it doesn't come too late to save our kids! I don't have the answers and neither do you, but as a whole, concerned community, maybe we can find some!