Will teachers get laid off before the end of this year, 2009?
LAUSD is starting the lay off process and other districts in Orange County will have to prepare to make cuts as well. Anyone looking at the state budget knows cuts will come.
There have to be special circumstances to start the lay off process early, and this budget crisis qualifies as a special circumstance.
I will address this topic in my column next week in the Orange County Register's Local section, page 2. Feel free to post comments or questions here or email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com
6 comments:
Will the teachers get laid off before June 2009, or just notified soon and then laid off for next year?
Some districts may have to let some teachers go before the end of the year. So far, LAUSD is the only one announcing such a move, but the state budget should be signed in early Feb. This could mean deep cuts needed before June only to then need further cuts for next year.
Generally, lay off notices are given in March, as I experienced last year with many fellow teachers and the final lay off decision is made in June.
What can we do?
Mommy is a neat screen name. This may be the first real time blog discussion I have had with my readers, and I appreciate the interest. I can only suggest writing to our leaders to express our concerns and best options. Scroll down on my main web page to find how to contact your leaders in your area. I also list some ideas we could suggest, like asking them to ease categorical spending (for instance allowing districts to move funds around, something that is currently not allowed) and appeal to the Federal Government to fully fund the Special Education IDEA. This would help districts greatly because they are currently mandated by Federal law to provide services but the Federal government has not come through with the funding they promised when the act was written in the 1970s.
Cuts are coming, however, and communities will have to work together to get their schools and students through this difficult time.
Anaheim Union High, teachers union have supported the likings of a few board members, who in return have seemingly taken sides with the district and not with those areas and concerns they themselves had promised represent and honor during their campaigning.Teachers will have a decision to make in the next election of those two whom are not seeing the whole picture during these difficult times with the budget. All the informational facts presented to them should be scrutinized for factual findings and then act accordingly, to effectively reduce the budget through cut backs and freezes, not cutbacks, freezes and hire more construction workers during these times. There is no need to keep construction managers on the books making the amount of money that a few teachers or classified employees would be saved.
I was told that Anaheim Union had no more measure z money from the ballet years ago,but recently some money was found, coincidentally, to keep the constructed going and the school administrators for the construction firms want them to ask the board members to approve an additional loan of 40-55 millions for a plan clled the massa plan. I really hope they meant master plan, anyhow the board should squash any further talks or discussions of any kind leading to construction for at least 5 years. If they do not, I would believe that to be mismanagement. I know of three today that could vote this down, but the other two are very easely influenced by the Superintendent of construction. I have been to a few board meetings this past year, while noticing two members of the board to vote yes on any recommendation by the administration. God help them if they continue during these difficult times.
Post a Comment