Local Teachers Spared from Layoffs

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By Chelsea Kopta

Summary

Districts across the state are slashing teaching jobs to deal with budget cuts but school leaders here say, local teachers have been spared.

Story Published: May 13, 2009 at 6:06 PM PST

TRI CITIES -- After weeks of speculation, teachers can breathe a sigh of relief. When pink slips go out Friday no local teachers will lose their jobs.

"There won't be any layoffs on the 15th," Larry Mayfield said, Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations at Pasco School District.

"We do not have to do a reduction in force with our teachers, great news," Jean Lane said, Superintendent of Richland School District.

Districts across the state are slashing teaching jobs to deal with budget cuts but Richland avoided layoffs by pulling back 17 positions. As teachers leave, their jobs won't be filled. Plus they drew on cash reserves and other cuts.

The district saved $1.3 million. But there are tradeoffs.

"we will have a class size increase that will only average one to two student per classroom but it does make a difference," Lane said. "It's an impact."

"Every department's going to be affected," Mayfield said. "Some more than others but we haven't summarized those details. The main thing we're looking at is trying not to impact the classroom."

Pasco School District managed to keep class sizes down and teachers in the class, despite a $5 million dip. Teachers there are also retiring but the district would not say how many.

"We're in a little bit of a different position because we're growing and we want to maintain what we have... and we don't want to lose that," Mayfield said.

But districts are losing. And so are teachers.

"Oh, teachers are being asked to make sacrifices," Lane said.

The state forced teachers to lose one day of pay, cost of medical benefits are going up and some could be transferred.

"Our filter for all these decisions has been: can we look parents in the eye five years from now and know as a community we made the right decisions for those children."

"Did you make the right decisions?" Action News asked.

"We have for this year. The scary part is the next two years."

Richland Schools have cut as much as they can. There's no more to cut. And they expect deeper cuts from the state next year.

The Kennewick School District said they're holding onto to all their teachers, too but not-refilling any positions. They declined an interview.

If you think that's bad, layoffs are hitting Westside teachers really hard. In Issaquah, pink slips went to more than 150 teachers.