401 District U-46 teachers get jobs back

More than half of the Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers who were pink-slipped this spring have been recalled to positions, district officials announced Tuesday.

A total of 401 teachers will return to classrooms next fall, though many will be working in different roles.

While 17 positions still remain unfilled, they are unlikely to go to any of the 332 members of the Elgin Teachers Association still out of a job.

"We have recalled every teacher on the seniority list who qualified, based on state certification, for a vacant teaching position," Superintendent Jose Torres said in a news release. "Those remaining on the recall list do not have the necessary state certifications to teach in the remaining 17 vacant highly-specialized positions."

Vacant jobs include speech pathologists, bilingual special education teachers, and English teachers who have a reading endorsement.

The 401 callbacks break down into 34 of 99 first-year teachers; 77 of 242 second-year teachers; 114 of 170 third-year teachers; 116 of 160 fourth-year teachers; and 60 of 87 tenured teachers with five or more years experience.

Another 23 teachers resigned, and one took a leave of absence.

At the time of the layoffs, Torres said the district - which over cut to pad itself against budget uncertainties - planned to recall several hundred of the 732 teachers laid off en masse by the school board March 15. Another 25 were laid off at a subsequent meeting, bringing the total number to 757, spokesman Tony Sanders said.

With teacher layoffs, the district conducted what it calls a "targeted reduction in force" - determining how many positions it will need in certain departments, and then cutting in those departments by seniority. Positions were filled in a similar fashion.

The recall process concluded late last Friday, with the last teachers on the list receiving voice-mail messages with the good news.

New Elgin Teachers Association President Kathy Castle said a union member was always present as the district was making calls to rehire teachers.

Those called back include Streamwood High School Choir Director David Hain, Elgin High School fashion teacher Carolyn Gilbert, and Bartlett High School English and social studies teacher Robert Kling.

"I've taken issue from the beginning with this attitude we're going to RIF more than we need to because you can always hire them back," Kling said May 27. "You're playing with peoples lives and emotions."

Castle said she is hopeful that additional state funding might allow some more teaching positions to be filled over the summer, though she doesn't anticipate "any more major shifts" or large numbers of recalls.