Twenty-six Kokomo-Center teachers learned late last week they likely will not have jobs in the fall due to state budget cuts.
David Barnes, school community consultant, said only one of the 26 teachers was not due to budget cuts, but to lack of student interest in the machine trades program. He said administrative and classified layoffs will be announced after those affected are notified.
In total in Howard County, 27 public school teachers could be laid off, many due to state budget cuts. Gov. Mitch Daniels announced in December 2009 that he would cut $300 million in state education funding in 2010 because of decreased revenue.
School officials had until May 1 to issue reduction in force notices to teachers. Kokomo-Center’s teacher contract allowed for the notices to be delayed until May 15, to allow more time for teachers to take advantage of the early retirement incentive.
The Taylor Community Schools authorized a reduction in force of one primary school special education teacher. Superintendent John Magers said there was not enough enrollment to justify keeping that job, but the teacher could be rehired if there are more students.
Kokomo-Center officials must cut $3.7 million from the district budget due to the state reductions and declining enrollment.
In March, the board approved contracts with employees that required staff members to pay more of their health insurance costs, and included a retirement incentive of $15,000 deposited into a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association account for medical expenses.
Superintendent Chris Himsel said at that time 162 certified employees qualified. At the board’s May meeting, Barnes said 17 certified employees and two administrators had accepted the offer.
The retirement incentive was more successful in other school corporations, including Western, Northwestern and Southeastern, where no teachers will be laid off.
Northwestern Superintendent Ryan Snoddy said one part-time and five full-time teachers accepted an incentive. Three of their jobs are not being filled. He said their retirements saved more than five jobs, because of the difference in cost between experienced teachers and newer teachers.
Western Superintendent Peter O’Rourke said of the 10 retirees, the seven secondary teachers are being replaced with younger teachers, who earn less money. He is waiting to see if he needs to fill the three elementary openings created by retirements.
Southeastern Superintendent John Bevan said eight full-time and one part-time teacher in his district accepted an early retirement incentive, and only two will be replaced. He said he did have to lay off two instructional assistants.
At Eastern, one teacher accepted an early retirement incentive, Superintendent Tracy Caddell said. He said adding 31 transfer tuition students increased funding by nearly $160,000 and saved three or four jobs.
Among the 26 Kokomo-Center teachers laid off, Barnes said 19 were first-year teachers with the corporation. Five were second-year teachers, one had eight years of experience and one had four years experience.
He said 16 of the laid off teachers are from elementary schools. Nine are secondary teachers and one is from the Kokomo Area Career Center.
Barnes said elementary grades were harder hit because the majority of the retirees are from secondary grade levels. The teachers who received the layoff notices will be on a rehire list for three years. Teachers will be recalled as needed based on licensing area first, then seniority.
Himsel said there also will be layoffs among substitute teachers and teaching assistants. He said many assistants were hired with one-time stimulus funding or other one-time grants, and those jobs end when the funding ends.
Based on enrollment projections, he said class sizes in the Kokomo-Center Schools will be about the same or smaller next school year, because of the reorganization and the implementation of a seven-period day in the middle and high schools.
Himsel said the savings gained from the concessions in the teacher contract, together with an energy-management program, supply budget cuts and travel expense cuts, saved some jobs. He added that he has cut 13 percent from the general fund in building-level administrative costs, or $570,000, since 2008. He has also cut 15 percent in district-level administrative costs, he said.
Without those changes, he said up to 80 teaching positions could have been lost.
Himsel said it is “unfortunate that current economic conditions required revenue reductions and the resulting layoff notices. These layoffs are truly a loss for the school corporation and the students who were served by this group of talented teachers.”