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Highlands Today

Cox Proposes Cutting 43 Teaching Positions

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: February 26, 2009

SEBRING - Due to a drop in student enrollment and expected cuts in funding, Superintendent Wally Cox recommended cutting 45.5 full-time instructional and administrative positions in the 2009-10 budget including 43 (5 percent) school-level teaching positions.

The secondary school teaching position cuts would primarily come from the implementation of a "seven out of seven" period schedule where every teacher would teach all seven periods.

At the elementary level, most schools would lose one or two teachers under Cox's proposal due to a decrease in student enrollment. The exceptions are Lake Country and Sun 'n Lake elementary schools with no change and Memorial Elementary would get five additional teachers due to increased enrollment under the School Choice option.

"We are going to be faced with some issues that we are not going to end up 'business as usual' in my opinion," Cox told teachers and administrators at Tuesday's budget workshop. The district should "carry on the business that best serves the student with what we've got."

A proposal to reduce the number of technology teachers prompted discussion from the technology teachers present at the workshop who said teachers rely on them.

Nearly every school in the district has one technology teacher who helps teachers use technology effectively in the classroom.

Hill-Gustat Middle School technology teacher Kim Douberley said she has more work now with the opening of her school's new classroom building.

"As professionals, we feel that our job is as valuable as say a media specialist position, but yet there's no discussion of a half-time media specialist at every school, Douberley said. "Our position is being discussed because it might be a way to save money.

"As professionals, we feel like we offer as much as other teachers, who are professionals, offer to our school."

Cox responded "absolutely, I agree with you. This draft is presenting everything and the board can comment on any of those areas."

The original plan was to have a technology teacher and a Management Information Systems technician at every school, but that is not possible based on the budgetary environment, he said.

Cox said the pilot program at Woodlawn and Fred Wild elementary schools, which are sharing a technology teacher and MIS technician, is not necessarily preferable, but it is better than nothing.

Salaries and benefits make up about 87 percent of the district's general budget, Cox said. There is little flexibility to save money from other expenses such as utilities and fuel.

Implementation of the "seven out of seven" period schedule at the middle and high schools mathematically would allow for a 14.28 percent cut in teaching positions, Cox stated in his draft plan. That percentage does not include teachers in Exceptional Student Education, ROTC and Supplemental Academic Instruction (remediation).

"I believe there will still be some inherent inefficiency when putting an actual schedule together," Cox stated in his plan. Cox is recommending a 12 percent cut in teaching positions.

With a seven-period schedule, Sebring High School would lose the most positions (10) and Lake Placid Middle School would lose the fewest positions (4.5).

In addition to those proposed cuts, Sebring High and Lake Placid Middle School would lose .5 and 1 teaching positions, respectively, due to a decrease in student enrollment.

Cox recommended reserving 6.5 positions to allow each secondary school to submit a plan of how they will handle three major issues expressed when implementing the new schedule - supervision, copying and restroom breaks.

The school-level non-instructional and district non-instructional personal allocations have not been completed and will contain additional reductions as the district works toward balancing the budget for 2009-10, Cox stated in his personnel allocations memo.

Cox said he will continue to provide data on personnel allocations and the school board will make the final decisions.

Florida's Education Commissioner is trying to contact the Obama administration to find out how the stimulus money will help state education, he said. The final budget numbers won't be known until after the Florida Legislature meets (March 3 - May 1).

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 863-386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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