Superintendent won't resign (Heather – Daily Journal)
Despite recent demands for his resignation, Superintendent Sam Johnson said clearly Friday he will not step down unless the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees makes the request. And that isn't likely since board President Marcia Cohn-Lyle said she and the other four board members are a team of six? with Johnson who are now gearing up to put actual names to the number of looming layoffs.
On Monday, the district staff will meet with the six high school principals to decide exactly who will be let go and how to maintain the programs during and after a transition. The daunting task comes just days before the school board will make its final decision of how to cut $3.5 million from the current school year's budget. There was no vote, however, since cuts will be made Sept. 28. The school board was given three options to accomplish this feat Thursday night. At the same time, the community gave heated remarks asking for Johnson's resignation, explanations for choices made leading to the situation and pleading for activities affecting students. Two options were dependent on the teachers and classified staff agreeing to take a salary rollback. Currently, both unions are standing firm against the salary cuts. In light of the stance, the district staff recommended a third option, which would eliminate 61 full-time employee positions affecting both classified and credentialed staff. Monday's meeting will allow the district time to plan this change. The goal is to have as little change for students as possible. The classroom and period should stay the same, however, the teacher may be different. School administrators need to be on board with support to ensure the transition goes smoothly, said Mills High Principal Paul Belzer. There were many suggestions from Thursday's meeting including using the district property as collateral for a loan, re-examining the new seven-period day and for the district to resist cuts until more options could be considered. However, district officials said the options are not realistic in such a short period of time. Using the property to gain a loan is illegal, said Associate Superintendent of Business Liz McManis. The sale of property is also not an option. Money generated from such a sale must be put into a specific fund to be used for infrastructure, like building new classrooms or renovating a theater. Throwing out the new seven-period day would be chaotic and cause more layoffs, said Johnson. It would require the cancellation of classes and create 16 extra teachers at the seven different high schools. The district will not consider postponing cuts either. Johnson called the option irresponsible.? If the district decided not to follow through with the cuts on Thursday, County Superintendent Jean Holbrook would have the authority to develop and adopt a budget for the district.
The district is changing habits from the past to avoid a similar situation in the future. Normally, the district would negotiate contracts after receiving the first tax projections in the spring. From now on, negotiations will take place later, to ensure the money is more likely to come through. In addition to this delay, there will be better communication between the school districts and the County Assessor's Office, which collect the taxes, and the District Attorney's Office, which litigates tax rebates, said McManis.
See San Mateo Times for additional article.
– Written by Fiona
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