Manatee Eyes Teacher Layoffs

Manatee County schools need to fast track plans to cut staff, reduce spending and build reserves, which have fallen way below state requirements.

The Bradenton Herald is reporting that Superintendent Rick Mills' transition team is recommending that the district move forward to reduce personnel to meet budget requirements.

A detailed plan is expected by June 1, with the consolidation to be in place by July 1.

School leaders expressed hope that most of the cuts can be done through attrition. But Manatee County Schools must be ready to lay off workers, said Karen Carpenter, the school board chairwoman, according to the Bradenton Herald.

Carpenter noted that cutting staff will result in the biggest savings, as personnel costs are 80 percent of the budget.

Manatee is under increasing pressure, as its reserve fund is nearly depleted. It should have $10 million in savings, a 3 percent reserve. Instead the reserve fund is .03 percent, or $100,000, according to the Bradenton Herald.

The transition team is asking the district to show how it would apply the cuts. A plan is due by June 1, with the reductions to take effect by July 1.

Here are the cuts that the district is eyeing. The district would reduce the number of:

• elementary teachers by 72;

• middle school teachers by 13;

• high school teachers by 11.

There is hope that most of the reductions will be absorbed as people retire, move or transfer out of the district.

According to Bradenton.com:

The district must send written notification to the state Department of Education commissioner explaining why the Manatee County School District expects to have only $100,000 in its reserves by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

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