The budget and funding issues from the state level continue to be a mess and RTTT continues to border on the bizarre -- and we are left to attempt to do what is best for our students as well as the rest of us.
Realizing that time is drawing close to the end of the year; I know that there are lots of questions about what will happen to people's jobs and lots of other things. While there rarely are answers as quickly and clearly as we would hope, we do need to work with as much energy and focus as we can muster to find and deliver those answers. As such, I want you as readers to be aware that there is a Special Board Meeting that has been scheduled to as expeditiously as possible give answers to some of the pressing questions such as: 1) the MOU with RCTA that can save certain ELEMENTARY (primarily) certificated positions and 2) restoration of Secondary staffing levels that will bring back many that have received notices of possible layoff.
Many of these issues cannot be resolved until there is a formal action of the Board and there are certainly rules, laws, and requirements regarding how those meetings are structured and function. As such, the first meeting regarding the MOU on June 3rd meets the legal requirement to "disclose" the financial impacts of the agreement. There will then be a second meeting on June 14th to actually approve the furlough/elementary teacher MOU (this is similar to what you saw on some of the earlier MOU agreements).
This is hurtful to fine people and their families to go through these horrific budget impacts handed down from the State. They involve all of our employees including classified, certificated, and management. We have been and continue to work with all due diligence to gain solutions as quickly and accurately as possible.
Does anyone know what the contractual staffing levels are for secondary and how far off they are now? Will this rescind most of the secondary or just a few?
ReplyDeleteAlso, where will the money come from to restore these levels. Everything else that has been retsored has been tied to a specific funding source.
There are approximately 70 elementary teachers whose jobs will be reinstated if the furlough days and/or ERIP passes on the 14th. Are they to vacate their classrooms, only to be allowed back in on the 15th? I am sure they will all be pleased to have a job and willing to do this, but is it necessary? Or will some accomodations be made for them to allow them to keep their personal teaching materials on campus until after the vote?
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous? June 14, really?
ReplyDeleteWhy in the world do we have to wait that long? Why can't the ERIP be evaluated on June 1, then a special meeting be held later on June 1? I can't believe that we are waiting for "regularly scheduled meetings" to handle these issues. At the very least, it would be nice to get the respect of knowing that it is important enough for both sides to make a decision as quickly as possible. This is peoples' JOB we're talking about.
You can't begin to understand the stress, and frusturation that comes with not knowing if you're going to have a job for 5 months. I, along with many other teachers, have been in limbo since the beginning of February. Now you're saying, we won't even know until June 14.
I agree with the comment made on May 26 (8:51 am) We are now in the position of having to pack our classroom up. Our principal is "kind" enough to have our classroom open this weekend to pack and move. Where will I be moving to? Should I pay for storage this summer as I have enough boxes that will not fit in my own garage at home? Also, why would I go through the trouble of packing and moving if I may end up right back here next year? And what about the non-RIFfed teachers who may be affected by the change in ratio at each site, who may or may not have to move to a different classroom? All these questions can be answered easily if only we knew how many teachers were going to be saved by the ratification. However, we don't, and I still pack, and spend my Memorial Day weekend working while those of you who still have jobs hang out at your barbeques. Thanks a lot. Happy summer to you too.
What is hurtful to us and our families is the lack of leadership and expediency that has been demonstrated by RUSD throughout this entire process.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am hopeful I may get my job back, I can't believe it won't be till summer! WOW! Why are we here? Is this the picture we want to portray ourselves in the community? RUSD waits till the bitter end to recall teachers! Why can't this Special Board Meeting be sooner? June 1st? Once our layoff notices were approved.. they arrived the next day! At least respect us enough to let us know sooner than later!
ReplyDeleteKnowing my comments will not make a difference, I have had this on my mind,in my heart and feel a need to voice my opinion anyway. On the subject of "standardization" the secondary staffing levels: Has anyone realized what a ridiculous concept this is?
ReplyDeleteWhy would it be expected that a school population of 2,200-2,400 students(I'm talking office and AP here) be served by the same number of staff as a school with a student population in excess of 3,000? It would seem there should be an AP for every 1,000 students at least. In the school with the higher population,
we still have more work in attendance, more students suspended, more books in the library to be disbursed, more foot traffic parent-wise, more teachers who need to be evaluated, more grades to be assigne, double lunches, etc.
For all you ex-principals now making these decisions -- time to think about "from whence you came" and dig deep to remember how difficult it was to run a comprehensive high school.
Back then, you most certainly had fewer students, and probably at least four AP's. Where do the extra dollars from ADA go? And why should the staff of the larger high school be "punished" or suffer burn out trying to keep up -- in my opinion -- an impossible task!!!!
Please explain what will enable RUSD to rescind secondary jobs- where is the "new" funding coming from or has the funding always been there? I appreciate Dr. Miller's voice in explaining this entire mess but unfortunately it has taken too long. RCTA and RUSD negotiation teams could have used Dr. Miller's influence so that we wouldn't have found ourselves in this awful and stressful predicament so late in the year.
ReplyDeleteSome of the funding to restore the secondary positions is coming from the furlough days and some is coming from the fact that the submitted budget had 189 positions eliminated not 375.
ReplyDeleteSo..the average 5 year teacher makes about 54,000. The average 20 year teacher makes 80,000. If RUSD needs help with math, please hire an outside source. It may cost the district about $200,000 to approve this ERIP, but in the next five years, it will be a savings of 1.8 million a year! And, from the last board meeting, there is now a surplus! If the district refuses this ERIP, they will be the only district in the Inland Empire who does!
ReplyDeleteSo, if only 189 RIFs have been voted on to close the budget gap, shouldn't all except those 189 have been hired back already? The furloughs and ERIP should be to bring back the teachers that have already been voted on as budget solutions (189), not the "just in case" RIFS.
ReplyDelete375 still RIFed
- 189 Voted on as budget solutions
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186 should have already been called back!
AND
189 Voted on as budget solutions
- 50 approx. furlough savings
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139
With the ERIP and the secondary librarian positions, we might even be able to bring back the remaining 139.
So why are we using furloughs and ERIP to bring back teachers that aren't even part of the budget solutions? It seems as though the district might make money on this deal.
Maybe RUSD should offer the Summer FEED program to all the teachers it is going to layoff!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the FEED program?
ReplyDeleteRUSD F.E.E.D.S. students during summer months
ReplyDeleteEven when school is out this summer, students will be able to get nutritious lunches five days a week through the RUSD F.E.E.D.S. (Food for Every child to Eat During Summer) program. Hunger doesn’t take a vacation and neither do we.
You can visit the RUSD Nutrition Services Web site for more information.
Any child aged 2-18 can participate in this program which runs from Monday, June 14-Friday, August 20. No application or verification of income is needed. However, this program is restricted to children only.
RUSD has partnered with the Riverside Parks and Recreation department to make this program available at parks throughout the city. Funding for the program comes from the Child Nutrition and Reauthorization Act of 2004. RUSD also has applied for Summer Food Service Program Start-up and Expansion Grants which could bring additional funds to the district to help pay for costs associated with the program.
In addition, RUSD has received $143,030.00 in grant funding from the state to implement a Summer Food Service Program.
Approximately 60 percent of RUSD students rely on school meals throughout the year and this summer program will help to ensure that no child goes hungry during the summer months.