Union Angrily Criticizes School Cut and Layoff Proposals

A plan to cut $1.3 million from next year’s ABC school district budget has drawn angry criticism from union leaders because it includes a proposal to lay off six classified workers while adding a new administrator for research and evaluation.

Union leaders attacked the proposal during a school board study session last week that called for eliminating 18 positions. Most of the cuts would be handled by not filling vacancies and reassigning employees, but six maintenance and clerical workers would lose their jobs.

ABC Unified School District trustees are scheduled to act on the recommendation Tuesday during a regular meeting.

The item that caused the union’s anger calls for creation of a director of research, assessment and evaluation at a cost of $78,000, including salary and benefits. An additional $27,000 is budgeted for the director’s secretary.

“We are vigorously opposed to this,” said Pete Schnaufer, business agent for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “The district is proposing to lay off classified employees while adding another level of bureaucracy.”

The union represents about 270 blue-collar workers in the district.

“I don’t blame people for being upset” with the cuts, Supt. Larry Lucas said, “but it is a misconception to say we are cutting classified to hire administrators. We also cut administrative positions. We added the new director because we need to know how our kids are doing.” The director will make “an overall assessment of student performance,” he said.

John Ennes, president of the teachers union, said teachers are also opposed to the new position.

“We took a survey, and 99.6% of the teachers were opposed to it. Many districts do not have this position,” Ennes said. “Teachers are not being hit directly by this, but the money (for the new position) could have been used to save jobs.”

Under the plan, a warehouse worker, a glazier, a custodian, a bus mechanic, an intermediate account clerk and a switchboard operator would not be rehired.

The district will help them find jobs either with other businesses or within the district, Lucas said.

The district is short $1.1 million in its $83-million budget for 1990-91, Assistant Supt. Kim Stalling said. The district’s $10-million reserve will be applied to the deficit, he said.