Advertisement

The board approved the staff reduction plan on a 5-2 vote, during a special meeting last Wednesday.

Teachers and support staff filled the cafeteria to learn the fate of the proposal outlined by Interim Superintendent Martha Essenmacher.

Essenmacher acknowledged the cuts exceeded her goal of reducing next year's budget by $400,000. However, she emphasized that some positions could be restored, depending on the outcome of the buyout program that's been offered to teachers. The board will learn the first week in June the number of veteran teachers who accepted the package.

The board also voted to offer a voluntary severance package to support personnel who have worked for the district more than 10 years. The offer is 50% of the basic salary paid in two lump sum payments over two years.

The staff reductions are the result of money problems caused by declining enrollment, declining state aid, and increasing costs for such big ticket items as health care insurance and retirement programs that have forced the district to spend fund equity.

More bad news was expected this week, when K-12 districts across Michigan were supposed to receive letters from Gov. Jennifer Granholm warning of a potential loss of $125 in per pupil aid because of the state's budget woes.

According to Essenmacher, the reduction plan approved by the board, coupled with the teacher buyout, should allow the district to meet the loss of additional state money.

The cuts include one counselor, two kindergarten teachers and a third or fourth grade teacher in the elementary school, a special education teacher and two instructional aides in the middle school, and an English teacher and an industrial arts instructor in the high school. Four health aides, one custodian, one mechanic, one technology support person, and one bus run would also be eliminated. The positions of high school athletic director and technology director, currently held by teachers, would be restructured and possibly become contracted services.

Several teachers expressed concerns the cuts would affect the district's reputation for strong academics.

High school English teacher Kurt Wentzel worried parents would no longer view Sandusky as one of the "best schools" and "a lot of parents won't send their kids here."

"We don't want it (cuts) to change our standards and let the bar be lowered," said first grade teacher Cynthia Fraley. "I hope you keep that in mind."

"I'm proud to teach in this district," said high school English teacher Teresa Stringer, who spoke out against cuts in the English department. She said people tell her, "you teach in the smart school, not the jock schoolÉWe do well at the academic games and quiz bowl. It's nice to be known as the smart school."

Board member Russell Schumacher objected to plans to eliminate the basic English class, if the English position was cut.

"I was not aware until this week it was in jeopardy," said Schumacher, who voted against the cuts along with board member Brad Kohn.

"I taught basic English for 30 years. It's not going to work if you're putting them together," he said, referring to placing basic English students in a college prep class.

"We have to be careful we don't go backward (in our academic curriculum). I won't support it without assurances that it's temporary until we know better what our finances are."