Providence Journal: PROVIDENCE — The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms.
In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt. Tom Brady wrote that the Providence School Board on Thursday will vote on a resolution to dismiss every teacher, effective the last day of school.
In an e-mail sent to all teachers and School Department staff, Brady said, “We are forced to take this precautionary action by the March 1 deadline given the dire budget outline for the 2011-2012 school year in which we are projecting a near $40 million deficit for the district,” Brady wrote. “Since the full extent of the potential cuts to the school budget have yet to be determined, issuing a dismissal letter to all teachers was necessary to give the mayor, the School Board and the district maximum flexibility to consider every cost savings option, including reductions in staff.” State law requires that teachers be notified about potential changes to their employment status by March 1.
“To be clear about what this means,” Brady wrote, “this action gives the School Board the right to dismiss teachers as necessary, but not all teachers will actually be dismissed at the end of the school year.” [MORE]
This sound way worse than it actually is. Read the entire article and you will see that most of the teachers will be hired back. The reason for the move has to do with a timing conflict between when the actual budget figures are ready and the amount of time unions require for dismissal.
Where this story holds significance is that it is yet another example of how hard times are forcing state and local governments to finally address the 800 lb. gorilla sitting in their budgets ... union and pensions. Expect to see more states taking similar actions are the crunch tightens.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: Providence Journal