Fourteen ISD 166 teachers were called into Superintendent Beth Schwarz’s office Tuesday, January 12, 2010 and given written notice that impending budget reductions might impact—or eliminate—their positions.
Superintendent Schwarz was contacted while at a school board association convention to discuss the action. She will be meeting with the school board Monday, January 18 for a work session to discuss the district’s financial situation. At the last regular school board meeting, the board passed a resolution directing school administration to recommend cuts in programs and personnel in order to keep the school financially afloat.
In response to that directive, Schwarz prepared four possible scenarios ranging from doing nothing (which could result in statutory operating debt) to making drastic cuts. Before she presents the board with those ideas on the 18th, she wanted to inform the faculty, so she scheduled a faculty meeting for right after school that day. She didn’t want anyone to be surprised by her suggestions, however, so she wrote letters to all teachers who might be impacted and called them one by one into her office to discuss the letters. She said a lot more notifications of possible position changes, reductions, or elimination went out than will actually be implemented. The decision regarding which teachers would get notices was based on a plan to increase elementary class sizes and consolidate elective classes so that each class has a full roster of students; seniority and licensing requirements; and a need to continue offering required classes.
Declining enrollment is an ongoing trend that will necessitate reductions, Schwarz said. In addition, funding from the state has been uncertain, and the district does not know what it will get for next year.
Program reductions could mean that some teachers will lose their jobs. Others may lose hours or be required to teach subjects that are different from the ones they currently teach.
Schwarz said she has been trying to gather information from the staff on ways cuts could be made and how some cuts would impact the operation of the school. She said she appreciates input and suggestions from the staff. “I don’t want to be a top down superintendent,” she said. She also wants to take responsibility for whatever difficult staff changes may be ahead rather than allowing staff to be blamed for suggestions that might have come from them.
“We have to do this as much as we can together,” Schwarz said, “or we’re going to divide, and that’s not going to be good.”
The district has been reducing programming for several years now, Schwarz said. She remains resolved to provide a good education for all students, however. “We’re going to have a school,” she said. “It’s going to be a quality school.”
Cook County Teachers’ Association President Jane Gellner declined to comment because she felt she didn’t have enough information yet to respond appropriately. As of press time, school board members had not responded to questions emailed to them by the Cook County
News-Herald.
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