Some U-46 schools see culture destroyed by layoffs
-
School nurse Cindy Maloney talks about being let go by the school district she loves. Maloney is one of over 1,000 U-46 staffers that will lose their jobs at the end of this school year. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer
Each one of the 53 schools in Elgin Area School District U-46 has its own culture, its own reputation, its own personality.
Take Elgin High - one of the state's oldest high schools, steeped in more than 130 years of tradition.
Bartlett's Nature Ridge Elementary has parents who regularly turn out in force at board meetings, asking district officials to fix overcrowding at the school.
Tefft Middle School in Streamwood has become renowned for its innovative strategies in ramping up test scores - having students chart their own grades and host their own parent-teacher conferences.
Each school is dealing differently with reverberations of massive budget cuts.
Predicting a $44 million deficit next year if state funding is cut, the U-46 school board Monday night approved 1,037 layoffs, 732 of them teachers.
Teaching layoffs were done through what the district calls a targeted reduction in force or RIF - determining how many positions it will need in certain departments, and then cutting by seniority.
That means some schools' departments will be wiped out entirely and replaced next year by a more tenured staff from other campuses.
Streamwood High School Principal Terri Lozier passed out 62 pink slips Tuesday morning. On top of that, another 37 teachers may be reassigned to other buildings, she said.
"You're trying to build programs and we're working very hard at trying to change our instructional practices," Lozier said. "When you have this many teachers without a job or being RIFed, it makes you feel like your work has been in vain. Even for the remaining staff it's hard."
Elgin High School will lose 53 staff members next year, Principal Dave Smiley confirmed.
"We've brought a lot of people in," Smiley said of his nine years at the school. "You build a culture."
The high school will lose roughly 20 coaches. The bilingual program, only in its second year at the school, will see a majority of its faculty leave. The band, which has doubled its participation over the past three years, will take a "huge hit" with the loss of director Jonathan Bogue, Smiley said.
"All of us have had a chance to have teachers that have inspired them to be so much better, do so much more," Elgin High junior Kathy McCain told the school board Monday. "A lot of that will be gone next year."
Of the district's 40 elementary schools, Nature Ridge had one of the highest numbers of employees pink-slipped. The school will lose 18 teachers, along with several secretaries and support staff members. Principal's secretary Linda Binder, among those let go, said employees are just shellshocked.
"It's like, 'Did this really just happen?'" she said. "It hasn't quite hit parents yet."
Kenyon Woods Middle School in South Elgin is set to lose 17 teachers, among them five science teachers, three gym teachers, a middle school counselor and two English teachers.
Principal Kevin Skinkis termed Bartlett High School "ground zero."
He'll lose 51 employees - including 22 coaches, six gym and drivers' education teachers, and seven members of his English department.
"I didn't think that they would go that deep. It has left a big void," school nurse Cindy Maloney said. "I'm upset. I love my job. I'm afraid of what may happen in the future for the kids."
The district is laying off more people than necessary to pad itself against state cuts. If funding improves, the district plans to bring back some of the laid-off staff.
Next year, art, music and gym will be limited to 30-minute classes for elementary school students, and eliminated entirely for half-day kindergartners. At the eight middle schools, guidance counselors will be eliminated, and the number of library hours will be cut, along with the football program.
The cuts will result in significant increases in schools' teacher-to-student ratios. Classes are currently staffed at 28:1 for kindergarten through third grades, 33:1 for fourth through sixth grades, and 30:1 at the high schools.
"Every one of the teachers we've (cut) are people I've hired," said Skinkis, in his third year at Bartlett High. "These are people that started this journey with me. And invested time and efforts. I've made it a point that I'm going to rebuild this place. But it hurts. ... I'd be lying to you if I'd say I'm going to be sleeping well."
• Daily Herald staff photographer Brian Hill contributed to this report.
The teachers
Editor's note: We chose to run the list of hundreds teachers laid off this week by Elgin Area School District U-46, not to embarrass anyone but to let parents and students know which of their favorite teachers may not be back next year.
Here is an unofficial list of 727 of the 732 names, provided by the district:
Abdic, Mersiha
Abenia, Maria
Abney, Jaimie L
Aburto, Martin E.
Adams, Julia
Adkins, Kimberly M
Ainsworth, Sara Jane
Albavera, Graciela
Alimi, John N
Allaway, Julie Anne
Allen, Christine J
Alonzo, Jose
Alonzo, Osbaldo
Alvarado, Elspeth J
Amato, Polixeni
Amelio, Bridget A
Anderson, Jennie Lynn
Andino-Lebron, Maribel
Andoni, Mary
Andrade, Alicia H
Antoshin, Mikhail
Arndt, Kelly C
Arnett, Victoria J
Aronica, Laure A
Arreguin, Mayte Imelda
Arreola, Rodolfo
Arroyo Reyes, Sundra Aixa
Atwell, Stephanie K
August, Amy
Badman, Kelly A
Baer, James S
Bailey, Katie Ann
Baillie, Kathryn Evelyn
Baird, Nicholas
Balcer, Rachel M
Ballantyne, Colleen
Balzer, Meagen Maureen
Banaszak, Charron
Bannister, Jacqueline
Barnett, Kelly A
Barrio, Gerardo F
Barsotti, Daniel A
Bartlett, Kathleen M
Bartolo, Mario G.
Bartz, Russell
Basak, Jinene V
Bauer, Brittney A
Bayer, Kristin A
Becker, Jaime Michelle
Bennett, Tammy L
Berrio, Carmen
Berry, Kimberly
Bertram, Holly A
Betancourt, Juan Carlos
Bhatia, Parul
Bialas, Stephanie
Bieschke, Thomas A
Biesterfeld, Dana
Bird, Sarah J.
Black, Abby M
Blaho, Rebecca A
Bobby, Jaime S
Boden, Christopher M
Bogue, Jonathan T
Boland, Jeanette M
Bolton, Gerald
Borchardt, Eric J
Borden, Sarah M
Borrero Franky, Maria Alejandra
Boston, Jean E.
Bourgoin, Denise I
Bragg, Sheryl
Braico, Heather M
Brannon, Carrie L
Brechtel, Eric S.
Bremer, Thomas
Bristow, Sarah Jane
Brojek, Katherine A.
Brooke, Andrea
Brown, Judith Anne
Brown, Ericka E
Bruhn, Adam
Buchs, Maria de Lourdes P.
Bugner, Pamela Kumor
Bullion, Roy
Bumbles, Nicholas
Burkard, Helen
Burke, Susan M.
Burnell, Lisa A.
Bush, Markisha B
Capuani, Annette
Carbonado, Ryan A
Cárdenas, Juana M
Cárdenas, Lisa E
Cardona, Lirio
Cartwright, Ryan
Casey, Tanya M
Cedeno, Alfred L
Cella, Heather
Cerami, Lisa Nicole
Cernuda, Leandro
Cesaroni, Phillip A
Chavez, Oscar M
Chavez, Tycora Mishon Joy
Chinn, B. Rene
Chest, Patrick
Chrisoms, Amanda
Cieslak, Nicole
Citron, Sandra J
Claassen, Brionne L
Clausen, Eric J
Claypool, Joan M
Coeto Romo, Regina D
Coffey, Tiffany T
Collazo, Stella M.
Colley, Julie Ann
Collier, Marilyn D
Collingbourne, Lacey L
Compeer, Audrey M.
Consiglio, Giuseppina
Conway, Katherine J
Cook, Nicole Marie
Cook, Richard F
Corapi, Jillian Leigh
Cortina, Timothy D
Cordova-Rajoo, Angelica Virginia
Correa, Ana Maria
Cortes, Betsie
Cossiboon, Sarah M
Costa-Garcia, Elena
Cots, Ana Maria
Coughlin, William P.
Covarrubias, Dustin B
Creed, Bryan Andrew
Cress, Sarah N
Crittenden, Kelli M
Cruz, Laura M
Cummins, Calvin K
Cummins, Thomas J.
D'Alessandro, Cindy
Dahlman, Chad
Daniel, Timothy S
Davis, Karen
Davis, Matthew L.
De Leon Ovalle, Luis Fernando
Dean, Katie B
DeLand, Stephanie A.
DelFava, Amanda
Delk, Lorilyn P
Dellis, Jennifer K
DeRicco, Mary Ellen
Derybowski, Victoria
Di Fatta, Jennifer M.
Diaz Jr., Javier W
Diaz-Blanco, Paula
Dicker, Kendra M
Diedrick, Gretchen
Dietiker, Kristin M
Dirienzo, Lisa M.
Djurcic, Rocio
Doherty, Patricia
Dollahan, Mariana Graciela
Dominguez, Ofelia
Doroba, Katie L.
Doyle, Cassie
Doyle, Catherine C
Dubbert, Rebecca
Duncan, Keith
Eadler, Justin
Edwards, Kim
Ehrlich, Michelle
Eklund, Matthew R
El Helo, Melissa S.
Elizalde, Nelly F
Ellingsen, Christopher
Elliott, David C
Embury, Kristin A
Engel, Lisa R
Enison, Daryll L
Epstein, Emily
Erbach, Matthew J
Erickson, Ben
Erickson, Mary Beth
Escudero, Iris
Esdorn, Mary
Esterino, Matthew G.
Fabris, Jennifer
Fantauzzi, Michelle Nicole
Factor Daly, Lilly Rose
Felicetti, Rebecca C.
Ferrera-Rojano, Irene
Figueroa, Evelyn
Figueroa, Juan A
Fischer, Laura K
Fisher, Jason
Fishkin, Olga Borisovna
Flores, Ruben
Foote, Kimberly D
Ford, Jennifer S
Formanek, Colleen E
Fortmann, Susan K.
Fortney, Jill Cajun
Fortune, Angela
Foster, Keith Michael
Frandsen, Sara L.
Frasch, Rachel
Freely, Stephanie
Gach, Sarah
Gacia, Katarzyna Diana
Gaitan Bustos, Andrea
Gambill, Ashley E
Garcia, Maria del Pilar
Garcia, Tosha S
Garden, Melissa Erin
Geanconteri, Aliza D
Gehrig, Matthew
Gentleman, Kelly K
Giczkowski, Marilena
Gilbert, Carolyn
Gilchrist, Alison R
Gleason, Rachelle D
Glenn, Dawn J
Godke, Catherine M
Goebel, Justin G.
Gohl, Marjorie J.
Gomez, Karem
Gonzales, Kristine D
Gonzalez, Liliana T.
Gonzalez, Artemisa
Gonzalez, Elliot
Gorgeous, Erin M
Gorman, Erin M
Gorski, Alicia C
Graff, Audrey J
Grashorn, Ellen
Griffith, Catherine
Groholski, Thomas J
Guerino, Gregory Michael
Guerrero, Mayrena C.
Guilbeau, Sara E.
Haas, Kimberly A.
Haeger, Jennifer L.
Hagood Cook, Joanna R
Hain, David
Haley, Jennifer Lynn
Halpin, Marie
Hammer, Danielle M.
Hammer, Randall W.
Handley, Jeffrey J
Hannick, Ann
Harris, Melissa
Hartley, Melissa S.
Harty, Diane P
Hatch, Meredith Ann
Hawkins, James
Hawley, Beth L
Hawley, Jesse M
Hayward, Jennifer
Heatley, Heather T
Heider, Kelly
Heider, Tamara
Heilbronner, David Ross
Heimberg, Lindsey M
Heinrich, Kristi
Heintz, Jillian
Helmigk, Kristin M
Hem, Alissa R
Henderson, Shannon K
Hennessey, Brittany K
Henry, Tess E
Henry, Timothy
Herceg, Margaret A
Hernandez-Rico, Raul
Hernandez-Torres, Jenniffer Marie
Hernandez, Carmen Y
Hernandez, Hector Julian
Herrera Graf, Mercedes
Hester, Alisia
Higby, Tanya
Hilbert, Cheryl Z
Hopkinson, Jamie
Holden, Erin K.
Holmes, Andrew
Holtorf, Michelle R
Holysz, Allison
Holzer, Katharine A.
Holzwarth, Jason
Hopkins, Teresa A
Howat, Kristin R
Howe, Matthew
Hsu, Sidney Yu-Hsing
Huber, Donald J.
Huber, Julie A.
Huichapa, Gladis
Humanski, Antoinette
Hummel, David
Hummel, Nicole K.
Hunter, Cary A.
Hurley, Shannon M
Hutson, Mark R
Inguanzo Ojeda, Montserrat
Irizarry, Jacqueline
Irizarry, Moses
Ivancic, Raymond E
Jacobson, Ellen L
Jimenez, Lucy
Johnson, Brett
Johnson, Linda M
Johnson, Stephanie M
Johnson, Toni R.
Jones, Tomeika
Jordt, Mary Ellen
Juarez Vazquez, Roberto
Judd, Patricia Ann
Juliano, James R
Kaatz, Susan
Kallaus, Stephen M
Kalush, Nancy E
Kaminski, Kim Marie
Karnatz, Billie H
Karner, Patricia L
Karp, Katherine A
Kattezham, Maryann
Keating, Patrick
Keenon, Michelle L
Kellenberger, Carlene
Kellett, Katherine
Keltner, Rebecca L
Kendzora, Michael
Keszycki, Sandra
Khan, Samia
Kielbasa, Donna
Kim, Kyung Won
Kinast, Michelle
King, Tracy L
Kitowski, Steven G
Klein, Nancy Blodgett
Klein, Sarah M.
Klemic, Virginia E
Kling, Robert
Klint, Sherrie
Kocsis, Mary
Kolak, Erin L
Komlanc, Cheryl M
Korenstra, Jenna Lynne
Kornick, Helen Nila
Kostecki, Patricia
Kowalyszyn, Paul
Kramer, Eric M
Kramer, Sara J
Kraszewski, Erik A
Kristofer, Jon N.
Kroeger, Emily E
Krok, Larissa M
Krumtinger, Kristin Marie
Kruse, Margaret M.
Kubek, Meghan A
Kubiuk, Mark A
Kudalis, Ann M
Kyle, Erika
Kyznar, Amber N
Landberg, Claire E
Laser, Kristen
Larson, Kelly
LaRue, Anthony E
LaScala, Andrew D
LaSota, Ryan
Lee, Amy E
Legan, Tracy
Leone, Rachel Lynn
Leras, Nicholas
Lesson, Mary
Lewis, Anastasia M
Liner, Kimberley H
Lobo, Jeffrey Robert
Lohman, Rosario
Long, Kathryn Ellen
Loomer, Kiah G
Lopez Perez, Ruben
Lopez, Ana Lucia
Lopez, Erin M
Lopez, Gloria
Lopez, Gwen
Lopez, Neal J
Lorenz, Russ
Lorsch, Jennifer E
Losurdo, Jennifer N
Lubas, Lauren E
Ludwig, Lance C.
Luft, Kendra L
Lyczak, Nichole Anne
Lyon, April K
Macke, Marnie Ayers
Madaffari, Donna J.
Maga, Katheryn
Malak, Bethany
Maldonado, Elisa O
Malone, Kimberly S
Maloney, Cynthia
Mangier, Kari L
Mansaku, Alketa
Mapes, Barkley E.
Marcus, Laura
Markey, Michael A
Marks, Sarah E
Marquez, Cesar
Marquez, Lynda M
Marroquin, Brian
Marshall, Ross
Martell, Louise T
Martinez-Carter, Claudia
Martinez-Galarza, Ismael
Martinez-Ortiz, Rafael J
Martinez-Suarez, Julio E.
Martinez, Zara L
Masciola, Anna M
Masten, Sean
Mata, Gretchen C
Matos, Eunice M
Matus, Karla
Mauri, Gabriela
Maurice, Anthony P.
Mayer, Michael R
Mayton, Sara
Mazzola, Ashley Rose
McCluskey, Jaimie L
McCollum, Catherine R
McFarland, Amy Lynn
McLear, Robert
McMahon, Jennifer Lynn
McNett, Ellen M
McNulty-Braun, Julie A
McTigue, Mary Anne
Medina-Favela, Laura
Mehta, Candace
Meier, Anthony J
Menconi, Caroline O
Mendez, Gina
Mendoza, Heather
Metzke, Carl W
Meyerholz, Sarah Ann
Meyers, Brian
Mihlon, Jeffrey R
Miho, Alma
Miquelon, Jamie L
Miquelon, Jonathon R
Miranda, Eddie
Misicka, Jason
Missile, Brenda
Molina, Martin F
Molof, Keith
Mondi, Christi R
Montreal, Marina A
Montelongo, Luisa Manuela
Mooberry, Laura
Mora, Jose L
Morales, Sandra
Moreno, Jaider
Morgan, Stacy A
Mudd, Jacquelyn A
Mulhearn, Michael J.
Muniz, Modesto E
Munoz-Garcia, Luz Selenia
Murray, Lisa
Murray, Sean
Muskovich, Kathleen M
Mutschler, Molly J
Name
Narofsky, Rebecca
Nava, Maria
Needham-Wall, Jeannette P
Nehf, Lauren M
Neuberg, Christine
Nieto, Clara G
Nittel, Tamika
Nolan, Jeanne
Nolan, Jennifer Lee
Nora, Lora
Norton, Barbara A
Norwood, Mary Catherine
Noyola, Margarita
Nunez, Juana Rosa
Nystedt, Elizabeth C
O'Brien, John
O'Donnel, Shawn
O'Mara, Joan
Oates, Angelina M
Ocampo, Laura W
Ortiz Ortiz, Aurer F
Ossman, Danielle M
Ostrowski, Melinda J
Page, Emma
Palewski, David W.
Palmer, Sara
Pansino, Gina M
Park, Katie Y
Parratore, Stacy A
Pater, David James
Patterson, Rachael Emily
Peacock, Dan M
Pecaro, Dawn M
Pekar, Melissa B
Peak, Valerie
Peldonia, Jamie Marie
Pelletiere, Gina
Peltz, Alison M
Pena-Pettey, Lori Ann
Perdomo de Jimenez, Josbeth D
Perez-Llorente, Pedro
Perez, Diana L
Perez, Lisa B.
Perez, Luis
Perez, Victoria Elizabeth
Perrone, Wendy Jo
Perch, Rebecca N
Pestana, Mario
Peterson, Andrea Lynn
Peterson, Diane M.
Petrovich, Ashley Dawn
Pettenuzzo, Jillian L
Pfaff, Robert G
Pfeifer, Cathleen
Pfeifer, Sarah
Pitstick, Justine Marie
Plach, Adam J
Pombo, Maria
Pomilia, Samantha L
Porto, Jennifer T
Post, Andrea
Prado, Angelica
Prado, Jaime
Preble, Kurt A.
Price, Kevin
Proberts, Tamara A
Pusavc, Brittany K
Radcliffe, Rachel Lauren
Radomsky, Ernestine
Raine, Pamela
Rakes, John Patrick
Ramirez, Nydia
Ramos, Diana L
Rangel, Jesse
Rattana, Sonepheth J
Rea, Lamie C
Reissig, Jason D
Renteria Jr., Miguel
Resto, Jose A
Ricci, Jillian E
Rich, Ann M
Richmond, Allison
Riley, Mary Beth A
Rivera-Rodriguez, Luis A
Rivera, Alexander John
Rivera, Astrid M
Robbennolt, Rebecca M
Robinson, Laura E.
Robison, Amy
Rodriguez, Courtney R
Rodriguez, Deva
Rodriguez, Karla Celeste
Rogers, Eli C
Rojas, Angela T
Romeo, Cheryl E.
Rosales Ordaz, Vanessa
Rosales, Cesar F
Rosenberg, Tara L
Ross, Lindsay A
Roudebush Nelson, Amanda L
Ruffie, Lauren E
Ruiz Chueca, Marta
Ruiz, Isidoro
Rupp, Jason Jerome
Sagert, Georgina
Saga, Lisa M
Sakiewicz, Michael Vincent
Salians, Kerri L
Sandoval, Julian
Sandrik, John R
Sansone, Tara Nicole
Santiago-Rivera, Irohilda
Santiago, Gloria
Saxsma, Jennifer A
Scafidi, Amanda
Schacht, Amanda
Schauer, Rachel
Schertz, Steven
Schifferer, Krista L.
Schlitter, Tamara Anne
Schmidt, Anne F
Schmidt, Kaitlin C
Schmuck, Alicia J
Schnaedter, Lisa C
Schneider, Jeffrey J.
Schwantz, Robert
Schwartz, Erica N
Schwartz, Sarah Elizabeth
Sciacca, Jessica L
Scianna, Michael J
Scott, Jenifer E.
Scott, Mary
Sefcik, Jo Anne
Seiter, Israel David
Selusnik, Donald J
Sennett, Max
Sepke, David H.
Sepp, Linda
Shales, Petrecia A
Shannon, Emily Anne
Sharf, Katherine J.
Shaughnessy, Jennifer
Shaw, Ian Michael
Shelton, Jeron E.
Sherman-Wells, Pamela Anne
Shim, Peter
Shore, Susan J
Sieckman, Ryan R
Sieczkowski, Joseph W
Simpkins, Lisa Marie
Sitter, Sarah
Slattery, Patrick
Sliwa, Dorothy E
Smiley, Kristen H
Smith, Barbara M
Smith, David Alan
Smith, Ellen A
Smith, Heather
Smith, Robert John
Soderstrom, Kassandra Amy
Solve, Terence S
Sorensen, Lori
Sparks, George F.
Spencer, Heather Marie
Spencer, Mallory Kate
Spieglan, Andrea M
Staples, Paul
Stasko, Linda
Steele, Joanna K
Stevenson, Marni R
Stewart, Eric J
Stewart, Joshua
Strasser, Jennifer L
Strejc, Bonnie G
Stringham, Sandra
Stroh, Terry Lee
Suffredin, Melanie D
Sulzman-Gorrity, Laura
Superczynski, Scott Eugene
Svacha II, Michael C
Swinford, Deborah L.
Sylvester, Stephanie M.
Szpejnowski, Steven
Szwaja, Laura E
Taylor, Kari H
Thakkar, Aekta Y
Thornton, Melissa J
Tiberi, James
Tinning, Patrick J
Tomasik, Tracy N.
Tornero, Kathryn
Torres, Rolando O.
Torres, Armando
Torres, Bertha
Torres, Nancy E
Torres, Rocio
Trinidad, Samantha Kate
Tsupruk, Irina
Tucker, Nicole
Tuftedal, Melissa S
Tummillo, Gia
Upton-Dunmore, Alison L
Vacco, Michelle J
Valdes, Michelle L
Vale-Acevedo, Lissette
Valentino, Ruth E
Vallejo, Cesar S.
Van Antwerp, Heather Marie
VanBooven, Thomas William
Vance, Erin F
Vande Moortel, Jacob J
Vandermolen, Robert
Vanderwall, Christopher D.
Varney, Jennifer L
Varrassi, Deena M
Vasquez, Adrienne Ann
Vasquez, Anna
Vazzana, Lisa Marie
Veaz-Morales, Maria I
Veldt, Kelly K
Verastegui, Irma M
Victorsen, Kara E.
Vidal DeAnta, Aldo Miguel
Vierneisel, Jennifer Anne
Villanueva, Jovita
Vincent, Sally B
Volkman, Nicole R
Verderer, Theresa L
Walkosz, Tiffany Noelle
Watrous, Jennifer M
Weathers, Sheila Kay
Webb, Richard
Weincek, Ginger
Weisensee, Gloria
Whence, Eva A
Westcott, Rebecca A
Wetzel, Christine E
Whitenack, Erica Lynn
Whither, Charles
Wilkinson, Anne M
Wilson, Amy D
Windland, Matthew D.
Windt, Jenna
Winters, Heather M
Winters, Jonathan David
Witt, Karen
Witt, Tiffany M
Wright, Isabelle K
Yaghmour, Mona T
Yeboah, Mary Hannah
Year, Leticia
Young, Barbara A
Zaldivar-Pitarch, Ana
Zampa, Mary Jo
Zeh, Jessica Erin
Zewde, Dominique Fekade
Ziebell, Tobey Lynn
Zitnik, Scott E
Zombori, Angela
Zoubek, Anthony D
More Coverage
|