Dist. 158 cuts 3 more teachers
The latest layoffs in Huntley Area District 158 are not due to the district’s ongoing attempts to plug a $6.5 million budget hole, but it sure helps.
Unlike other reductions the board has approved in the past month, Thursday’s unanimous vote to lay off three teachers in the English Language Learners program is because of student successes: the district projects fewer students needing the program next year.
“The enrollment is going down in part because students are successfully graduating from the program,” school board President Kevin Gentry said after the meeting. “SO, that should be a positive thing.”The three eliminated positions will save the district about $150,000, Superintendent John Burkey said.
#147;It is based on the numbers,#148; Burkey said. #147;It helps the budget but its not about saving money.#148;
The district will now employ eight teachers for the ELL program, but Burkey said if enrollment figures show signs of growth, some teachers maybe recalled.
Last month, the board approved the reduction in force of 11 full-time positions and reduced budgets in areas of nursing and elementary keyboarding to save the district about $1 million.
In addition the district cut about $1.3 million from the operations and maintenance budget, which includes deferring the reconstruction of Academic Drive. About $400,000 was reduced from the technology budget and the district will save about $2 million through a debt repayment.
The remainder of the savings would be realized through reduced health care costs, administrators said.
If further funding is found or additional students enroll, administrators have said some teachers may be recalled for the 2011-2012 school year.