Union wants cuts to be incremental
The public school’s teachers union is calling on administrators to equally distribute possible staffing cuts — a result of declining enrollment — across the board and to keep losses as far away from the classroom as possible.
Harry Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, proposed last week cutting between nine and 11 administrative positions at the central office and schools incrementally over the next few years, saving in excess of $1 million.
The Board of Education discussed the staffing cuts at its meeting on Thursday when assistant Superintendent Mike Matthews presented a new proposal that would save the district approximately $2.5 million in staffing cuts made across the board, but most heavily in teaching positions.
“We want this to be done in a sensitive way and in an incremental way,” Keiley said on Friday. “In 12 to 24 months from now, we should be looking at a central office and have fewer adults working there.”
Keiley stressed that the union’s recommendation isn’t based on performance or mismanagement of funds at the central office level, but rather a need to see an equal distribution of cuts from top to bottom.
“We’ve seen a proportional decrease in the number of teachers we have in the system over the last four years,” Keiley added. “Where we have not seen a comparable reduction is in the district office.”
In the latest recommendation by Matthews, approximately $2.1 million in teaching positions will be cut as compared to roughly $400,000 in central office and site administrators. Other reductions will come from classified employees — both on school sites and in the central office.
Under the new recommendation, classrooms in all secondary schools, with the exception of John Adams Middle School, will be staffed at a 31-to-1 level. JAMS will be staffed at a 30-to-1 level, up from 29-to-1 currently. During a meeting in February, board member Kelly Pye expressed concerns about increasing the teacher-to-student ratio at John Adams, which had experienced some disciplinary issues but made substantial progress in the past few years.
Kindergarten through third grade will be staffed at a 20-to-1 ratio with fourth and fifth grades at a ratio of 30-to-1. Will Rogers and Edison Language Academy will be the exception, which will be staffed at 25-to-1. Will Rogers, which serves the South Santa Monica community, is currently staffed at 20-to-1 in grades four and five.
Matthews also decided to temporarily nix an earlier recommendation made in February to cut a house at Santa Monica High School. Students at Samohi are grouped into a six house system, creating a homey atmosphere for the large campus.
Superintendent Dianne Talarico at the board meeting stressed that a house reduction could be possible in later years.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not headed in that direction,” Talarico said on Thursday. “If not ‘08-’09, then [maybe] ‘09-’10.”
The staffing cuts are largely due in part to declining enrollment in the school district, which has led to a reduction in revenue since the permit policy was instituted in the earlier part of the decade to alleviate overcrowded classrooms. The board in February voted to ease the permit restrictions, bringing in more non-Santa Monica/Malibu residing students in upcoming years.
The district has instituted a freeze on filling non-vital vacant positions.
“We’re looking at each site and making sure we’re being equitable,” Matthews said at the board meeting. “In some schools, they are [already] understaffed.”
Board Vice President Jose Escarce reminded staff that an increase in students is expected in the coming years because the board voted to loosen the restrictions on the permit policy. Escarce said he wanted to see the budget planned with the permit policy in mind in case more teachers do need to be hired in the future.
“I don’t think it’s even remotely possible to accommodate those students without hiring new teachers,” Escarce said. “I think we need to build that possibility into what we do [with the budget].”
The board is expected to vote on the staffing recommendations at its April 3 meeting.
jump headline – Spreading the cuts out suggested pullquote - “In 12-24 months from now, we should be looking at a central office and have fewer adults working there.”
Harry Keiley
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 17, 2008. Read the original PDF.