Amid budget crisis, Manhattan Beach Unified to issue pink slips
Dozens of teachers across the Manhattan Beach Unified School District will receive a pink slip next week, notifying them not to return for the 2013-2014 school year. In a special meeting Friday afternoon, the district’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to eliminate a total of 24.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, a drastic move that is expected to save the district approximately $1.9 million. The session followed up Wednesday night’s regular board meeting, where board members discussed Superintendent Mike Matthews’ recommendation to increase certificated staff layoffs from 19 FTE to the finalized 24.6. The layoffs reflect the district’s current financial crisis and its efforts to propel out of the red. According to Superintendent Mike Matthews, MBUSD’s budget last year ended in a deficit—the first in many years—at $1.1 million. To add insult to injury, the district this year lost $1.2 million in federal funds and an additional $2.8 million in personnel expenditure. With a goal to reduce its spending by $2 million next year, the Board was inclined to fixate on the district’s biggest expense: salaries and benefits for its certificated personnel, which currently accounts for…
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