U-46 superintendent Torres clarifies $17 million in cuts

In response to droves of questions over last Friday's announcement that Elgin Area School District U-46 would be reducing $17 million in expenditures for the 2009-10 school year, Superintendent Jose Torres Thursday issued a memo to the district's administrative staff.

"There appears to be confusion on several issues. First, the budget preparation for next year is not related to the staffing standards that we recently announced," he wrote.

The district will still go forward with lowering student-teacher ratios to 25 to 1 in kindergarten through third grades and 28 to 1 in fourth through sixth grades.

The district, he said, will also move forward with several initiatives at the middle school level. That includes study skills courses and foreign language courses and adding on guidance counselor to each middle school's staff.

In addition to a reduction in teachers' aides with the new, lower class sizes next year, Torres said he plans to staff special education in the district in accordance with state standards, and anticipates eliminating 41 special education positions.

According to the Illinois Administrative Code, the state standards for special education for the 2009-10 school year are as follows:

• Classes where all students receive special education services for 20 percent of the school day or less must feature a 15 to 1 student-teacher ratio. That class size may increase to 17 if a teacher's aide is assigned to the class.

• In classes where students receive special education services between 21 and 60 percent of the school day, the student teacher ratio should be 10 to 1 or less; 15 to 1 if an aide is present.

• For students receiving special education services for more than 60 percent of the school day, classes must have an 8 to 1 student teacher ratio; 13 to 1 with an aide.

According to district data, special education class sizes range between 5 and 25.

District spokesman Tony Sanders said that this move will not eliminate teachers' aides from special education classrooms.

"For special education, that's completely different," he said Tuesday. "There still will be classrooms that have aides, and there will also be individual students that have aides."

These new staffing standards, Torres has said, will save the district more than $900,000.

Besides Torres' announcement last week about reducing $17 million in expenses next school year, he insisted that no final decisions have been made regarding that budget.

Decisions to pink slip districts employees must be made before March 15, Torres said.

"We must ensure that an appropriate number of positions are reduced so we do not spend beyond our means next school year. However, it does not mean that employees who are affected will not be rehired if the district's revenues increase."