Editorials:
District deadline too early
With the May 15 deadline approaching for school districts to submit their formal list of teacher layoffs, the tension, frustration and protests have been mounting regarding figures that, by all accounts, appear to be unnecessarily inflated.
In Glendale, the initial batch of pink slips sent out numbered 105; in Burbank, it was 85. But as in previous times of belt tightening, the final number of teachers who will end up actually being laid off will likely be far smaller.
That’s because district administrators are held to state-imposed deadlines that force school boards as early as March to err on the conservative side when deciding how many teachers they might have to lay off.
The arbitrary March 15 deadline does nothing but add unnecessary sticker shock to the price of decreased state education funding, and create a panicked sense of urgency among community stakeholders.
In Glendale, the initial batch of pink slips sent out numbered 105; in Burbank, it was 85. But as in previous times of belt tightening, the final number of teachers who will end up actually being laid off will likely be far smaller.
That’s because district administrators are held to state-imposed deadlines that force school boards as early as March to err on the conservative side when deciding how many teachers they might have to lay off.
The arbitrary March 15 deadline does nothing but add unnecessary sticker shock to the price of decreased state education funding, and create a panicked sense of urgency among community stakeholders.