District 158 OKs 11 layoffs

After hearing heartfelt pleas from teachers and parents, and tears from some board members, the Huntley Area District 158 school board voted to eliminate 11 full-time positions.

The layoffs and other reductions approved Thursday will save the district $1 million as part of an overall plan to cut $6.5 million from the 2011-2012 budget.

Before voting on the cuts, several board members told the packed board room the decision was difficult and unprecedented.

“We have cut so many areas and deferred things over the years,” board member Tony Quagliano said. “We have been kicking the can down the road to the point where we have zero revenue growth. Where we have salaries right now, we have to start looking at that area, unfortunately.”

Board member Michael Skala called the decisions “gut wrenching.”

“We are making a decision that impacts people’s lives,” Skala said, wiping away tears.

Initially, administration recommended reducing 12 positions in elementary and one each in the areas of middle school, physical education, music and art.

The music and art positions are due to the decrease in elementary sections.

But to save four elementary teacher positions, administration traded $200,000 from the textbook allocation budget. In addition, a position vacated after this year will also not be filled.

Other areas of reduction included nursing, English Language Learners and human resources. Elementary keyboarding positions were also eliminated.

Some of the positions could be recalled if funding becomes available, administrators said.

Parents and teachers said they were concerned that the cuts would lead to larger class sizes and added pressure for remaining teachers.

“There is more responsibility but nothing is taken out,” said Jason Lebar, a physical education teacher at Conley Middle School.

District Superintendent John Burkey said despite the bad news, the district’s glass was still half full.

“We do not have a culture of RIF’ing, which makes this more difficult,” said Burkey referring to the reductions in force. “I am proud that we do not have that culture. It is the norm in many districts ... Last year, amazingly, we were able to avoid it. But it caught up to us this year.”