Teacher Layoffs Detailed at School Board Workshop

Up to 182 teaching positions and 80 administrative posts are being eliminated under a financial recovery plan that Manatee Schools Superintendent Rick Mills detailed at a school board workshop Monday.

(See attached pdf document outlining the district's presentation at the school board workshop.)

The tough measures will yield a projected $20 million in savings that the school district needs to balance its budget and meet requirements for reserves through the 2013-14 school year.

"The school district must restore financial stability, so that it can move forward in serving children and compensating employees," according to the district's statement in the workshop document.

The Bradenton Herald is reporting that teachers targeted by the cuts were notified last week.

At the same time, the school district is projecting that there may be 1,000 fewer students enrolled next year, which may offset the impact of the cuts.

According to Mills, the financial crisis stems, in part, from the district's decision in 2009 to quit using a computer software tool called Position Control to track staffing costs.

"Since the Position Control software essentially controlled 75 percent of the school district’s budget, turning it off blinded the school district to the realities of staff allocations," according to Mills' presentation.

He said that the school district hired a number of teachers without having the money in its operating budget to pay for them.

Mills also outlined his four budget priorities:

• Build reserves to maintain a 3 percent savings fund, as required by the state;

• Hand out $22 million in state-approved funds for teacher raises;

• Direct resources to improving student performance;

• Give back money to individual schools that lost funding in the 2012-13 budget.

Teacher layoffs include:

• All first-year teachers;
• Rainbow program teachers who taught courses not considered part of the core curriculum;
• 24 Exceptional Student educators;
• 10 English as a Second Language teachers.

For more information on the proposed cuts, see the Bradenton Herald's article by clicking here.

To watch a video of the school board workshop, click here.

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