Pa+Bill+Expands+Reasons+for+Teacher+Layoffs

=By BRIAN HALL Staff writer= =//Published by publicopiniononline.com//= =//5/12/11//=

=The Pennsylvania Senate voted Wednesday to approve a bill that would add economic circumstances to a list of reasons a school district can furlough professional staff.= =Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Chambersburg, voted yes to Senate Bill 612. It passed by a 38-12 vote and will now go to the House for review.= =School districts can only lay off staff for three reasons -- enrollment declines, program eliminations or school consolidations.= =The purpose of the bill, according to officials, is to enable additional furloughs instead of forcing districts to cut entire programs to save money.= ="I do believe it's helpful to districts in these economic times," said Greg Hoover, Greencastle-Antrim School District superintendent. "There's really a ceiling to how much money districts have. You have to make adjustments somehow. Before, districts just couldn't do it."= =The Senate on Tuesday also approved an amendment to the bill. The amendment requires furloughs to be done on a seniority basis. If a veteran teacher has received two unsatisfactory evaluations, the teacher would be eligible for furlough.= =Chambersburg Area School District Superintendent Joe Padasak has some concerns.= = = ="A requirement for it is you have to eliminate administration with it," said Padasak. "I understand that to some extent. It's designed from an economic furlough to take people from the top part of the scale and add a teacher at a lower level. There's flaws with that thinking. Some of our best teachers are at the top of the scale or near it. It takes five to seven years for teachers to become proficient in classroom management. I'm not excited about unloading top teachers. "In our district, it's not a big difference in pay from the top to the bottom. The top of the scale is near $65,000 and at the entry level it's $43,000. Out east, the entry level is still $43,000, but the top is $95,000."= =The amendment added several details as suggested from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.= =- It exempts three core administrative positions from the requirement that a district must furlough at least an equal percentage of administrative staff. The positions are chosen at the school district's discretion.= =- Another provision requires school boards to provide details of a job suspension at a school board meeting and allow for public comment. The PSBA suggested boards be forced to describe other cost-saving actions undertaken by the district and measures to minimize the impact on students.= =- The amendment would make the bill effective immediately upon enactment, as opposed to 60 days following enactment.= ="The whole thing should be beneficial in preparing the budget," said Hoover. "It may preserve a program, or at least give us flexibility."= =Padasak said the existing parameters for handling employee relations still works for CASD. If new legislation is ultimately passed by the House and signed by Gov. Tom Corbett, it likely will have little effect on his district, Padasak said.= ="Our current system is realistic enough that it still works for us," Padasak said. "It's not like we have one staff member in each subject and it could impact what we offer to students. I don't see it as a significant issue on our district."= =Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon County, sponsored the legislation.= = = = = = =

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