Get Tuned In

In response to numerous reports regarding pending layoffs of teachers in the Tuscon area, Superintendent Baker sent the following email to all staff on April 15, 2010 regarding the draft of possible cuts should Proposition 100 pass or fail.

All Staff:

There were numerous news reports this week about hundreds of teachers being laid off at other school districts in the Tucson Area.

Some of those news reports may have caused you to wonder what is happening with the budget situation in Vail. The purpose of this email is to provide a broad overview — without a lot of numbers and details.

More information is becoming available and the budget situation is becoming somewhat clearer. In the process, we have developed the hope/goal of not laying off any teachers — if the sales tax passes.

It is true that teaching positions will need to be cut even if the sales tax does pass, but we hope to move teachers from cut positions to other new positions required by growth or to positions that are vacant due to attrition (teachers who are moving or leaving their jobs for other reasons).

In an effort to make sure there is enough growth to avoid having to lay our teachers off, we are increasing the acceptance of open enrollment students who live outside of the District. I will write more about that issue in a separate email.

In our draft sales-tax-passes budget (which the Board has carefully studied, but NOT voted on), the following adjustments will be made:

• All full-day kindergarten classes will be eliminated (there are 1 or 2 at every elementary school)
• Staffing levels for paraprofessionals at the kindergarten and first grade level will return to levels that existed before funding for all-day kindergarten. This will result in the loss and/or reduction of 60 instructional paraprofessional positions.
• Class sizes will be increased by an average of approximately one student per class across all grade levels and schools.
• High school activity fees will be increased by approximately 20%.
• Incentive pay for school goals will not be funded.
• Incentive pay for administrators will be decreased.
• Most soft capital funding will be eliminated.
• The loss of special grants for things such as gifted education will be absorbed (programs will continue).

And if the sales tax fails? As per a draft budget proposal, all the adjustments listed above will occur plus the following:

• Regular teacher pay will be decreased by approximately $1,500.
• Administrative/supervisor pay will be decreased by 3 to 4%.
• Classified staff pay will be decreased by 2%.
• Site allocations for each school will be decreased by 50% — among other things, this will result in a very significant loss of funding for athletics and activities.
• Fees for high school activities will more than double.
• The rest of soft capital funding will be lost.
• Birthday leave will be cut.
• Every school and department will cut personnel costs by an additional 4%. These cuts will be accomplished by eliminating positions, reducing days, reducing hours, or a combination of these options. Principals and other supervisors are currently developing plans for their school or department. It is expected that schools will cut more teaching positions and raise class sizes in order to meet the 4% cut.

Again, the plans described above are still in draft or proposal form. The Board has studied them, but has not taken action to approve them. We are still waiting for some critical information/decisions from the Legislature and the State regarding significant amounts of revenue that we may, or may not, have available for next year’s budget.

Bottom line: at least some changes are almost certain to occur prior to final approval of a budget.

Again, this memo was meant to be broad and general. More information is available. Please contact your principal or supervisor if you would like more detailed information. Or, drop me an email with your questions.

I’ll keep you informed as further budget development occurs.

Calvin Baker