Enrollment questions: Close a school? Lay off teachers?
JANESVILLE — Uncertainty over layoffs and enrollments continues to worry the Janesville School Board.
Steve Salerno, director of human services, told the board Monday he still is predicting a loss of 259 students come September.
“I’d be surprised if it isn’t double that,” said board member Tim Cullen, who said he heard last week that an additional 100 workers are transferring to the General Motors plant in Arlington, Texas.
Several board members have suggested the district might consider closing an elementary school if enrollments dip low enough.
“It’s not fun to talk about, but at some point we may have to … as painful as that might be,” board member Bill Sodemann said.
Also painful would be issuing layoff notices to teachers in anticipation that they might not be needed in the fall. The administration is not recommending sending the notices, but school board member Lori Stottler said it might be the right thing to do.
Notices must be issued by May 1 under terms of the teachers contract. Teachers can’t be laid off after that date.
Teachers could be issued notices now and then rehired in the fall if they are needed, and if they don’t find other jobs in the meantime. That’s what some other districts are doing.
Dave Parr, president of the teachers union, was invited to weigh in. He said teachers would find other jobs because other districts are hiring. He suggested a moratorium on hiring.
Whether enough of the right positions would open up because of retirements or resignations is still unknown, however. Teachers have until April 15 to declare their intention to retire if they want to receive retirement benefits.
If the board doesn’t issue layoff notices, it might find itself cutting things it doesn’t want to cut and raising fees it doesn’t want to raise in order to balance the budget, Stottler said.
Sodemann, however, said he didn’t think enrollments would go as low as some fear. Parents might be laid off, he said, but with jobs scarce everywhere, families might opt to stay where they have friends and family.
Salerno said layoffs could mean losing quality employees the district has trained.
On the other hand, Superintendent Karen Schulte said, the district could get stuck with too many teachers if enrollments drop by 500.
“There’s no crystal ball right now,” Salerno said. “That’s the hard part.”
The school board will discuss budget issues at a study session March 31. They have two regular meetings before the May 1 layoff deadline—April 14 and April 28.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also at Monday’s meeting, the Janesville School Board:
-- Discussed a proposed elementary charter school that would teach Chinese, starting in 2010. Board members expressed concern about the expense and asked for financial details as soon as possible. Those details might be ready when the board holds a budget study session March 31.
-- Approved a new policy that forbids coaches or others from impeding students from participating in as many sports as they want. The vote was 6-2, with Greg Ardrey absent and Lori Stottler and Peggy Sheridan voting no. Stottler and Sheridan wanted to see a plan to enforce the policy.
-- Accepted the retirements, all effective June 12, of Michael Wesling, math teacher at Craig High School, after 18 years in the school district; Nanette Rehling, special education teacher at Craig, 28 years; and Marcia Rudolph, fourth-grade teacher at Monroe Elementary School, 16 years.
May 21, 2009 at 12:04 p.m.
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I just want to give kudos to the teachers mentioned who are retiring...especially Nan Rehling. She is an amazing human being...and the best teacher in the school district. Congratulations on so many years of changing the lives of your students....each and every one of them appreciate your talent and love. You took each student into your heart and never gave up like most others do. Your wore your heart on your sleeve..available to every one. It is no wonder your students call you "Mom". Happy retirement and I hope you can finally take some time for yourself...enjoy your time and most importantly....RELAX!!!
Mar 25, 2009 at 6:10 a.m.
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How about we give all the teachers that lose their jobs season tickets to the youth hockey games? This way we can fill the bleachers at and the same time they can see what their jobs were given up for........ and they can get drunk at the same time. Maybe if we shut down a high school and a junior high we could reach the 700 seat goal?
There is just no sense of right and wrong here.
Mar 25, 2009 at 5:52 a.m.
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Our kids should learn Chinese so they can relocate to where their jobs have gone the past eight years.
Mar 25, 2009 at 5:41 a.m.
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Really Janesville? I can't believe you would be so irresponsible as to consider laying off teachers and closing an elementary school and still toying with the idea of the Chinese charter school? This is common sense!
Mar 25, 2009 at 12:22 a.m.
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I am a little confused as I know a lot of workers from GM that do not even live in Janesville SD. So just because GM is shut down that means they all are part of this SD. Also how many can actually afford to move right now. I would like to know the actually number of students at each school that changes from this year to next.
Mar 24, 2009 at 9:05 p.m.
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Decisions that could impact the long term futures of some of the dedicated staff in the JSD should be based on more than "projections" and potentially short term lower enrollments. Temper reactionary actions with patience and calm. Keeping 3 or 4 teachers for another year or two won't be a such a substantial financial burden that it should be equated as an "emergency". Wait and see. The benefits of keeping a couple more employed consumers who aren't adding their homes to an already over-saturated market and smaller class sizes outwiegh the costs.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:53 p.m.
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I agree with SamuelAdams1775. Laying off highly qualified, energetic new teachers is a bad idea, and should be avoided at all costs. Last year alone Craig High School lost three top-notch first year teachers in a single department. The last thing we want is for the SDofJ to acquire a reputation for being a stepping stone district. The contentious contract negotiations, coupled with uncertainty in the wake of plant closings, have many teaching candidates justifiably nervous about setting down roots in Janesville, I can assure you.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:48 p.m.
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You win in high school with three things, talent, talent, and talent. I guarantee you if the kid is good enough he will play as many sports as he wants and the coach will play him no matter how many voluntary camps he does or doesn't attend.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:30 p.m.
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I say cut back (not that it will make a difference to me)but i think waggoners comments and what the gm task force said about maybe something will come this way but not for at least 3 years is what alot of gmers were waiting for before making a decision. I know it made me put my name in for a transfer and with it i'll take 3 kids with me 2 high school 1 middle school
Mar 24, 2009 at 6:19 p.m.
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There is a huge problem with laying of to many teachers. Let's say we lay off 4 elementary (just picking a group) teachers who all are just finishing their 1st year. Now all 4 think they have no job, these 4 go to another district and interview for 3 openings. That district naturally hires the 3 best candidates.
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We've just effectively ensured that the worst teachers stay in Janesville and the best leave. How is that good for our education? They say, "we may have to many teachers." How is that bad? When we know that smaller class size leads to a better education.
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I also agree with Bill Sodeman, I know 4 guys who have left their families here while they work at the Flint plant all living in one apartment. One parent may leave but the families are staying, afterall they can't sell their houses.
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I BEG Mr. Salerno and the school board to be careful about making these cuts. Remember that EVERY year for the last 5 years you have predicted a budget shortfall and have had a SURPLUS. Don't lose good teachers, just because of what might or might not happen. If you lay them off, you WILL 100% hurt the students of Janesville!!!
Mar 24, 2009 at 5:48 p.m.
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magnolia: You have a backwards way of thinking.
Mar 24, 2009 at 3 p.m.
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I bet BigMike is a coach. This kind of disrespectful attitude to players and parents is why schools need the policy!!
Mar 24, 2009 at 1:28 p.m.
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Send out the notices before it is too late.
Mar 24, 2009 at 1:09 p.m.
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I vote NO on Chinese and focus on the important issues of jobs and whether or not a school needs to be closed.
Mar 24, 2009 at 9:43 a.m.
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Bigmike would seem to believe that team comes before family.
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Here is an example of the choices kid need to make if they decide to play multiple sports. Let's look at two popular male sports, football and basketball. At the end of each season the teams get the speech about commitment and dedication and that championships begin with the offseason. The summer comes and he finds that his basketball coach entered a team into sweat basketball leagues at the YMCA two nights a week. He also heres from his football teammates that his football coach is wondering why he didn't show up for the weight room for the day. Each team also holds a week long camp as allowed by the WIAA. The expectation that the kid perceives is that he has to attend both camps, lift every day the weight room is open, play basketball two nights a week, and attend open gym for basketball 3 nights a week. The kid believes that if he chooses to miss one of these activities he will be benched in the offseason and ridiculed by coaches for being lazy and not a team player. This may be too much for the kid so he will choose only to focus on one sport. That sport will more than likely be the more successful sport at the time (whichever one wins more). This works the same for female athletes that may play volleyball and basketball. Sweat leagues for those sports my interfere with each other and there are also open gyms and camps to attend. Now let's say if a kid wants to play baseball or softball as well. They are expected to play in summer leagues by their coaches.
This is the reason why we are seeing less kids playing multiple sports in high school. Each coach is looking out for their own sport sometimes at the expense of other sports. And another thing to add here is that some of these offseason leagues I talk about are not only held in the summer. There are fall baseball leagues for high schoolers now.
Mar 24, 2009 at 9:40 a.m.
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Yes lets wait and see before we add another charter school. As for the what ifs in the drop in enrollment, we should proceed with layoff notices. It is not what I want to happen, but we had better be prepared and not pass up the teachers contractual deadline or we could be stuck paying money out for staff that is not needed.
Mar 24, 2009 at 9:02 a.m.
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With the talk of enrollement down & may drop even further, maybe the need of closing a building, reducing staffing, I feel at this time we should not look at expanding a charter program, or take on additional funding programs. Let's let the dust settle over the enrollement concern. Let's focus on the situation at hand, get a handle on it and then proceed forward after the 2010-2011 school year if expansion of programs is needed.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:42 a.m.
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It's basically a bunch of parents who complain that they can't take Johnny on a bunch of vacations throughout the year because coach "A" has set up practices or "voluntary" work outs that are "strongly suggested" that they go to.
Kids are free to do as many sports throughout the year as they want to. If your kids wants to do sports, they should be prepared to make the commitment to attend all workouts, whether they are in season or out of season.
Teach the kids that hard work pays off. It would be tough to be a coach that had to bench a kid that attended all off season and in season workouts for a kid who didn't.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:40 a.m.
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I am sure glad they talked us into building a bigger school. What will we do with all that extra space now?
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:38 a.m.
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I have heard that in the off season of some sports- if you are no participating in mini-camps or training with that coach for that sport that you will not play during the regular season. This then impedes being able to participate in other sports.
Mar 24, 2009 at 8:27 a.m.
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How could a coach "impede students from participating in as many sports as they want?"
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