Updates from the Board Meeting

I attended the Board meeting Tuesday night. Key take-aways:

• As expected, the Board approved the layoff plan for all classified staff. We knew this was part II of the process. My only complaint is that they don't actually read the resolution out loud before they vote on it. If they decided to change who was affected, how would we know?
• There were a couple of Curriculum Updates, which I'll include in a separate post.
• We are now looking for 4 principals. This seems strange, given that last year we also hired 4 principals. That amounts to 100% turnover in just 2 years. There hasn't been any public discussion about this. It would be interesting to know if this has hit anyone's radar.

In the context of the budget, the admin staff has agreed to cap their benefits next year as a way of helping save money. The exact dollar amount of savings was not discussed. While any savings is good, I can't help but be a bit underwhelmed. Usually in situations like this, management sets the example by taking a greater cut than everyone else. If this is the best "management" puts on the table, it would not be entirely surprising that the LATA might take a hard line. Even if LATA makes a concession now, I will not be stunned to hear of bitter negotiations at the next contract discussion. Essentially the message this sends to certificated staff is "if you want to save the jobs of your colleagues, that's up to you."