Tehachapi News

School board approves revised list of layoff notices

By: Mark Powell, Reporter, Tehachapi News

The Tehachapi Unified School District board of trustees voted to officially notify staff members of potential layoffs and class reductions during its March 1 board meeting.

The board approved “Exhibit A,” which outlines the possible elimination of just under 18 full-time positions - a worst-case-scenario action that could occur to help the district solve its $1.7-million shortfall for the upcoming school year.

“Exhibit A” includes the reduction of positions in art, music, English, history and physical education and others at Tehachapi High School and Jacobsen Middle School.

The Tehachapi High School student newspaper, The Warrior, would also be eliminated under “Exhibit A.”

The district is required by law to send out notifications by March 15 or it cannot legally terminate any staff members.

The board voted in favor of the plan 5-2. Holly Hart and Patty Snyder chose against its adoption.

“I was a teacher. I know how horrible it is (to send out layoff notices),” trustee Judy Walsh said. “You're putting them in a world of hurt.”

The district had already delayed the vote during a previous board meeting Feb. 16.

Walsh said the board needed to decide on layoff notices as soon as possible to ensure that a plan with enough cash for the next three years could take form.

If the district remains in poor financial shape in the coming school years, state education officials could eventually move in and force budget-friendly cuts.

“I cannot run the risk of allowing the state to come in here and take over,” Walsh said.

During a Greater Tehachapi Economic Council breakfast meeting on March 3, TUSD Superintendent Richard Swanson said the district and teacher representatives were discussing the possibility of adopting furlough days to help save money.

The board also voted against eliminating geography as a graduation requirement at Tehachapi High School.

PowerSchool problems

Since August 2009, school district staff, parents and students haven been able to view grades, assignments and attendance records online thanks to a software program called PowerSchool.

The program has allowed students to keep a more diligent watch over assignments and parents to monitor student attendance patterns.

Julie Auvil, district chief administrator of business services, however, said Tehachapi has been almost a PowerSchool “guinea pig,” and the new program hasn't been without its issues.

Tehachapi High School Principal Cary Johnson said his counseling staff has turned to using the Schools Administrative Student Information, an older program similar to PowerSchool, to be able to compute grades and create transcripts for graduating seniors - something PowerSchool can't seem to do properly.

PowerSchool hasn't always computed classes or grade point averages properly, Johnson said.

Some of the problems at the high school have been remedied, but similar problems have persisted at Jacobsen Middle School.

At this point, Johnson said he's not sure the program has been a good fit for the district so far.

“I don't think anyone really foresaw these kinds of issues,” he said.

Auvil said the district is withholding a per-student licensing payment until the flaws are fixed.

“And if I have my way, there will be a discount,” she said.