Board tables approval of teacher layoffs

Sixty teachers. Six library aides. Four custodians. In all, 74 district employees were issued notices that they were part of a Reduction in Force instituted in an effort to balance a budget that is expected to require $3 million to $3.5 million in cuts. Superintendent Jeff Kleck wasted no time at Wednesday night’s board meeting thoroughly explaining where the other cuts could be coming from and outlining the realities that the school district will be facing over the next couple of years.

“Last year, anybody that helped worked on this budget knew, we were near apocalyptic – well, we are here now. The override that didn’t pass has become . . .” Before completing his statement, Kleck paused and looked around at a chamber full of parents, teachers and legislators. “The voters spoke, and this is what we are faced with. The numbers are what they are.”

Eleven teachers at Butterfield Elementary; 10 teachers at Maricopa Elementary; 9 teachers at Maricopa Wells; 4 teachers at Saddleback; 6 teachers at Santa Cruz; 10 teachers at Santa Rosa. With those types of numbers, for some of the schools, only half of the teaching staff will remain, and the class sizes will generally increase to 28 to 32 children per teacher.

These drastic personnel cuts have led some to believe a merger of elementary schools is a possibility. The superintendent reflected that option in his presentation and expressed his objections to redistricting. “It would be an exercise in lunacy to try it,” Kleck said. “The schools would still have to be maintained.”

Kleck was immediately challenged as board members didn’t think enough options had been presented, but he stood firm, warning, “We are being careful of what we are eliminating, by cutting out things like sports and buses, people start fleeing to other districts.”

Kleck also noted that, by losing students, the district also loses money. He pointed specifically to the elementary schools that have lost more than 300 students. The high school however, gained in student population, which led to another line of questioning, as to why the high school and Pima Butte didn’t receive any RIFs for their teachers.

“I find it hard to believe all the teachers at the high school passed their evaluations,” said Board Member Geoff Goddard. Kleck admitted a different evaluation was used for the high school, and that the high school was still being affected with cuts in security and custodians.

Kleck repeatedly went through the evaluation process used at the elementary and middle schools, saying that several criteria were used to make the decisions, including certifications, academic training, previous disciplinary action and overall experience. He also emphasized that “the RIFs were not to be taken as an inadequacy in performance” and that evaluations on the border of pass or fail were often reviewed multiple times by different people.” He expressed his empathy and talked about how gut-wrenching the process has been for all the administrators involved.

Many teachers and parents spoke out, often with tears in their eyes. Amy Hogenes, a teacher at Santa Rosa who received a RIF notice, was repeatedly defended by peers, students, parents and her own father, who was unable to hide his emotions as he reflected on his daughter’s love for teaching. He described her at the age of 6, sitting down her 3-year-old brother and “having class.” Hogenes, who holds a master’s degree, was MUSD’s Certified Employee of the Year in 2006.

Zack Irvine, the Drama Club teacher at Maricopa Wells also received a RIF notice. He questioned the process by which he and others were evaluated, and stressed the importance of the arts on a student’s education.

Parents and students also approached the board in defense of Irvine, including Helen Ramirez. She spoke with tears about the effect Irvine has had on her daughter Olivia, and talked about how “a shy little girl was given a gift to speak out loud.” Ramirez, accompanied by several drama club students, including her daughter, talked about how the families and kids pulled together on the weekends, building sets and making props, and about all the fundraising efforts for the drama club. She thought it would be devastating to remove Irvine and the program.  

Time and time again, the process that determined the RIFs was questioned, especially with Pima Butte and the high school appearing to come out unscathed. Board members pressed Kleck further with Goddard suggesting that “the evaluation process was flawed,” and questioned whether a teacher was actually being judged by overall performance.

He also voiced concern with security cuts at the high school – a sentiment shared earlier in the night by Mark Perkins, a security guard at the high school, who stood before the board warning, “What kind of message will be sent to the parents when they see cops sitting in front of the school? Right now there is no relief for security and sooner or later, something is going to happen that the police can’t stop.”

Board Member Torri Anderson also spoke of the evaluation process, “I don’t see the equality in the distributed RIFs—Butterfield, 11, Pima Butte, 1?”

Board Member Patti Coutre said, “For me, it certainly raises a red flag.”

President Scott Bartle took a moment to remind everyone that, “MUSD is not alone. This is happening everywhere. What we have here is intellectual capital in our people, this is the time in which we have to change the way we educate, and to empower our principals and teachers.”

He also thanked everyone for their heartfelt responses and said the Board would take them into consideration moving forward. He also thanked State Representative Frank Pratt for his attendance. Of the meeting, Representative Pratt said he would take the community’s concerns to the capital, “When looking at a budget, it’s not just numbers – you realize the implications when you put a face and personality to it.”