Lorain recalls 67 teachers
District to cut 45 minutes from day at elementary schools
LORAIN — Lorain schools called back 67 teachers Friday night after reallocating nearly $3.5 million in federal grant money and slashing $1.6 million from its general fund budget.
About 250 teachers who were laid off earlier this summer spent the evening nervously waiting by their phones.
“I’m glad I’m called back,” said one teacher, a 20-year veteran who will be reassigned from her old job at Lakeview Elementary. “I have a job — but we’re all so hurt and angry about the decimation of our school.”
The bulk of those who were recalled taught in the elementary schools, where 36 teachers will be going back to work. Fourteen middle school teachers and three high school teachers also were called back, along with 14 special education teachers.
By mid-evening, it was bitter disappointment for some.
“I was 41 (on the list) and they called back 36 (elementary teachers),” said one 10-year veteran.
Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said the district’s plan to bring back the teachers depends on cutting 45 minutes from the school day for elementary students as a cost-saving measure.
The district still hasn’t finalized bus schedules, but Atkinson said if the start times need to be staggered to accommodate busing, that’s what the district will do.
One laid-off teacher, Sandra Peloquin, who taught at Masson Elementary, said she was concerned about the shorter day.
“You’re going to save money but at what cost?” she asked. “They’re doing it by shortening the school day.”
Although classroom time is being cut, the new schedule will increase the amount of time teachers have for planning from 180 minutes per week to 225 minutes per week.
“I think parents are going to be extremely upset,” Peloquin said. “With a half-hour for lunch, their children are only going to be in class five hours — the bare minimum allowed by the state.”
School Board President Jeanine Donaldson said fine arts still will be missing from the schools, but there is hope some of those teachers will also return.
She said the district hopes to learn by month’s end whether U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon, has been successful in his efforts to help the district secure a three-year, $10.5 million federal magnet grant that could restore art, music and gym classes.
The district’s new treasurer, Ryan Ghizzoni, has made several trips to Columbus to research how to redirect federal grants to bring back some of the dismissed teachers.
Ghizzoni began his job with the district with the news that the schools would have to slash teaching and support staff to avoid a $15 million deficit at the end of this school year. Cutting a teacher’s job saves approximately $77,000 — about $60,000 in salary and another $17,000 for health care, retirement and other benefits.
Ghizzoni said he redirected $3 million in funds designed to help districts with high poverty levels to bring back 40 teachers. He also used $462,000 in grant money designed to reduce class size in the middle schools to bring back six teachers.
The school administration scoured the general fund and found $1.6 million in other savings that allowed the schools to recall 21 more teachers, he said.
The district will save $273,000 by mothballing the old Lorain Middle School instead of using it as a warehouse and another $60,000 by closing Faire School, which housed adult education and alternative education. Another $750,000 in cost savings comes from not having to pay health benefits for staff laid off by the district, Ghizzoni said.
But all the cuts may not prove to be cost-effective, said Kyle Gaskell, a counselor who lost her job at Washington Elementary where she worked on a federally funded program called “It Takes a Village.”
“It was a three-year grant, and we were told, ‘don’t even look for a job — you’re fine,’ ” Gaskell said. “I will be contacting the U.S. Department of Education (to complain).”
Ghizzoni said he was not familiar with the program and could not comment.
School is scheduled to start Aug. 23 for teachers and Aug. 27 for students.Christine Miller, president of the Lorain Education Association, could not be reached for comment. The union’s Web site said school administrators refused to meet with union representatives Thursday.A school board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday at Frank Jacinto Elementary School on Marshall Avenue.
Contact Cindy Leise at 653-6250 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by August 11th, 2007 in Top Stories.
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After all is said and done THE CHILDREN ARE THE LOSERS. What does it take besides the almighty $$$$$
What are we really saving???
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