Closing in on a final decision . . .

As directed, we made the proposal this evening to the Board for bringing back adjustments that had been made in earlier meetings. The priority in the recommendation was to first focus on certified staff and I believe that the proposal does demonstrate this priority. Below, is a summary of the proposal that the board reached consensus on supporting.

1. Elementary - Bring back 3.8 of the 4.8 teachers on the RIF list.


2. Secondary - Bring back 4.3 of the 5.3 teachers on the RIF list.


3. Classified - Reduce the number of days from four to three including the non-represented staff.


4. ELL - Provide revenue for a partial paraeducator position and training to implement the new delivery model.

We shared some data that we believe make this adjustment possible for both years of the biennium though we won't know revenue for sure until January of 2010 for the 2009-10 school year. Though we were able to bring back most of the teachers on the RIF list, there are still retire/rehire positions and resignations that will not be replaced. Losing these people and positions and adjustments to so many of our other programs make these positive changes bittersweet.

I'll share some of my reflections on the process and outcome in a later post. For now I would like to thank those on the budget team that made the initial adjustment recommendations for their commitment and time; Emilie Hard, Mark Koch, Rob Morrow, Tony Davis, Nancy Skerritt, Bruce Zahradnik, Annette Whittlesey, Lori Cloud, Sheri Melewski, and Kevin Patterson. They engaged in a difficult task with skill and perseverance and presented the board with options that met the challenge they faced. The same can be said for our School Board and the work that they have done over the last few months; Bill Clausmeyer, Mary Jane Glaser, Tami Henkel, Didem Pierson, and Joe Vreeburg. A word of thanks for these two groups has been earned.