Board Discusses Potential Service Reductions For 2012-13 School Year

The Newark Unified Board of Education was presented with a draft that outlines the possible reductions and eliminations to services for the 2012-13 school year Tuesday night.

The proposed draft estimates a certified staff reduction of 11.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions next school year, a less dramatic reduction than those made during the 2011-12 school year

Senior Director of Human Resources Tim Erwin said the draft was prepared with the March 15 certified staff layoff notification deadline in mind.

School districts are required to alert certified staff members who could be impacted by layoffs by March 15 as a preliminary notification. Final layoffs must be voted by each school district’s governing board before May 15.

“As we have looked at district’s financial needs and have looked at staffing for next year, these are the [Particular Kinds of Services] of the credential areas that we are looking at, that we would need to eliminate or reduce in 2012-13 school year,” Erwin said.

The probable cutbacks as outlined by the draft are as follows:

Particular Kind of Service

FTE

Multiple Subject

3

Multiple Subject Categorical Intervention*

8.8

Biological Science (Elementary (SRT)

1

Junior High Math Categorical Intervention*

0.8

Physical Education

2

High School Math Categorical Intervention*

1.6

High School English Categorical Intervention*

1.8

Secondary Counselor PPS

1

Secondary Assistant Principal

1

Single Subject Social Science

2

Single Subject Geosciences

1

Single Subject English

1

Total

25

Multiple Subject Retirement/Resignation

-2.5

Multiple Subject Categorical Release*

-6.8

Secondary Categorical Release*

-4.2

Total FTE

11.5

Asterisked items represent positions funded through categorical funds, which Erwin said are releases of these positions, not layoffs.

Erwin also discussed with the board the process of certified staff layoffs in which seniority is the starting point in the consideration of which staff members are impacted.

Seniority, he said, is based on seniority date, credential(s), status of employment (whether permanent, probationary or temporary) and full-time equivalent.

The school board has yet to vote approving any reductions that will be made for the 2012-13 school year, but proposed cuts must be approved in a public meeting prior to March 15.

Erwin noted, however, that depending on budget outcomes, positions could be brought back or the number of layoffs can be reduced before the final May 15 deadline.

Newark Teachers Association Co-President Chris Baugh acknowledged that with the start of negotiations between the district and teachers union, difficult decisions will have to be made.

“All I ask is that you consider that each name that comes up has a face behind it, a family behind it and students behind it,” Baugh told the board.  “NTA realizes we are not out of this budget crisis yet and that we have to work together.”

Last May, the district authorized the elimination of 23 full-time equivalent positions for the 2011-12 school year, affecting 27 certificated employees. Some of those positions were brought back, but Erwin did not have the exact number of how many employees were re-hired.

Also at Tuesday’s board meeting:

• Superintendent Dave Marken announced that Custodial Supervisor Danny Santellano is currently on life support stemming from a medical condition that began Friday night when Santellano choked and collapsed at a Fremont restaurant. “Our thoughts are with the Santellano family,” Marken said.
• Board members voted 4-1 to approve a revised governance handbook with some edits regarding how communications are done during board meetings, when agenda packets should be delivered to the trustees and the timeframe in which district staff must respond to board members’ questions about agenda packets. A more detailed report on this will be published by Newark Patch at a later date.
• Pastor Horacio Jones with the Family Bible Fellowship Church invited the community to attend a Black History Month celebration that will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the church, which is located at 36720 Filbert St.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for March 6. Click here to watch the video of Tuesday’s meeting.