Pink slip deadline Monday
Some districts may notify more teachers than necessary, a move some critics decry.
By Max Zimbert
Burbank and Glendale unified school districts are on track to meet the first of several turning points in the teacher layoff process, one week after officials approved eliminating 197 teaching positions.
California education code mandates that public schools notify employees of potential job loss by Monday. By May 15, districts must have informed the employees who will be affected.
“The March 15 and May 15 deadlines are really there to protect teachers so they can go out and get jobs,” said Katherine Strunk, an assistant professor of education and policy at the USC Rossier School of Education. “They are great for that, but they are upsetting because teachers who won’t get pink slips in the long run still have to be notified they could.”
The number of layoff notices — which is not the same as the number of layoffs — also hinges on the state budget and negotiations with employee groups. Those two variables, combined with the deadlines, can sow confusion and dejection among employees who could lose their jobs.
But the relatively large number of notices is necessary, officials said.
“You have to have the flexibility for a number of options that might come up,” said Kevin Jolly, superintendent of Burbank Unified School District, which moved to send roughly 85 layoff notifications. “You only want to do what is necessary under the circumstances.”
California education code mandates that public schools notify employees of potential job loss by Monday. By May 15, districts must have informed the employees who will be affected.
“The March 15 and May 15 deadlines are really there to protect teachers so they can go out and get jobs,” said Katherine Strunk, an assistant professor of education and policy at the USC Rossier School of Education. “They are great for that, but they are upsetting because teachers who won’t get pink slips in the long run still have to be notified they could.”
The number of layoff notices — which is not the same as the number of layoffs — also hinges on the state budget and negotiations with employee groups. Those two variables, combined with the deadlines, can sow confusion and dejection among employees who could lose their jobs.
But the relatively large number of notices is necessary, officials said.
“You have to have the flexibility for a number of options that might come up,” said Kevin Jolly, superintendent of Burbank Unified School District, which moved to send roughly 85 layoff notifications. “You only want to do what is necessary under the circumstances.”
