Costly hearings scheduled April 28-30 for Morgan Hill School
District teachers who have received layoff notices will most likely
not have to happen, according to Assistant Superintendent Denise
Tate.
Costly hearings scheduled April 28-30 for Morgan Hill School District teachers who have received layoff notices will most likely not have to happen, according to Assistant Superintendent Denise Tate.
Pink slips were handed out to more than 100 teachers in mid-March in order, according to Tate and Superintendent Carolyn McKennan, to give the School Board some “flexibility” in budgetary decision-making. In compliance with state law, teachers must be noticed by March 15 if they will not be needed the following school year.
Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Mary Alice Callahan said in March that “100 percent of teachers noticed” would appeal the decision, which would require hearings costing at least $100,000 for each day the hearings lasted.
Now, many of the notices have been rescinded, with the decision by the board to continue to offer class-size reductions at the kindergarten, first and second grade levels.
The recissions were made possible by 13 teachers electing to sign up for the newly-created supplemental retirement program, which gives the district an additional $390,000, and the board’s decision to spend $100,000 of the special reserve fund on keeping the class-size reduction.
In order to keep class-size reduction at the third grade level, a total of 35 teachers would have to chose to take part in the supplemental retirement program. There are 92 teachers eligible; the deadline to sign up is May 10.
During Thursday’s School Board meeting, trustees voted unanimously to rescind the notices of 9.2 FTE (full teaching equivalent) at the secondary level.
Tate said there may be some teachers at the elementary level who have not yet had their notices rescinded.
“We were rescinding notices of teachers with multiple level credentials by seniority, credentials for K-8,” she said Thursday. “So some of the elementary level positions could be filled by someone from a secondary school with a multiple credential. When you this action, many of those middle school and high school teachers will not need to go to the elementary level and it lowers the bar.”
The board also decided Thursday not to cut one of the two district nurses. The position was on the chopping block, but the board removed it after testimony that the one remaining nurse could not perform all mandated duties.
