District 219 Board Cuts Full-Time French Teacher From Niles West High School

SKOKIE, IL — The Niles Township High School District 219 board approved the elimination of a French teacher's full-time position as part of a reduction in force.

The unanimous move at last month's meeting followed the release of more than two dozen teachers at the previous meeting.

Ray Chung, the district's legal and human resources director, said the reduction in force, or RIF, process is different than a non-renewal program.

"It can happen when you close a program, as a board, or when some sort of enrollment numbers are declining," Chung said.

Chung said administrators would offer the affected teacher a part-time position — 10 hours a week.

"Whenever we see a decline like this, we try to shuffle those with different endorsements and licensure to see if we can keep all the positions we have," he told the board at its April meeting. "In this case, we were unable to successfully shuffle."

Overall, the total number of full-time equivalent certified staff at Niles West is expected to drop from 220.25 to 219.90, while staffing at Niles North is expected to be reduced from 182.42 to 181.05, for a districtwide decrease of 1.75 full-time equivalent positions, according to district spokesperson Takumi Iseda.

In March, board members cut 29 non-tenured teachers, including both full-time and part time staff.

"These employees understood this as part of their hire, that this was the system that would be used," board member Amber Wood said. "And so they went in with eyes wide open understanding that."

Once administrators figure out staffing, Chung told the board, they will call back as many of the released employees as possible to be re-hired. He said each of their positions had been advertised as one-year or otherwise temporary.

"It's not because of any judgment about them," Superintendent Tom Moore said. "It's how they were hired as part of the process."