Temecula Valley Charter changes likely mean new teachers
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The Temecula Valley Charter community is bracing for change after the school board unanimously approved a cost-saving charter revision last week.
With the revision calling for the charter school to hire non-district teachers, all 19 of the school’s instructors are expected to leave the 500-student school in Winchester, school officials said.
“I definitely feel like I was part of a family and was welcomed with open arms,” said teacher Rebecca Scarfone, who has enough tenure to keep a position in the district. “It’s been a wonderful experience for me. Of course, I’m sad to leave. But I wouldn’t hold it against them for a minute. It’s a choice they had to make.”
Although the school’s current charter remained in effect until June 2014 and the passage of Proposition 30 provided some breathing room, school and Temecula Valley Unified School District officials said the charter wouldn’t have been able to present budgets for the ensuing school year.
The main quandary: The school couldn’t afford to pay its district teachers, who were averaging $75,000 per year, said Lisa Skinner, Temecula Valley Charter’s board president.
“Because their teachers are in the bargaining union, they cost a lot more,” said Scott Schaufele, the district’s charter school liaison. “In a few years, they may not have been able to afford to stay in business. By them revising their charter … that allowed them to remain in business.”
Skinner said teachers hired for the 2013-14 school year will make between $20,000 and $30,000 less in a decision that likely will result in a complete personnel facelift.
The charter school began serving students in 1994.
“Some of our teachers have been here 10 years,” Skinner said. “It’s very emotional because at the end of the day, probably all 19 won’t be at our school because of this.”
Dozens of teachers, parents and students -- many wearing red Temecula Valley Charter School shirts -- applauded the board's decision.
Earlier in the month, the board made other decisions related to the charter's plan to hire its own employees. On March 5, the district approved issuing layoff notices to teachers and classified employees.
Those decisions were tied to the district having to fold Temecula Valley Charter’s employees into its other sites.
To date, two of the 46 preliminary layoff notices have been issued to charter school teachers, district spokeswoman Melanie Norton said via email.
“Since TVCS has been around for so long, many of their teachers have enough seniority that they can move into positions in (the district) that are currently held by teachers with lower seniority,” Norton said.
Norton added that the district likely will issue fewer than 46 final layoff notices in May because teachers currently on a leave of absence don’t have to inform the district of their decision to resign or return to work until June 30. So far, six of those teachers have submitted their resignations, Norton said.
Temecula Valley Charter officials, meanwhile, aren’t concerned that reduced pay rates will affect their ability to hire quality teachers.