Pink Slips for Manhattan Beach Educators

Thousands of educators across Los Angeles County found layoff and reassignment notices in their mailboxes last week. From the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, 24 positions are being eliminated or reduced.

The list includes pink slips for 11 elementary school teachers, in addition to reductions for a host of other educators. A total of 14 full-time positions have been cut. Temporary staffers hired for the 10-month school year will not have their contracts renewed by the district, and part-time employees will lose one to two class periods per day of work.

The emphasis on elementary school reductions was decided by the board after weighing the financial impact of increased class sizes. Classes capped at a 20-to-1 ratio are awarded approximately $1,000 per student.

For any additional students, the district does not receive the extra funding and is also charged a penalty, depending on the student-teacher ratio.

After calculating the costs incurred for increasing class sizes at elementary school level, the school board decided that cutting teachers was a more effective way of saving money than trying to avoid the increased class size penalties, which start at 20 percent and increase on a step scale.

"Everyone recognizes that smaller class sizes mean more attention for the kids," said Rachel Thomas, president of the Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Association. "Larger classes are more difficult to manage, and for students it's more difficult to learn."

But just how many classrooms in Manhattan Beach will experience crowding is unknown. The district can only look at current projections until enrollment is completed, which can mean a week before classes start.

The board has estimated that kindergarten classrooms in the district will see increased class sizes of 29 students to every teacher, although the number could change depending on actual enrollment.

To allow flexibility at the elementary school level, the school board agreed to cut two additional teaching positions in case there is a need to increase class size from 23 to 26 or above.

"People show up a week before the school year, and people change their minds," said Thomas. "Suddenly, you're trying to scramble for another teacher."

Enrollment for kindergarten, which began March 1, has already exceeded expectations. A higher number of students may mean that teachers end up being hired back, said Thomas. "So that's some good news," she added.

It could be worse.

Compared to the Los Angeles Unified School District, Manhattan Beach has fared extremely well. More than 2,000 teachers within the LAUSD will not be coming back to school next year or have been forced into a substitute role.

Thomas attributes the avoidance of a more severe scenario in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District to the support of parents and community members. The district's budget shortfall of $6.5 million was buffered by $4.1 million of donations through the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and more than $300,000 from local PTAs.