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Guilford County could cut more teaching positions

Thursday, April 2, 2009

(Updated 3:55 pm)

By J. Brian Ewing
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — More teaching positions and school support staff face elimination as principals prepare their school spending plans over the next few weeks.

Last week, Guilford Schools Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green announced he would withhold half, or $6 million, of per-student funding from schools. Typically about 25 percent is withheld. Principals use that money for everything from supplies to field trips, but some use that money to hire additional teachers.

The withheld money, plus lowered student enrollment projections, has some principals preparing for more cuts. Northeast High School principal Anitra Walker sent an e-mail to her faculty Tuesday night asking anyone who might retire or quit to come forward now rather than later. Walker said she is hoping she can absorb some cuts through attrition. Walker did not say how many teacher cuts she will need to make.

Principals are scheduled to turn in budgets by April 10.

Green announced last week he will cut 90 positions across the school system from next year’s budget. Those jobs include library assistants, high school test coordinators, eighth-grade computer teachers and English as a Second Language teachers. The testing coordinator positions will be converted from full time to part-time positions.

Not every position being cut is currently filled.

Nora Carr, Green’s chief of staff, could not say how many teachers are paid through per- student funding. She said the administration does not have an estimate of how many more teaching positions may be cut but said they did expect more cuts. “There’s a sense that we’re going to have additional positions displaced,” Carr said. Exact numbers won’t be known until after principals turn in their budgets.

“This is a very regrettable position to be in,” board member Jeff Belton said. He said federal stimulus money could save some jobs, but it isn’t clear when that money will arrive.

School board Chairman Alan Duncan declined to comment, saying he wanted to review the budget first.

Green is expected to present his budget proposal to the school board April 7. Board members are scheduled to meet with Green behind closed doors Friday and Monday to discuss the budget.

As long as five or fewer board members attend the meeting — and the meeting is only for information — the meeting is not required to be open to the public.

Carr noted that while enrollment projections for next year are down at some schools, it is expected to be up at other schools, so some teachers may get transferred rather than laid off. Officials will work to find everyone they can a position within the school system, she said.

Enrollment projections are difficult to make, Carr said, and because of the poor economy, more families could become transient, making the task harder. She said some adjustments to school enrollment projections were made after principals provided feedback.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing @news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Margaret Baxter (News & Record)

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rooster8786

April 1, 2009 - 3:06 pm EDT

Seems to me that for each central office administrator position that's cut 2-3 teachers could be saved based on the $100K+ salary of an administrator vs. the salary of a teacher. How about it Mo? Teachers for kids or more administrators in the central office?

DonMoore

April 1, 2009 - 3:34 pm EDT

Guilford County School employees receive a LOCAL SUPPLEMENT above the State Set Wage. Imagine if the supplement was reduced, how many jobs could be saved. Guilford has one of the highest supplements in the state.

DAILYREADER

April 1, 2009 - 4:14 pm EDT

Rooster - that's what I was going to say. Why cut the teachers that are working to teach our children? When there's someone in taking up space in an office somewhere making TWICE the salary. I'm not saying the office jobs aren't needed b/c they are, but they're not as necessary as teachers.

Education is suppose to be the answer to the mess our country is in - how's that going to happen when you're cutting teachers ... the ones who are helping our kids learn?!?

NE is a school that's not meeting AYP - why are teachers going to be cut? That school has many issues. I know b/c I'm a NE parent. If Guilford County has to cut teachers (which I DO NOT agree with) why not take some from schools that aren't already struggling??? Hmmmm like the money pit school Northern??? I bet that doesn't happen ... too much $$ in that school!

Not meaning to be negative, but come on Guilford County ... somebody at the top that's getting paid the big bucks to have BRAINS ... TRY USING THAT BRAIN pleeeease! We've had enough bad choices within our system, let's think this through a little more ..

mthale

April 7, 2009 - 11:19 pm EDT

to DAILYREADY & rooster & Norm
Thank you for your opnions, its true that a lot of the stimulus money has been set aside for special ed. Can we see a plan??? Why have they been behind closed doors, taking every precaution to prevent the public from attending these board meetings??? Can't we find other places to make cuts which results in less consequences to the students and school performance?? My opinion is to reform the system:

While I am almost certain there was need to cut down on some administrative positions, I feel the need to cut teaching positions is falsely sensed. To qualify for the second phase of federal funding & stimulus payments, Duncan (Secretary of Education) has publicly stated that schools—nationwide—will be required to show detailed evaluations of school performance, including but not limited to:
(a) student scores on math & reading tests; as well as national assessment progress, [which is a federal test more difficult than the “dumbed-down” tests many schools administer to push students through the system.]
(b) the number of high school students who go on to complete at least a year’s worth of college
(c) teacher assessment; the systems for which is used to evaluate teachers accurately

To ensure we are prepared to give a detailed, superior assessment, cutting teachers is not the answer. I cannot support the idea that cutting direct teaching positions will help our students improve our embarrassing performance we call a school system. I really cannot fathom what many students look forward to when English language teachers are cut from their school. I challenge the board to consider offering alternatives to cutting teaching positions and assistant positions; this will only cause teachers to carry a heavier burden. Improvement is expected, and forcing less people to do more will likely cause many teachers to feel overworked; when overworked people tend to rush through things more often; when teachers rush through things, it can create an unruly mess.

What if higher executives/administrative positions offered up some of their [unnecessary] bonuses, or everyone giving up a small bit of their benefits. If everybody agreed to give up a small amount, not only would several jobs be saved in this economic hardship, but the quality of education will not have to suffer. We can focus on improvement and reform areas that need attention. If we continue to cut positions it will only exasperate the situation.
We need to start at the route of the problem and that is performance: where programs are not making distinguished progress, they must be reformed in a serious manner. It is a difficult task and does not warrant taking the easy way out; it seems this route is just a shortcut. This quick fix to our budget problem does not help our long-term goals. Taking shortcuts never pay off; quality improvement does.
Do it the right way and take the time to earn your paychecks before you send people home without one.

“There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations, much is given, of other generations much is expected, but this generation has a rendezvous with destiny.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Norm*

April 1, 2009 - 6:33 pm EDT

I think we have to expect a certain amount of dancing around making it look like there is something going on. Cutting education when you have 11% of the population contemplating a new job on top of the future graduates from the local schools (30% of each class already having dropped out and in the workforce, or at least we hope so) is just not good for anything or anybody. 120 schools, 300 positions, that could be a cafeteria worker, doubling up on a school bus run and laying off the teachers with the worst records of results (if you believe that test scores mean anything) and you got a couple people per school and you've got 300. What we won't hear about is how the stimulus money has gone to special education and how the admin folks will foist regular education expenses into the special education funding arena. "Say it ain't so Mo!" Need new books, got a kid with special needs in that class, special ed can pay for it. Cutting ESL teachers? Not likely unless they have proven ineffective and they think they can hire some qualified teachers. Notice no talk of hiring freeze. Time to let loose the deadwood. No need to panic, but if they don't look like they are paying their dues in times of duress, someone will be all over them. The question I have is, with a full time staff of Public Relations folks, why can't they paint a positive picture about what's going on? and golly gosh, how about not fertilizing the athletic fields or something like that. More info, better info, a positive plan. PR folks, earn your pay, give us info showing a plan and the goals that are trying to be met.