Non-renewal notices add to chaos in communities
Posted: 2/28/2011 5:19:58 PM
The actions of Governor Scott Walker continue to create a climate of chaos and confusion in our communities – and are causing panic among teachers, WEAC President Mary Bell said Monday. In the latest turn for the worst, some school boards are issuing large scale preliminary non-renewal notices, as opposed to layoff notices.
“There is a huge difference between a non-renewal and a layoff,” Bell said. “Non-renewals are literally saying to the teacher, ‘You will be fired at the end of the school year.’ ”
Typically, and by contract, preliminary layoff notices are used this time of year when budgetary uncertainties prompt school districts to consider the possibility of downsizing staff. District may notify teachers that they could be laid off if money is not available to maintain teachers’ positions. Final decisions on layoffs are made later in spring or summer as budgets are finalized. If a teacher is laid off, that teacher could later be brought back, and he or she would maintain the right to be recalled to a teaching position at a later date.
A non-renewal is simply a firing. It is permanent and is reserved for alleged individual performance issues. By using preliminary non-renewal notices, school districts are creating extensive turmoil in their communities, Bell said.
In some cases, when teachers are non-renewed, the only way they can get their jobs back