Teachers worry

Pontiac teachers worried they won't be called back

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

By DIANA DILLABER MURRAYOf The Oakland Press

The unparalleled decision to lay off all of its union employees in one fell swoop this week in preparation for downsizing has brought national attention to the Pontiac school district.

CNN national correspondent David Mattingly was in Pontiac Tuesday to interview some of the district’s administrators and teachers as part of a series on how communities across the country are dealing with current economic issues.

The Pontiac Board of Education, facing a $12 million deficit projected by the end of the school year, approved the layoff of all union members effective June 30. None of the five teachers interviewed on CNN had received their pink slips by the time of Tuesday’s interviews.

Acting Superintendent Linda Paramore said recall notices should be issued by April 30 to those who will have jobs in the fall, when enrollment is expected to decline another 600 students.

Teachers such as Eloise Williams, department chairwoman of social studies at Northern High School; Mary Jane Riley, Lorretta Robinson and James DuBerg, all social studies teachers at Madison Middle School; and Lance Davis, physical education teacher at Madison and vice president of the teachers union, are worried they won’t be called back. Riley has the longest tenure with 12 years in the district; DuBerg, eight years; Williams, nine years; and Robinson, only one year.

However, they seemed less concerned about the process of layoffs than about problems over the years in maintaining programs.

For example, when the ninthgrade academy was originally planned at Northern two years ago, teachers, social workers and counselors bought into it, took professional development programs and worked over the summer to create a supportive program for incoming students geared to help them be successful in school.

That September, a whole new set of teachers who had not been involved in the planning and training came to work in the academy because of layoffs due to declining enrollment.

Williams is optimistic a high school exception could be negotiated in the teacher contract to protect such programs.

DuBerg said there is one math class at Madison that has had six teachers, including at least one substitute. Davis said there have been at least 50 longtime substitute teachers working in the district instead of full-time certified teachers. Substitutes are paid much less and don’t have the benefits that union members have.

“Morale is bad. It’s been this way for awhile,” DuBerg said, “because we go through training and we start a good new program and six months later they don’t like it” and its dropped. “It’s been like that for eight years.”

Irma Collins, president of the Pontiac Education Association, on Tuesday estimated about 75 of the district’s near 500 teachers will not be called back. She objected to the number of layoffs, saying such drastic action was not necessary.

“It is unheard of to lay off everybody. They didn’t call us in and sit down and say let’s work with each other,” Collins said.Paramore said layoffs are being done this way to make recalls by certification, qualification and seniority to the newly combined schools more efficient.

She said she made every effort to ensure there was communication about the plan with all union presidents and employees so there would be no surprises.

The district is projecting a near-$12 million deficit this fall and $22 million by the next year if nothing is done to stop it. Deputy Superintendent Felix Chow is working on a plan to file with the state to eliminate the deficit in five years.

Buildings are being closed because declining enrollment has left the district using buildings that would accommodate 20,000 students when only 7,200 are enrolled this year.

Collins and other union leaders said they have received notice that the Pontiac school district is supposed to receive $27 million from the stimulus package, $17 million in stabilization funding — more than any other district in Oakland County — to prevent cut backs in teachers.

“The Pontiac school board’s decision to lay off all public school employees is in direct opposition to what President Obama said districts should be doing in his speech this morning before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,” said Iris K. Salters, Michigan Education Association president, in a press release Tuesday. She called the action to notify all teachers of layoff effective June 30 “an unnecessary and devastating step.”

Chow said Monday night he has not received confirmation of any amount of money from the stimulus package. And he said he has only been notified that monies will be coming for special education and Title 1 grants for at-risk students.

Pam Farris, president of the 36-member Pontiac Association of School Administrators, told the board Monday night that legal action would be taken if the contract for principals and some central administrators is violated.

“It was just a matter of making a statement that we have an agreement and we expect the board to uphold our agreement. I spoke with Dr. Paramore today and she is in agreement with that.“We are going to the table to collaborate. We will be at table and protect our membership.

The only way we would move toward grievance or legal means is if our contract is actually violated,” Farris said.

Contact staff writer Diana Dillaber Murray at (248) 745-4638 or diana.dillaber@oakpress.com.