Stewing Apples

"54 Blue Ridge Employees Get Non-renewal Notices"

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Today it was official. 54 teachers in our school district received RIF notices (Reduction in Force), meaning they were notified that they may not be offered a contract for 2009-10, depending upon how deep the state cuts our budget for education. The district may not know until July what the cuts will be, yet the law states that contracts must be given out by May 15.

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It made the top headline today in our small local newspaper, the White Mountain Independent, as seen above.
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24 of those RIFs went to teachers at the high school, including 3 of the 6 teachers in my own department. It was a very stressful, very solemn atmosphere in school today. Many members of the staff wore black to school, showing solidarity with those whose jobs are endangered.

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Today the students had a half-day schedule, and in the afternoon the faculty had a planning meeting to discuss how next year's master schedule will look if we lose teachers. Our school is the only one in the district with increasing enrollment, yet we may be cut like all the others. It doesn't look pretty, not for us, not for the students. Class sizes will certainly increase and our loads will be heavier.

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Keep in mind, a RIF notice is not the same thing as a dismissal. By law, districts must RIF teachers if they can't guarantee a contract for the coming year. Since the state may not release the new budget figures until as late as June 30, our superintendent had no choice but to RIF. My heart goes out to him; I've known Greg for almost 20 years and he is a man of integrity. It's his first year as superintendent, and I know these decisions are tearing him up. But it gives teachers time to look for new jobs, although with the bad economy affecting all states, it's not too promising.
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Unfortunately, we may lose some excellent teachers who do manage to find new jobs rather than wait around to see whether they have a job at Blue Ridge next year.

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Despite the large number of RIFs, it's still likely that no more than 2-3 teachers will be cut from the high school. Perhaps none will be cut if the budgetary word is good. Still, I can't imagine how hard it would be to wait, not knowing.

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My job is secure, though how it will look next year is still up in the air. Will I have a fully-staffed department? Will our classes balloon up? Will we be able to effectively provide services to students?

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At this point they're still talking about a 5% salary cut, which concerns me as a single mom and sole provider for my family.

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Even so, I believe we'll get through this by having faith that God will bless us during this difficult time, and by supporting one another by any means we can in an uncertain future. Teachers are strong and we will survive!