Manchester Community Schools cut 17 employees, reduce hours of seven more

Jen Gibson, Times-Union Staff Writer

jgibson@timesuniononline.com

NORTH MANCHESTER - Seventeen Manchester Community Schools employees will be out of a job come Feb. 26, and seven more will see their hours reduced beginning March 1.

Tuesday night at the regular meeting of the Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees, a motion to make the cuts.

"I don't think Manchester Community Schools has ever had to do a cost reduction in the middle of the year like this," said Dr. Diana Showalter, superintendent.

Cuts in state funding have left Manchester scrambling to cut about $900,000 from its budget.

"It is certainly with sadness we have to recommend these terminations and reductions. All this is done for cost reduction," Showalter said.

The employees affected by the cuts were informed of the plan Friday, and the school board approved the cuts Tuesday night.

The 17 positions terminated are: Deb Coe, Wendy Ellett, Heather Schannepp, Tricia Shoemaker, Theresa Smith and Lisa Williams, educational assistants at Manchester Elementary School; Julie Diefenbaugh and Kim Fierstos, educational assistants at Manchester Intermediate School; Jodi Egner and Joyce Shock, media assistants at MES; Linda Immel, media assistant at MIS; Dwight Haynes, custodian at Manchester Junior-Senior High School; Kim Robison, Deb Zile and Michele Smith, educational assistant at Manchester Senior High School; Pam Spaulding, custodian at MES; and Rolissa Underwood, secretary/receptionist at Manchester Senior High School.

On March 1, Heather Boggs, technology assistant at MES; Jo Monce, educational assistant at MJHS; Shelly Strobel, technical/media assistant at MJHS will see their positions reduced from 7 hours per day to 6.5. Aravada Trickle, ECA treasurer at MSHS will go from 8 hours a day to 7 hours a day, while Rosie Purdy, Mac Lab at MSHS will work 7 hours per day instead of 7.5. Wendy Isbell, educational assistant at MIS will see her hours reduced from 6.25 hours per day to 4.25 hours per day, and Jean Good, educational assistant at MES, will see her hours reduced to 3 per day instead of the current 5.

The terminations and reductions account for about $300,000 of the $900,000 that needs to be cut. This is what the school corporation is considering the first phase of the budget reduction process. More cuts will be made later in the year, and Showalter said a reduction in force list will be complied and discussed in early March.

"We still have a ways to go," Showalter said.