State aid cuts may force school layoffs

Rapid enrollment growth and high teacher turnover were once the pillars of job security in the Clark County School District.

It wasn't unusual for the district to hire more than 1,500 teachers each year and still be hundreds of teachers short of what was needed by the first day of school.

These pillars now appear to be cracking under the stress of a depressed economy that is expected to bring fewer employee resignations, flat enrollment growth and reduced funding from the Legislature.

School district officials said Wednesday that in their worst- case scenario, the school system might have to lay off between 500 to 1,000 of its nearly 40,000 teachers and support staff sometime this summer.

State funding could decline by as much as $150 million for the next fiscal year, which starts in July.

Even in what could be called the worst of times, some jobs probably will be safe, said Martha Tittle, the district's director of human resources.

One such group is high school math instructors, she said. The district is short about 40 math teachers, so it could not eliminate any of those instructors.

But Tittle said some teaching specialties are not in as great demand as math teachers. For example, some social studies jobs might have to be eliminated.

Ruben Murillo, president of the Clark County Education Association, the union that represents teachers, worries about teachers who are not diversified in their teaching qualifications.

"Those with specific licenses might have some difficulty (finding work)," Murillo said Wednesday.

Bo Yealy, the president of the Education Support Employees Association, said bus drivers appear to be in a good position.

"We're still going to have the same number of routes," she said.

Another place where the school district is expected to see a reduction in workforce is construction. Because school construction is winding down with the depletion of the 1998 capital bond, the district expects to eliminate 200 construction jobs over the next two years.

Tittle said "there are lots of contingencies," alluding to the possibility that the Legislature will restore or reduce cuts to education funding.

Murillo said the Legislature is in a state of flux on the question of public schools funding, and he declined to predict whether lawmakers will go through with threatened budget cuts.

"Whether it's 100 percent (of normal funding) or not, I don't know," Murillo said. "All along the legislators have said they don't want education to be the sacrificial lamb."

He said he hopes that the money will be restored, but added he's realistic and knows money is tight.

School administrators are evaluating their staffing needs for next year. In anticipation of budget cuts, principals are supposed to staff at 97 percent of their normal employee levels.

By early next week, they're supposed to inform employees about staffing levels for next year, district officials said. This is to give employees all of April to look for work at a new school or in a different department.

Those with the most seniority are the most the protected.

Under certain circumstances, a senior employee could "bump" or take over the job of a junior employee if the senior position were eliminated.

Staffing will be re-assessed in May with adjustments made for transfers and new openings created by retirements and resignations.

Usually, 7 percent of the work force turns over each year, creating openings for other workers.

Just under 400 teachers have given their resignation notices so far this year, Tittle said.

"We're about 100 down from where we were a year ago," she said.

But resignations also tend to increase as the school year winds down. Some teachers even wait until August before deciding on whether to quit. Before the beginning of the current school year, 1,919 teachers resigned.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.