Schools Officials Propose Cutting 80 Jobs

SEBRING - The school district's state funding will be cut about $3.3 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year, prompting the district to consider cutting teaching and support positions.

The two-year teacher contract needs to be funded, and health insurance and electricity and fuel costs are increasing, Mike Averyt, assistant superintendent of business/operations, said Monday. So the budget needs to be cut by about $7 million, he said.

"We are trying to get the personnel done so that we can notify the employees that they either have a job or they don't have a job by a certain date," Averyt said. "We hope everybody will have a job that wants a job."

Averyt hoped that through staff attrition there would be no layoffs.
Superintendent Wally Cox has proposed cutting 80.6 full-time positions, including:

* 45 teaching positions in schools.

* 5.7 district level instructional positions.

* 14 school level support positions.

* 6 district support positions.

* 3 facilities support positions.

* 7 transportation support positions.

The individual department budgets will be reviewed to make needed cuts prior to adopting a budget in September, Averyt said. It takes a long time to put a $200 million budget together, he added.

The School Board of Highlands County is scheduled to discuss and review proposed 2008-09 budget issues today at a 3:30 p.m. workshop at the Garland Boggus Board Room, 426 School St., Sebring.