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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > October > 25 > Entry
Dayton schools move toward layoffs
By Scott Elliott
Staff Writer
DAYTON — — Dayton school officials Wednesday moved ahead with a plan for steep cuts — teacher layoffs, reduced high school electives, fewer sports teams — beginning January.
But Superintendent Percy Mack said the door is still open to avoid some cuts if administrators can cut elsewhere.
“This is the most difficult thing I’ve had to do in 33 years in education,” Mack said. “We have to do the things in this district to balance our budget so we don’t face a takeover by the state of our fiscal affairs.”
The board unanimously adopted a five-year fiscal forecast, with deep cuts this year and next, to stave off a deficit until the 2008-09 school year.
Mack’s plan calls for 58 teacher and 19 bus-aide layoffs among 135 job cuts that would come in January. The plan eliminates many high school and middle school sports teams, reduces high school electives and cuts middle school foreign language, among $9.4 million in total cuts.
Mack said he hopes to revise the plan within two weeks, seeking to minimize layoffs and academic program cuts.
School board President Gail Littlejohn asked the community to rally around the district.
“When I joined this board in 2002 as president I found a neglected school district,” she said. “Textbooks were outdated, many by decades. Teachers and staff were lacking professional development. Our schools were in a major state of disrepair. It’s too important to let that neglect ever happen again.”
As Dayton school leaders seek to curtail classroom cuts, potential labor strife continues to simmer.
Teachers told the Dayton school board this month its offer of a one-year contract with no raise was not enough and gave it until Nov. 1 for a better proposal or they would consider striking. The last contract expired in June.
Union President Pat Lynch was unhappy Tuesday about what she said was a lack of communication from the administration about its proposed cuts.
“Dayton students need every Dayton teacher,” she said.
Lynch said the union was not notified about Saturday’s meeting, in which cuts were first spelled out. District spokeswoman Jill Moberley said the union was mistakenly not notified when an automatic e-mail was sent to a prior union leader. Lynch took office this summer.
School board President Gail Littlejohn said Tuesday the board asked administrators to consider pushing some of the non-academic cuts planned for next year up to January.
About $9.4 million in cuts, to come after schools return from holiday break, is key to a five-year fiscal forecast the board adopted Tuesday.
Another $12 million in cuts next year include closing three schools and 141 teacher layoffs among 198 more job cuts.
Next year’s plan also includes $4.5 million in non-academic cuts, such as layoffs for custodial, grounds, maintenance staff — which could be moved up.
The cuts for next year could be stopped if voters approved a levy the board will place on the May ballot for a projected 9.75 mills. A levy that size would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $298 a year in property taxes as estimated by the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.
The board is facing a $24 million deficit next year thanks to declining revenues, a situation that accelerated when the board lost a $16 million ruling by the state regarding charter school enrollment. Board members, who were hoping to hold off on a levy until 2008, said that triggered the urgency for cuts now.
The board meets again at 7:30 a.m. today in the Wurlitzer Room at 136 S. Ludlow St., to review options for a levy.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By Mom4Change
October 31, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this
The first step in solving DPS’s problems is to get rid of Gail Littlejohn. She is anti-child and anti-teacher. Then, Dayton needs to start supporting its teachers- they are the reason the district is no longer in academic emergency. It is an insult to the educators to offer them a pay cut. I challenge Ms. Littlejohn to step into the classroom and teach for one week- then maybe she will see the hours put in long after the school day is over, the money teachers pay out of their own pockets for classroom supplies (often hundreds of dollars) and the lack of support and respect from the school board and administration. DPBOE should be ashamed !!By nicole jenkins(brown)
October 30, 2006 11:37 AM | Link to this
i think they should leave both south high school and north high school right where they are and not combined they because they have a good football game when they go against each other and the kids who graduated from both schools past and present students can remember both schools and will get to go back and visit them and their former teachers!By CharterSchool Hater
October 26, 2006 6:36 PM | Link to this
I too live in the Dayton School District. The levy will not get my vote or any of my over 25 family members who all vote and live in the Dayton School District. It is time that the voting public wake up. We have trusted this board with our money too long. They have delegated their fiscal authority to Mack and his cronies who have threw away our hard earned surplus. I have figured out the problem. Mack’s cronies, I mean the DPS top adminstrators, I think he calls it his Excutive Cabinet are too lazy to do their jobs. All they do is meet all the time and eat on our dime. And I do mean eat. They always cater in some good grub. While they are grubbing meeting about I do not know what, thier assistants and the assistants the thier assistants are running the district. It is like you work and tell me whta you did. This is how you get the absolutly ridculous bloated numbers of adminsitrators all making $50,000 plue per year. It is time for Mack to go and take that yes man Stan Lucas with him. It is equally time for the Board of Ed to undelegate the authority and be the board that we elected. To be the gatekeepers of our hard earned tax dollars. Don’t tell me we need to cut on the jobs of the good teachers, competent and caring bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, food service workers and others so we can have 4 or 5 levels of supervision in each department. I say NOT!! AND I SAY NOT TO THE LEVY until these changes in the top are made.By Too many Coincidences
October 26, 2006 12:20 AM | Link to this
Does anyone else find it coincidental that the board “accidentally” sent an email to the wrong union person? Also, coincidence that all the budget problems are announced following the teachers voting to strike if not given a raise? The majority of administration and board officials do not support teachers. Even after they brought the district out of academic emergency. With all the cuts to the classroom, what are the chances of staying out of academic emergency?By null
October 25, 2006 9:39 PM | Link to this
Sue, welcome out from under the rock you are living under. DPS opened Kiser at the begining of the year and Belle Haven last week and I belive there is another one to open this sunday. I know Cleveland will open after the first of the year. Let’s all keep in mind the construction levey we passed can only be spent on construction of schools.By Terri
October 25, 2006 1:34 PM | Link to this
Is it any coincidence that Dr. Mack indicates that he hopes to revise the proposed layoffs within two weeks and negotiations with the union will be held on Nov 1? How much of this is just so much cold air to blow on negotiations?By former teacher
October 25, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this
I used to work for DPS and I am still an educator today, though for another state. But it still burns me up inside when I hear that my former hometown can’t get thier acts together and stand up for these children.By Sue
October 25, 2006 9:23 AM | Link to this
I am an educator, we live in the city of Dayton, our daughter goes to a private school. My husband and I voted for the last levy. There were promises to rebuild schools with the levy $$$ supported through additional government funding. DPS, however, decided not to build the new schools as reported. They are asking for another levy, but they will not get our votes.