Bartlett High student tells lawmakers about U-46 cuts

SPRINGFIELD - Carly Zirkel of Bartlett may only be a student, but the layoffs teachers face at Bartlett High School prompted her to do homework beyond the classroom.

Appearing with state Sen. Pamela Althoff, a Republican from McHenry, Zirkel was at the center of a Senate announcement Wednesday calling attention to the teachers at Elgin Area School District U-46 who stand to lose their jobs next year.

"I asked Carly to tell me a little about herself," Althoff recalled from first meeting Zirkel, who moonlighted Wednesday as a Senate assistant. "She had many opinions, one being all the cuts that were made from District U-46."

Zirkel, 17, said she wanted to explore the issue after talking to her English teacher Gary Lorber earlier this month, when she first heard reports that teacher layoffs were afoot.

She said Lorber already had taken initiative by organizing rallies, updating online forums and keeping students abreast of the local difficulties affecting the district's students.

"And even though it doesn't directly concern us since we're only going to be here for another year, it's going to affect all of the other students," Zirkel said. "I have a fourth grade sister (Chloe) who's going to deal with whatever we have to do until she graduates - It's just a very difficult time for everyone."

Illinois schools are contending with a proposed statewide cut of $1.3 billion in funding out of last year's approximate budget of about $10 billion for education. To compensate for the potential decrease, districts across the suburbs opted not to renew nontenured contracts. The U-46 board approved 1,037 layoffs this week, including 732 teachers.

Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a 33 percent increase in the state's income tax, with the money going preserve education funding levels and prevent similar cuts throughout the state. Though legislative leaders have been cool to the idea, Quinn told reporters Wednesday that he'd fight "until the last dog dies" to preserve school funding.

Zirkel said that makes the situation especially frustrating since teachers aren't being targeted for their performance. Rather, the cuts will be based on seniority. Teaching layoffs were done through what the district calls a targeted reduction in force or RIF - determining how many positions it will need in certain departments, and then cutting by seniority.

"A lot of really good teachers are getting laid off because of the whole tenure thing instead of the teachers who really deserve to be fired." Zirkel said.