At the Mt. Diablo School District Board of Education meeting on May 11, 2010, the board approved a reduction in our Special Education Assistants. As discussed at our May CAC meeting, our hope was that the audit would result in covering the required FTE reduction. At the board meeting on Tuesday, June 15, the following was shared and approved.
The SEA audit found 51 positions for possible reduction or elimination. Out of those positions, 18 had been previously identified as 13.5 FTE for elimination at the 5/27/08 and 3/3/09 Board Meetings, leaving a remaining 33 recommendations. 8 of the recommended eliminations were not eliminated because of the student’s designation for Bridge classes or continued need for assistance. That left 25 remaining for cut.
It should be noted that 25 positions does not mean 25 FTE. Most of the assistants had been designated as .75 FTE which translated to 18.75 FTE. The projected reduction/eliminations were for 30.0625 FTE leaving 11.3125 FTE to be cut. After discussing the eliminations with Mildred Browne, principals and teachers, the remaining reductions were taken as 1 hour from both SEA1CLS and SEA2CLS. It did not eliminate 1 hour from the assistants assigned as 1:1’s. All of the SEA2CLS positions were not reduced, allowing the flexibility of moving the few remaining 6 hour positions to the most intensive of classes.
These are difficult times and staff attempted to make the eliminations/reductions as strategic as possible so that the students were least impacted. Unfortunately, this will begin an intensive bumping process as we move into the summer. It would have been much easier to just cut 58 positions, but that was not possible with the current staffing formula and ultimately it isn’t best for kids. The Board resolution identified more personnel than are needed for the reduction, so that there is room for bumping.
Audit Recommendations 51 Positions
Previously Identified for eliminations 18 positions 13.5 FTE
Pulled from elimination 8 Positions
Remaining Recommendations 25 Positions
Projected Eliminations Approximately 58 positions 30.0625 FTE
SEA1&2CLS Reductions by 1 hour .125 FTE
Total reductions 30.0625+13.5 FTE
Total 43.5625
1 comment:
What do you mean it was "shared"? There was no presentation regarding this. The board approved it without any explanation of which positions were being eliminated or reduced.
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