U46 approves RIFs for 132

The Elgin Area School District U-46 school board approved 132 layoffs that district administrators affirm are not budget related, but rather reductions that are made annually for teachers whose positions rely on grant funding, part-time staff members and nontenured positions.

The school board on Monday authorized a reduction in force that includes 53 nontenured and part-time teachers as well as 79 nonunion support staff members and grant-funded personnel.

“These are not RIFs due to increasing class sizes,” U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said in memo. “The 132 individuals who receive reduction in force notices for these reasons may be hired back when the status of grant funding is known, or when teachers attain the proper certification, etc.”

Sanders said state guidelines allow for staff dismissals up until 60 days before the end of the school year. A majority of the layoffs involve grant-funded projects or one year contracts, Sanders said.

“While the board takes this action very seriously, dismissal consideration is customary at this time of year in order to follow state requirements,” Sanders said in a memo to the board.

Although the reductions were not unexpected, Kathryn Castle, president of the Elgin Teachers Association, said the cuts were unfortunate as many of those laid off were likely among the hundreds let go last year.

“In the past, many of the people on one-year contracts were looking for a short-term position and were replacing someone that was on leave,” Castle said Tuesday. “But that has kind of changed and many of our part-time teachers are pre-tenured people who could not find a placement before the start of the school year. They accepted the placement so they could continue their careers.”

The school board will discuss budget-related staff reductions at its regular board meetings on March 7 and March 21.

District leaders have said any reductions would be less severe than the $30 million in cuts the district implemented last March. Those reductions cost the district more than 400 full-time positions and led to larger class sizes across the district.

Although the state government has caught up on the payments it owes the district from the 2010-2011 school year that ended in June, the state still owes the district about $16 million for the current school year. The district is still also facing a $40 million deficit, district officials have said.