Teachers to get layoff notices

Thirty Tumwater School District employees with teaching certificates, including teachers, administrators and others with instructional positions, will receive layoff notices this week.

But the Olympia School District announced Tuesday that teachers will not receive reduction-in-force letters, the result of federal stimulus money and nearly $850,000 in unexpected savings.

Last month, the Olympia board approved cuts of up to 37.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in anticipation of a shortfall of more than $2 million. Districts had a deadline of this Friday to inform employees with teaching certificates that they would not be employed next year.

Tumwater assistant superintendent of human resources Bob Kuehl said that the notices in Tumwater reflected the projected enrollment for 2009-10, and were issued according to the contract with the Tumwater Education Association.

The 30 people receiving notices this week are the equivalent of 15 full-time teachers, cuts the board approved last month.

Tumwater is bracing to meet a $1.7 million shortfall.

In Olympia, teachers will not receive layoff notices, but other Olympia district job cuts are “not certain at this point,” and will depend on the final 2009-10 budget, said district spokesman Peter Rex.

Superintendent Bill Lahmann’s budget recommendation will be discussed at a board work session on Thursday, though no testimony will be taken at that meeting. Public forums on the budget will be next week.

“So it’s not going to be a painless budget, but we are able to protect the classroom and move forward on our strategic plan,” Rex said.

“A couple factors came into play. The district was committed to protecting the classroom and retaining teachers. Second, employees have done a great job of saving money this year, which has left us with a larger ending fund balance than we anticipated. And third, the federal stimulus package passed by Congress and President Obama have helped us devote resources to special education and Title I,” Rex said.

Rex did not have information about where the $850,000 in savings came from, but he said that amount had been accumulating over the past school year.

Retirements and resignations have not been a factor in preserving teaching jobs so far, Rex said.

“We’re still just looking at a handful,” Rex said.

Tumwater also reports few resignation or retirements, which would make a difference to the final number of teachers who will lose jobs in the district.

”We have 800 employees, and we had three resignations or retirements out of 800,” Kuehl said.

The North Thurston district had not planned to lay off employees with teaching certificates.