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Schools

School Board Agenda Wednesday—Many Layoffs Possible in West Contra Costa Schools

The West Contra Costa Unified School District board will consider authorizing the elimination of more than 138 jobs based on a worst-case-scenario budget.

Facing a March 15 deadline to notify teachers and other certificated employees at risk of losing their jobs, the West Contra Costa Unified School District board will look at a list of  possible reductions equivalent to more than 138 full-time jobs when it meets Wednesday night.

The district could face a $11.6 million deficit in the 2011-12 school year if extensions of existing taxes aren't passed by state voters in June, according to the board meeting agenda. California Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a combination of spending cuts and voter-approved tax extensions to cover a $25.4 billion shortfall projected for the rest of 2010-11 and the upcoming 2011-12 fiscal years.

Because state law requires districts to notify certificated employees by March 15 if they face layoff, California school districts typically issue notices based on a worst-case scenario well before they know their actual income for the coming school year. The number of employees not returning next year could prove to be considerably lower.

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Given the size of the state deficit and uncertainty about what voters will decide, a record number of California teachers could receive pink slips, or layoff notices, by March 15, the San Francsico Chronicle reported Saturday.

The list of reductions before the West Contra Costa board represents the equivalent of 138.6 full-time positions, including 26 elementary, 32.6 at the secondary level, 39 district-wide positions, and 41 administrative positions.  The list does not include potential cuts to non-certificated employees, such as custodians and clerical workers, who have a later notification deadline.

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Secondary positions include one each in art, drama, computer applications, French, home economics, industrial arts, life science and middle school science, and a librarian, 0.20 Japanese, 1.40 music, four each of counselors, math, PE and social science, and six English.

No details for the elementary positions are given, though if the layoffs are carried out, they would likely mean an increase in class size in the lower grades.

District-wide positions include two psychologists and positions such as project assistant and curriculum specialist. Administrative positions listed include eight assistant principals and nine vice principals.

For the complete list, see pages 43-44 of the board packet.

The proposal before the board calls for the district to deviate from laying off those with the least seniority in order  to retain teachers and other certificated staff at Lincoln Elementary School in Richmond and properly certified teachers teaching in bilingual classrooms.

“Lincoln Elementary  is the only state-identified Tier 1 persistently lowest-achieving school within the district and it would be extremely harmful to the Lincoln students to layoff Lincoln teachers who have received extensive professional development and curriculum training to work with Lincoln students, developed relationships with students and are devoted to this particular population of students,” according to the board report.

The board meets at Lovonya Dejean Middle School, 3400 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, with the public session scheduled to being at 6:30 p.m.

For  more information on the March 2 board meeting, see the agenda and reports.

More information on the district's budget can be found in a Feb. 16 report.

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