9486 in the collection
Nearly 100 Memphis school teachers were laid off
While laying off veteran teachers, the district intends to place 100 new Teach for America corpsmen in classrooms this fall. As of last week, it had more than 300 other teacher openings for fall. Is this part of the Gates/Duncan reform (sic) plan? Memphis has received buckets of money both from Race to the Top and from the Gates Foundation.
by Jane Roberts
Nearly 100 city school teachers were laid off Thursday in a somber meeting at the former Messick High School.
The teachers are all middle and high school vocational instructors. The biggest cuts are in business technology, family and consumer sciences, marketing, and trade and industrial programs.
In addition to the 95 who were laid off, 31 positions will be cut by attrition and retirement. Deputy Supt. Irving Hamer said the cuts will save $11 million in a division that has not been "overhauled" in 27 years.
He described the cuts as "surgical" and "strategic" in the face of a $100 million revenue loss, including millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds that expire June 30.
"When we took a look at it this time, we looked at it with a very different lens," Hamer said. "We found areas that could be discontinued because they were educating children for careers that no longer exist."
Computer repair, criminal justice and shoe orthopedic repair were completely gutted. So were middle school typing classes.
"Teachers were shocked. We expected first- and second-year teachers would be cut," said Keith Williams, president of the Memphis Education Association. "We had teachers with 10, 15, 20, 25 years on the list. One was a year from retirement."
The affected teachers were notified of final cuts by e-mail late Wednesday, Williams said, and told to report to Messick on Thursday morning.
The layoffs are effective June 30; teachers will be paid through Aug. 15 because their pay is divided over 12 months.
Williams said the district ignored seniority rules to save jobs of coaches and first-year teachers.
"We are staying true to the contract," said Hamer, adding that budget shortfalls supersede seniority rules.
On July 1, changes in teacher collective bargaining provisions will no longer protect seniority.
In an April 5 budget meeting, the school board initially approved cuts that would have eliminated 225 teaching positions.
Hamer makes no promises but expects no more teacher layoffs this summer.
This is the first time under Supt. Kriner Cash's tenure that teachers have felt the brunt of budget shortfalls.
Last year, the school board eliminated several hundred part-time teacher-assistant jobs; the year before, it reduced the custodial force.
The union says vocational instructors are limited because they are often not certified to teach other areas.
"We wish we had been told earlier so there would be time to get other certifications," Williams said.
In the meantime, Williams said, the district intends to place 100 new Teach for America corpsmen in classrooms this fall. As of last week, it had more than 300 other teacher openings for fall.
— Jane Roberts
Commercial Appeal
2011-06-02
http://www.commercialappeal.com/data/memphis-city-schools-salaries/
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