School district lays off 48

MAT-SU -- A week before Christmas, nearly 50 school employees are without jobs as the Mat-Su Borough School District attempts to remedy a $3 million budget deficit.

Wednesday morning, district officials gave two weeks' notice to 48 classified employees, including custodians, special education assistants and supervisors around the district. Blaming multi-million dollar employee contract settlements, inaccurate enrollment accounting and an over-expenditure at the Mat-Su Correspondence School, the district announced earlier in the week that it is more than $3 million in the red.

"With 91 percent of the district's operating budget dedicated to employee salary and benefits, we have very little flexibility in terms of available cuts," Assistant Superintendent of Business Jack Sherman said in a prepared statement. "To date, we have maintained a conservative approach with the intent to use layoffs only if absolutely necessary. At this point, layoffs are a necessity."

But union leaders question both the timing and target of the layoffs.

"I think it's deplorable for the simple reason that once again classified employees are taking the brunt of the district's incompetence," Classified Employees Association President Sheila Dickman told the Frontiersman. "If they're not capable of knowing what funds they have and what is available to them, I suggest they do some replacing at the top level and not at the risk of approximately 47 families right before the holidays."

While district officials admit December is a difficult time to take away people's jobs, they say they were left with little choice.

"There is no good time," Interim Superintendent Bob Doyle said. "Half the year is gone. The longer we wait, the further in the hole we go."

Last week, the district closed new enrollments at the Mat-Su Correspondence School in reaction to a $500,000 budget deficit at the school, blamed on the addition of a new homeschool support program.

Also contributing to the districtwide shortfall, the state Department of Education recently conducted an enrollment audit that revealed the district has at least 100 fewer students than were reported to the state. As a result, Mat-Su will lose some of its state funding.

"We've learned that these students are enrolled in other districts in the state, yet we kept them on our rosters and reported their attendance for funding purposes," Sherman said. "This is an area we are addressing with our schools immediately."

Finally, district officials say the current employee contracts are proving to be more of a financial burden than they originally anticipated.

"We're just now realizing the overall financial impact of recent contract agreements with our district's largest unions," Doyle said.

Dickman, however, said she does not accept the district's excuse of contract expenses and points out that the eliminated positions were budgeted for from the beginning. She also contends schools were already understaffed and says she does not know how they will be able to operate with these additional cuts.

But the budget numbers, according to the district, left no other option than to reduce staff. The 48 employees received 14-day notices on Wednesday. The terminations were carried out in accordance with their contracts, district officials say. Eighteen of the employees will have the opportunity to stay in their current positions at half-time status. Others will have the right to "bump" employees with less seniority in other job classifications.

The cut positions include the maintenance supervisor, maintenance mechanics, audio visual technicians, construction trades assistant, inventory specialists, special education clerks, payroll accountant, activity coordinator, secretaries, clerks, special education assistants, school aides and custodians.

The layoffs are not concentrated in one area or school, and are expected to affect the entire district as administration reallocates staff based on need, equity and employee rights.

"The decision to lay off employees has not been taken lightly, nor has it been made arbitrarily," Doyle said. "These employees are members of our family, and it is with heavy heart that we eliminate these positions."

Even the cutting of these 48 positions is not expected to be enough to remedy the budget deficit entirely, however.

"We are discussing other options, such as spending and hiring freezes in coming months," Doyle said. "We will consider those options that have the least impact to the classroom and to our students."