Superintendent Bill Fishbough
On Tuesday, I will bring three pieces of our 2010-2011 budget planning to the Board of Trustees: Reductions in certificated staff; reductions in administration; and a revised Early Retirement Incentive program.TEACHERS & COUNSELORS
As I said in my last message, we will be eliminating 14 9th through 12th grade teaching positions for the coming year by ensuring all classes are filled to the contracted maximums.
New on the Board agenda next week will be the proposed elimination of 3 counseling positions and a reduction of 5 Adult School teaching positions. The Board will be considering approval of the resolution affirming the reduction of services this week.
If the certificated positions (excluding Adult School) are eliminated, the cuts total approximately $1.2 million dollars, or 7 percent, compared to the current year.
ADMINISTRATION
I will also be proposing the following administrative changes to the Board.
Earl F. Johnson Continuation High School Principal Clinton Williamson has requested to return to teaching. Hanford Adult School Principal Gary Marr will serve as Principal of both the Adult School and EFJ.
Director of Curriculum and Student Services Leslie Steffen and Director of Transportation Jim Black will both retire at the end of the school year. Assistant Superintendent Tim Smith will retire in December. To save money, these positions will not be replaced. Additionally, Maintenance Director Bruce Pickering will become Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Director.
Ward Whaley, who is currently an Assistant Principal at Hanford West High, will take over a new Director position at the District Office to oversee Human Resources and other services.
Dorothy Crass will oversee Special Education, EL and Migrant Services and serve as Hanford Night Continuation Principal.
The other central services that were managed by Mr. Smith and Ms. Steffen will be absorbed into the duties of the Superintendent’s Office and Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.
At the comprehensive high schools, Learning Director Janice Ede will move from Hanford West High School to Sierra Pacific High School. Learning Director Darin Parsons will move from Hanford High School to Hanford West High School. That will leave an Assistant Principal and a Learning Director at Hanford West and two Assistant Principals at Hanford High, with the understanding that if/when an Assistant Principal position is vacated, it will be replaced with a Learning Director.
All of these administrative cuts and changes total $581,471, or 22 percent, compared to the current year.
EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE
We have received word from our attorneys that the Early Retirement Incentive approved by the Board earlier this month is not in compliance with the current mandates of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) because it offers different levels of compensation to retiring employees based upon age.
To comply with changes to the law, I will be recommending to the Board the deletion of the current out-of-compliance Board Policy, rescind the original Early Retirement Incentive offer it made last month, and approve a revised Early Retirement Incentive offer. The timeline for qualified staff to take advantage of the incentive would be unchanged.
Again, I want to remind staff that these are the first phase of cuts – those that need to be approved by the board before March 15.
I will be meeting with the District Budget Committee March 2 to discuss additional proposals for changes and savings and I will continue to keep you posted as decisions are made.
