Lodi Unified School District cuts elementary layoff notices from 240 to 67

Lodi Unified trustees Tuesday night cut the number of layoff notices being sent to elementary teachers from 240 to 67 and will maintain class-size reductions in the lower grades.

Even so, more than 220 total positions will still be eliminated to help close a $25 million budget gap.

The decision comes just 12 days before official pink slips will be issued.

However, the board can reinstate credentialed staff for 2009-10 up until May 15.

"The reason this has come back to us is because we planned on a worst-case scenario," said trustee Ken Davis, who added that some districts are not using the new state funding for class-size reduction measures.

"This is certainly good news," trustee Jeff Thompson added. "But I think we need to be cautious ... and not be mesmerized that additional cuts may not be needed."

The board also reduced its own stipend by 10 percent, from $750 to $675 per month.

"We need to lead by example," Davis said.

The class-size reduction measures are for kindergarten through third grade only, but Tokay High science teacher Susan Heberle encouraged trustees to be cognizant of the number of students in upper-grade classes. That number could increase with more anticipated teacher layoffs.

"I have 36 students right now," Heberle said. "There is no place to walk, they accidentally bump the glassware and it falls to the floor," she said. "There's no more room."

Several speakers encouraged the board to continue to save jobs and rescind other, already approved layoffs.

"Don't let it stop here," sixth-grade teacher George Neely said. "This has got to be the beginning, not the end."

Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer said the district's budget advisory committee is still meeting and looking at other ways to close the financial deficit. "This is not the end. There is still more work to be done," she added.

To save money, the board has already voted to close one school and lay off more than 50 employees in the administration office.

Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Giovanina wrote on Mar 4, 2009 7:35 PM:

" takealook wrote on Mar 4, 2009 4:15 PM:

" JUST HEARD!!! The cuts of the administrators at ESC could be voided. Principals, V.Ps and other adminisrators might take a 10 percent paycut. This just isn't right. Could this be true? "

Does not include Washer, she is on a separate contract. A superintendant should NOT be making more or even the same as a State Governor that is ridiculous. Is their a referandum process in a school district? Maybe the constituents should create legislation for setting the salaries, apparently, the board will give away the kitchen sink. Then what do we get? And what happened to that 12% reserve they were holding for years? "

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takealook wrote on Mar 4, 2009 4:15 PM:

" JUST HEARD!!! The cuts of the administrators at ESC could be voided. Principals, V.Ps and other adminisrators might take a 10 percent paycut. This just isn't right. Could this be true? "

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concerned parent wrote on Mar 4, 2009 3:38 PM:

" Thanks Jennifer! "

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Jerry wrote on Mar 4, 2009 3:19 PM:

" Jennifer, could you answer some of my questions as well? The salaries of the fatcats are a known, correct? The benefits of the fatcats (cell phone costs, travel expenses, meals, expense accounts, car allowances) are also a known. Heretofore, LNS has reported these numbers as approximations, ranges, numbers that somehow defy precise explaination. Why can't LNS get these numbers and report them to the public? Accounting is not about approximations.

While your at it, why not find out what each board member is paid yearly. Are they paid for just the monthly meetings or are they paid everytime they meet (like for study sessions)? Do they receive car allowances, reimbursements, entertainment expenses...what exactly do these folks get.

This District has a $260,000,000 budget. The District has already closed a 100-year old school so they could save $50,000 ...who's to say that their combined cell phone bill isn't over $50,000.

You seem like a nice lady and a good reporter, however, asking and getting precise numbers from this budget is not too much to ask?

Interview Mr. Barge...he should have all these numbers at his finger tips. "

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Jennifer Bonnett wrote on Mar 4, 2009 12:47 PM:

" To answer your questions, concerned parent, no the specific programs were not discussed last night, save for a couple of public comments. The board voted last night to simply reduce the number of layoffs at the elementary level. The specific positions have not yet been made public and therefore can't be reported. Also, there have been no votes on the classified positions yet. That is expected next month. "

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Jerry wrote on Mar 4, 2009 11:49 AM:

" Here's the question that needs to be asked and answered: "Superintendent, knowing what you know now, how many job cuts will need to be made to balance the budget?" Of intense interest would be the number of jobs (therefore savings gained) from laying off the highest paid employees of the District; the I can't figure out what they do crew.

The follow-up question is, "Superintendent please breakdown all the job cuts by catogory. In other words, how many teachers will lose their jobs, how many clerical people inside the administrative offices will loose their jobs, how about outside the administrative offices...so on and so forth. What's the big deal here? They (the Board and the administrators) have been working on the budget for months. The State monies are now a known. That means all revenues are a known. Given the fact we know exactly how much money is comming in ...we should be able to determine how much needs to be cut and from where. Heretofore, this has not been rocket science it's starting to look a lot deliberate obfuscation. "

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Jerry wrote on Mar 4, 2009 11:37 AM:

" Davis said in the article that the Board "needs to lead by example;" great then lets get the superintendent (Nichols-Washer) to voluntarily cut her pay by 10%.

Let's see, $230,000 minus 10% sounds like about 207,000 bucks. Hey, that's exactly what the Governor of California makes $207,000. However, Arnold doesn't get a $750 monthly car allowance.

LNS needs to get into the District's budget and report "exactly" what these kleptocrats are making, including, but not limited to, all their perks...cell phones, expense accounts, meals, travel, entertainment et. al

These numbers do not need to be reported as approximations or ranges or just not mentioned at all. These should be known numbers and they should be numbers that are reported in the body of the news article.

Also, is anyone keeping track of the "layoff estimates" to date? .... I heard 200, 250, 390, 397 and now this number... which cannot be accurately counted (I guess). What's the big deal about reporting what jobs are on the line be they teaching, administrative, clerical...whatever? LNS why can't we get some clear and accurate numbers here? "

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concerned parent wrote on Mar 4, 2009 7:56 AM:

" LNS? What about the jobs of the librarian's and what about the music programs at the schools. Was this not talked about last night? I know 220 positions are to laid off, so what does that include exactly LNS? "

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shockedinlodi wrote on Mar 4, 2009 7:45 AM:

" I was not aware of the board being paid. I assumed that it was a volunteer postion. Silly me you know what they say about assuming. So the board gets paid $675 a month for how many meetings? This can't just be one meeting. "

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Lodi Unified School District cuts elementary layoff notices from 240 to 67

Class-size reductions will stay in place for K-3 thanks to state funding

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