MARYSVILLE – More than one-third of the 51 Marysville School District teachers given layoff notices in May have been offered contracts for the fall.
The Marysville School Board on Tuesday reviewed a personnel report with the names of 18 teachers who will be recalled. Five are elementary teachers; 13 are from the secondary level.
“We will continue to do this (reinstatement) process over the summer as we get more resignations,” said Superintendent Larry Nyland.
Retirements and resignations figured into most of the teachers getting their jobs back. Four other positions were restored after the district studied staffing levels at individual schools more carefully, said Jim Baker, the district’s finance director.
The district target is to reduce the total number of teaching positions by 35 to 37 by next fall, Baker said.
More teachers will be called back for the fall if enrollment comes in higher than projected. However, many might already have jobs in other districts by then, Nyland said.
With a sour economy and a state record 49-day teachers strike, the district experienced a steep enrollment loss this year and projects to lose another 230 students in the fall. Many other area districts are predicting flat enrollment or slight gains or losses.
Enrollment drives staffing. Schools receive $5,274 per full-time student from the state for basic education.
The Marysville district has been deliberately more conservative in its enrollment projections than other districts because its budget reserves are much thinner than its neighbors.
State law requires districts to inform teachers by May 15 each year if their contracts will not be renewed. Their contracts cannot legally be canceled in midyear if the district runs into financial problems once the year starts.
The early notification date meant the district did not know how many teachers would retire or resign, which eventually opened slots for teachers who received layoff notices.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@ heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
