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41. spatny
    Member

    How some districts are coping - note the second group. (From the Trib)

    Many area school districts are sending pink slips now to prepare for 2010-11 budgets. Specific layoffs are listed below when possible, followed by a dollar value of total cuts, including programs.

    Arlington Heights School District 25 LAYOFFS: 6.5 teachers, 4.5 teaching assistants and 1 central office secretary for a savings of $464,300.

    Barrington School District 220 15.3 teachers; 2 custodians; 3 special education classroom aides. Approved $2.4 million total cuts.

    Downers Grove Community High School District 99 5 full-time teachers, 2 counselors, 2 special services staff. 29 teachers who are retiring will not be replaced. District still needs to find another $300,000 in savings.

    Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Some teaching positions expected to be cut as part of $1.5 million to $2 million in total cuts. Pink slips were sent to 50 certified and 50 non-certified staff members, but district expects most will be hired back. Board will discuss budget issues April 26.

    Elgin U-46 School District 732 teachers; 347 administrators, support staff, maintenance workers and guidance counselors. Approved a total $30 million in cuts.

    Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 24 teachers; 4 secretaries; 1 parent coordinator; 1 custodian. Approved $2.9 million in cuts.

    Evanston-Skokie School District 65 29 non-tenured teachers. Approved $1.6 million in cuts, but will need more to narrow deficit estimated at between $2.7 million and $5.8 million. Board finance committee meets May 10.

    Evanston Township High School District 202 1 teacher; 1 administrator; 2-3 teacher aides; will not replace 6 retiring teachers; will downsize an administrative position. Proposed cuts totaling $1.6 million, to be decided in late summer.

    Glenbard High School District 87 18 teachers, 5.2 support staff, 1.3 administrators. Approved $4.5 million in total cuts.

    Glen Ellyn District 41 15 teachers, 4 administrators, 1 support staff. Approved $3 million in total cuts.

    Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Community Consolidated School District 89 6 part-time and 1 full-time teacher and 19 support staff/aides. In addition, 4 secretaries' hours were reduced and 7.2 part-time and full-time positions were eliminated through attrition and retirements. Approved $600,000 in total cuts.

    Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 1 curriculum facilitator and 3 support staff. Approved $250,000 in cuts.

    Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62 12 teachers. Approved $450,000 in cuts.

    Lincoln-Way High School District 210, New Lenox and Frankfort May reduce clerical staff, administrators, deans and coaching staff as part of a proposed $2.9 million in cuts.

    Northbrook School District 27 9 teachers, 4 administrative support staff. Approved cuts of $900,000.

    North Shore School District 112, Highland Park 3.4 central administration and support positions; 5 technology coaches; 11 paraprofessionals; 2.6 clerical positions. Proposed $1.9 million cuts. Board votes April 6.

    Lombard School District 44 1 teacher and 2 teacher's aides laid off; 4 other teachers and 1 administrative assistant will retire and not be replaced. Approved total saving of $463,000.

    Maine Township High School District 207, Park Ridge 70 non-tenured and 5 tenured teachers; 7 administrative positions; 11 custodian and maintenance; 13.5 secretary and clerical; two technology and data processing, 16.5 safety monitors; and 11 teaching assistants. Approved $15 million cuts.

    Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville/Aurora 55 elementary teachers; 65 secondary teachers; 25 jobs in special education and preschool; 5.5 administrators; 13.5 central office staff; still determining number of teaching aides to eliminate. Approved $21.4 million in cuts.

    Joliet Public Schools District 86 32 part-time reading tutors; also not filling some non-teacher vacancies. Proposed a total of $3.6 million in cuts.

    Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 14 teachers; 20 full-time and part-time support staff positions, including copy clerks, library media aides and a social worker. Approved $1.2 million in cuts.

    Plainfield Community Unit School District 202 60 full-time teachers; 5 administrators; and 86 support staff, including building custodians, secretaries and library aides. Approved $21.9 million in cuts.

    St. Charles Community Unit District 303 30.5 teachers, 6 administrators, 7.5 library staff and six dean assistants. Approved $4.3 million in cuts.

    Schaumburg Community Consolidated School District 54 39 teachers, 90 teaching assistants and 1.5 district administrative positions. Approved $4.75 million in cuts.

    Skokie/Morton Grove District 69 4 teachers; 1 administrator; 8 support staff. Approved $1 million in cuts.

    Summit Hill School District 161, Frankfort 4 teachers; 1 special education position; 2 classroom aides; 1 secretary; 1 part-time speech therapist and 1 part-time fine arts teacher. Two full-time library and 2 full-time nurse positions reduced to part time. Approved $2.1 million in cuts.

    West Aurora School District 129 127 teachers, but further staffing reductions ahead. $17 million in cuts needed by end of school year.

    Wheaton Warrenville District 200 71 teachers, 14 classified staff assistants, 2 special education positions; may reduce administrative positions. Approved $6.4 million in cuts.

    Woodland School District 50, Gurnee 25 certified teachers, 11.5 teaching assistants, 4 administrators/support staff. Approved $2.8 million in cuts, possibly more to come. Board meets April 15.

    Wilmette Public Schools District 39 6 teachers, 1 district maintenance employee, 1 secretary and 5 paraprofessionals. Approved cuts; also plans to dip into reserve fund.

    The following districts are among those in stable financial shape for fiscal 2011 but reducing budgets in anticipation of potential deficits in years ahead:

    Glenbrook High School District 225 No plans for layoffs. The district is working on a five-year plan, which calls for dipping into its reserve fund, reducing next year's budget by $730,000 and raising fees to bring in an additional $127,000.

    Oak Park District 97 Elementary District 97 No budget-related teacher or administrator cuts being considered at this time. Board will decide next month whether to cut some non-certified staff. District staff working on possible cuts and cost savings to present to board later this spring to help minimize potential impact of possible tax-rate increase voters will be asked to approve next April.

    Orland Park Elementary School District 135 Cut about $100,000 by eliminating staff development workshops and conferences, cutting down on substitute teachers needed.

    Palatine School District 15 Will rely on reserve funds and trim budget by $2.5 million in cuts before next fall. Officials are discussing a controversial proposal to refinance long-term debt in order to maintain reserves and complete building projects. Board meets April 14.

    Rich Township High School District 227, Olympia Fields Made $1.5 million in cuts by reducing departmental budgets and reducing staff through attrition.

    Township High School District 211, Palatine Will need to make up for loss of up to $3 million in revenue, but still working on detailed reductions to be made public in April.

    Township High School District 214, Arlington Heights Employee unions agreed to freeze salaries for five years and to modify insurance plan, which reduced expenditures by $6 million. Some layoffs possible.

    Posted Sunday Mar 28, 2010 10:10 #

42. mrt
    Member

    http://www.suntimes.com/news/2126210,CST-NWS-skuls28.article

    'Devastating' layoffs loom in school districts statewide
    FUNDING CRISIS | Thousands of teachers, other staffers hit; total could top 20,000
    Comments

    March 28, 2010

    BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter mihejirika@suntimes.com

    There's a tidal wave coming.

    And it's about to affect your kids.

    ...

    Also note that next to us, the Morton HS kids will not have sports and student activities to keep them busy. The Morton district is our 'bathtub', so to speak. What happens there, happens here.

    Indeed, districts such as west suburban Morton High School District 201 are axing athletics and student activities.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 02:17 #

43. JohnM
    Member

    mrt,

    The issues at Morton have nothing to to with the issues at RB--it's apples and oranges to compare the two. Morton is an enormous school district--over 8,000 students. It has a huge ESL population and a significant amount of students (perhaps a majority) below the poverty line. Additionally, the majority of the Morton School Board has ties to the Larry Dominick political organization in Cicero, which adds a whole other dimension to the situation.

    I'm not suggesting that RB doesn't face significant budgetary issues--it does. However, these problems can be dealt with as long as we can get the necessary cooperation from both sides. Whether this cooperation is forthcoming is another issue, but I'm hopeful that the teacher's union, the school board, and the taxpayers can work together to find a solution that works--a solution that will require some sacrifice by all concerned parties, rather than placing the burden on one group.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 08:53 #

44. anonymous
    Member

    Could be that over the years when times were good, we reduced our class sizes too low. To increase them upwards may not be so bad. Hands, please, for those of us in the private sector who are currently doing double the job that we once had for no increase in salary? Of course, I know that there is a difference between teaching and other kinds of work. I also know that there are many teachers who earn their keep by their teaching excellence. However, I'm sure we all know teachers who aren't but can't be fired due to tenure. Who are getting paid massive amounts of money just because they have been there for many years. Take a look at http://www.familytaxpayers.org/salary.php for proof. This is a good opportunity to weed them out, or at least it should be. With increased class sizes, the teachers will have to implement the *D* word--discipline, something that is lacking in many classrooms.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 09:12 #

45. anonymous
    Member

    I did some investigative sleuthing on thechampion.org website. One of the beautiful aspects of this website is that salaries go back 10 years. I looked up two random teachers listed in alphabetical order with names starting with M. In 2002, one teacher with a masters degree made $60,432. Seven years later, it's up to $100,547. The other teacher made $59,497 with a bachelors degree. He has earned a masters degree and he is listed in 2009 making $107,465. These two teachers aren't close to retiring.

    Hands, everyone, whose salary has increased 40 to 45 percent within 7 years, for 9 months of work per year, with 3 weeks off in the middle of the school year, plus every federal holiday off, plus 10 - 15 sick days which can be banked and given back in cash when they retire? With a minuscule risk of being fired?

    That my friends, is the reason that OUR school district, along with many others, are in the financial situation that they are in. Add to this the pensions? A perfect storm.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 09:45 #

46. JohnM
    Member

    I graduated from RB in 1985. Based on my review of the list on one of the web sites identified above, there are at least 4 teachers who were there when I was there who are still full-time teachers of academic subjects (that is, not dance or PE). They make $140 K (for a Department head), $114k (2 of them) and $111K. I had three of them for classes, and remember them as being excellent teachers. Am I alone in thinking their compensation is not out of line for a highly-credentialed teacher with over 30 years of experience? If I am, how much do you think they should be making? 100K? 60K, 40K?

    I'm not saying salaries aren't an issue, and I think the teachers union should agree to a pay reduction and salary freeze to save jobs. I am interested in finding out if there's any consensus about teacher pay.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 10:52 #

47. CuriousResident
    Member

    Anon said
    

    I'm sure we all know teachers who aren't but can't be fired due to tenure. Who are getting paid massive amounts of money just because they have been there for many years. Take a look at http://www.familytaxpayers.org/salary.php for proof. This is a good opportunity to weed them out, or at least it should be.

    I'm confused by the combining "can't be fired" in the same paragraph as "good opportunity to weed them out".

    This is a problem brought up a while back as being a problem we can't solve in the short term. Tenure law requires dismissals from RIF be reverse seniority (leaving any higher priced C- teachers in their position) and dismissals for performance are currently very rare (you can find articles pointing to the cost of the due process that is contracted as a deterrent for even trying).

    JohnM said
    

    I am interested in finding out if there's any consensus about teacher pay.

    I suspect you will not find anything near a consensus. Peoples' respect of teachers and education is wide ranging. The people that support "high salaries" are not likely to be vocal. The only consensus your likely to find is that 6figure salaries garner cynicism (regardless of the job in question, public or private sector). Add to that the financial stress a lot of people are under today with the strangely common view of teachers having an unbelievably fortunate arrangement (9 months of work per year, with 3 weeks off in the middle of the school year, plus every federal holiday off, plus 10 - 15 sick days which can be banked and given back in cash when they retire) and the negative sentiments flow...making them seem like the only sentiment.

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 12:13 #

48. corbi296
    Member

    JohnM,

    I think the $140k is excessive salary considering the benefits package, the length of the school year, and the amount of classes some of these departments heads are actually teaching. The other salaries seem fair for good teachers who have been doing this for a while. This assumes these expereinced teachers are actually spending most of their time in the classroom. My understanding is that some of these department heads become more teacher supervisors than actual teachers. I have a big problem with this system. First, I want the most experienced teachers in the classroom teaching our kids. Secondly, I just don't think we should have teachers at RB who need "supervision". With an average teacher salary of $86,000 K, I just don't think any of these teachers should need supervision. Maybe it's just me beause I have this same philosophy in my line of work. I don't hire anybody who needs to be "managed".

    Posted Monday Mar 29, 2010 20:11 #

49. JohnM
    Member

    Those are good points. I guess my response is what do you do with teacher salaries? Cap them at a certain point? That doesn't seem fair. I agree that teachers, particularly those with experience, should not need to be managed. HOwever, it does seem to me that there does need to be a leadership position within the various departments to ensure that standards are maintained.

    In my view, the salary issue was created by a Board that failed to engage the Union in real bargaining and instead essentially rolled over to their demands. This was exacerbated by the fact that Baldermann exerted so much control over the Board, and the fact that he never gave much thought to the burden on the taxpayers created by his agenda.

    Posted Tuesday Mar 30, 2010 09:01 #

50. corbi296
    Member

    I don't think capping salaries is the answer. I think you need to use common sense and just make sure there is balance. I am not opposed to teachers making a lot of money. As a matter of fact, I am a huge proponent of giving teachers more upside in their pay but having it tied to job performance. I am not in favor of huge salaries that are a result solely of seniority and are linked to tenure that effectively provides bullet proof job security. That's why you have department heads making 140k plus and only teaching one or two classes all day. That's also how you have PE teachers making $120 k plus per year. If you want to be paid like you are in the private sector, then you have to willing to have your total compensation and job security tied to job performance. I used to think that teachers on average were underpaid. Somehow I think we are approaching the other end of the spectrum and you just can't maintain the current pace. Like I said before, the financial problems at RB won't be resolved if either side expects the other to resolve the whole problem. I am willing to vote yes to a referendum that increases the operating budget and partially plugs the budget hole, but only if the teachers union is willing to reopen its contract and agrees to a pay freeze for at least 2-3 years. This compromise solution would ensure that no teachers would be laid off and no programs would be cut. Everybody sacrifices a little bit and the kids turn out to be the big winners. That's how it should be.

    Posted Tuesday Mar 30, 2010 11:31 #

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