Teaching posts on chopping block
Hermosa Beach City School District officials have once again prepared a list of teachers who will be laid off at the beginning of the next school year, unless more money is found to save their jobs. For several years running, parents and other community members save most of the jobs by raising as much as $1.5 million, covering about 10 percent of the schools’ operating budgets.
Teachers on the list, which was under consideration this week by the School Board, would receive formal layoff notices before a state-mandated deadline. Then, if more money is found, the layoff notices would be withdrawn.
The layoff notices cover 10 fulltime teaching positions: seven fulltime teachers would be laid off along with numerous part-time positions whose hours are equal to three more fulltime positions.
On the tentative chopping block for next year are seven fulltime kindergarten-through-fifth grade teaching positions, one fulltime science teacher, a halftime middle school art teaching position, a halftime middle school technology teaching position, and part-time teaching positions in computer skills, global studies, Spanish, speech, reading, technology and life skills.
An earlier round of layoff notices covering the current school year was mostly withdrawn when more money was found.
The school board cut, then restored programs including physical education, middle school enrichment classes, a third-through-fifth-grade science lab position, a technology director, and a secretary at Hermosa Valley School.
But educators axed both schools’ music programs, cut the hours of library aides at both schools, and made cuts in a class-size reduction program for early grades. The program, which partially subsidizes some teacher salaries, used to ensure no more than 20 students per class in kindergarten through third grade. With the cuts, the number of students per class rises to 25.
Tie breaker
The board also was considering a “tie-breaker resolution” to determine which teachers get to keep their jobs in the event of layoffs, when the teachers in question have equal seniority. Several teachers share the same seniority date.
Under the proposal, the first tie breaker would involve various certificates and other recognized stepping stones held by the teachers, including a cross-cultural language and academic development certificate, English language learner authorization, specially designed academic instruction in English or a bilingual certificate of competence.
If teachers remain tied after the first tie breaker, a second tie breaker would be possession of a master’s degree. A third tie breaker would be a “Clear Credential” designed to show they are up-to-date in their handling of curricula.
Further tie breakers would include multiple subject credentials, and certificates to teach gifted and talented kids.
Eventually the tie breakers would come down to the date that Clear Credentials or master’s degrees were earned, the nod going to the teacher who reached those milestones earliest. Other tie breakers would include work evaluations, number of semester units of education above a bachelor’s degree and which teacher was first to earn his or her preliminary instruction credential.
The 11th and last tie breaker would be “random drawing by lot.” ER