STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Five percent of Staten Island teachers could lose their jobs in September if a doomsday education budget proposal presented yesterday becomes reality. They would be among 8,500 teachers across the city who would be laid off to make up for a projected $1.2 billion budget gap, city education officials said. There are about 3,000 teachers...
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Five percent of Staten Island teachers could lose their jobs in September if a doomsday education budget proposal presented yesterday becomes reality.They would be among 8,500 teachers across the city who would be laid off to make up for a projected $1.2 billion budget gap, city education officials said. There are about 3,000 teachers on Staten Island, which means 150 would be axed.
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein testified about the preliminary city Department of Education's $22 million budget before the City Council yesterday morning at City Hall. The meeting was attended by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) and Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore).
"We are facing proposed reductions so severe that we are now forced to cut back where it matters most - in the classroom," Klein said.
Education spending accounts for more than one-third of the city's overall budget. In the worst-case scenario, officials posed an estimated $1.2 billion gap, based on rising pension and other costs and a $600 million reduction from the state, although sources told The Associated Press the state may restore about $193 million of those cuts.
During his explanation of the budget proposal, Klein described an all-around approach to the layoffs, and said he planned to implore the state to change laws that determine which teachers get laid off and what happens to them afterwards.
That means the number of Staten Island teachers to lose their jobs could be much higher. Right now, the city DOE follows a "last in, first out" approach to layoffs, axing the teachers with the least experience first, officials said. But in some instances, schools report that their newest teachers have the greatest impact on student progress. Klein said he was seeking legislation that would allow schools to lay off the teachers they deemed least effective, regardless of how long they had been working in the system.
Local principals said laying off teachers would be rough, but that decisions would be a little easier if they were able to lay off teachers based on their performance.
"Staff protected by seniority has forever tied the hands of principals who want to ensure that the best-qualified teachers are working with our kids - based on merit and performance - not because they have the most years in the system," one principal said.
Even once teachers are laid off, however, they are still getting paid their full salaries while working as substitutes, tutoring students one-on-one or doing nothing at all, Klein said. Technically, those in the so-called Absent Teacher Reserve pool should be searching for jobs, but Klein said there's no incentive for them to find one quickly.
As part of his plan, he will implore the state to impose a one-year limit for teachers to find a job or leave the system.
There are currently 1,100 teachers in the ATR, 500 of whom have been there for two years or more, getting paid about $110 million, Klein said.
Other cutbacks involved giving teachers and principals a 2 percent raise instead of a 4 percent raise and making special education services more efficient.
Amisha Padnani covers education news for the Advance. She may be reached at padnani@siadvance.com.