Browse >
Home /
Local News / School district decides to lay off five custodians
School district decides to lay off five custodians
July 14, 2009
By Laura Geggel
By Laura Geggel
In its final round of cuts, the Snoqualmie Valley School District laid off five custodians, cut 23 hours of instructional-assistant time, reduced middle-school secretarial time by 12-hours per day and eliminated one full-time tech support position.
The cuts were part of a $3.35 million reduction the Snoqualmie Valley School Board approved, in response to both state and local deficits.
Initially, the district planned to cut nine custodians — two of them part-time — to save $457,000. When several custodians spoke out against the plan at a school board meeting in April, the board asked the district to revise the plan.
The new plan saves more jobs, but affects more custodians.
Chief Kanim Middle School Assistant Custodian Gregory Wallace still has his job, but like all of the district’s custodians, he’s receiving about a 25 percent pay cut.
This past year, custodians worked 260 days per year. Of the district’s 21 remaining custodians, 12 will see their days reduced from 260 to 230, and nine will lose 61 days.
Many of the cuts occur during school holidays, like winter and spring break.
Mount Si High School is dropping from six to four custodians and Twin Falls Middle School is losing one custodian. Both Chief Kanim and Snoqualmie middle schools are each losing a part-time custodian.
Now, each middle and elementary school will have two custodians each. Two Rivers School will continue to have one custodian, who also cleans the district office.
The summer deep cleaning schedule will also have fewer custodians to paint, pressure wash, shampoo the carpets and repair desks, lockers and chairs.
The new, reduced schedule will be implemented Sept. 1.
“With many of the custodians already living paycheck to paycheck, due to this economy, they will be forced to seek employment elsewhere after June 15, 2010,” Wallace said at the July 9 school board meeting.
Wallace asked why the rainy day fund was not being used to reinstate custodial summer hours.
“Many of the custodians feel like we are being treated like we don’t matter,” Wallace said. “If we had seen something like the administrators giving up 10 percent of their earnings for the next two years, we wouldn’t feel like we are the only ones feeling the cut.”
The custodial department is losing about $400,000, yet, in light of budget cuts, many Snoqualmie Valley school programs have also received monetary slashes. The district cut all four middle and high school librarian positions, laying off two of the librarians and reassigning the other two as classroom teachers. The middle school extra-curricular program lost $300,000, although the district has found other ways to fund it, including a pay-to-play policy for sports and ASB card fee increases. To view other reductions, visit www.svsd410.org and select “2009-10 Budget Update.”
“It really looks across all departments and at all schools,” Snoqualmie Valley schools spokeswoman Carolyn Malcolm said. “It is pretty comprehensive. The priority with the plans is to maintain class size and those core programs.”
Malcolm added that all district administrators and principals forwent raises this year.
In his statement to the school board, Wallace pointed out that his salary would drop from $35,000 this year to about $26,220 during the 2009-10 school year.
“I believe that most of the assistant custodians will not survive this drastic cut put upon us,” Wallace said.
The custodians might be able to make ends meet if they get back their summer work schedule, Wallace said, asking the district for their summer schedule to be returned, with the help of the rainy day fund.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
In its final round of cuts, the Snoqualmie Valley School District laid off five custodians, cut 23 hours of instructional-assistant time, reduced middle-school secretarial time by 12-hours per day and eliminated one full-time tech support position.
The cuts were part of a $3.35 million reduction the Snoqualmie Valley School Board approved, in response to both state and local deficits.
Initially, the district planned to cut nine custodians — two of them part-time — to save $457,000. When several custodians spoke out against the plan at a school board meeting in April, the board asked the district to revise the plan.
The new plan saves more jobs, but affects more custodians.
Chief Kanim Middle School Assistant Custodian Gregory Wallace still has his job, but like all of the district’s custodians, he’s receiving about a 25 percent pay cut.
This past year, custodians worked 260 days per year. Of the district’s 21 remaining custodians, 12 will see their days reduced from 260 to 230, and nine will lose 61 days.
Many of the cuts occur during school holidays, like winter and spring break.
Mount Si High School is dropping from six to four custodians and Twin Falls Middle School is losing one custodian. Both Chief Kanim and Snoqualmie middle schools are each losing a part-time custodian.
Now, each middle and elementary school will have two custodians each. Two Rivers School will continue to have one custodian, who also cleans the district office.
The summer deep cleaning schedule will also have fewer custodians to paint, pressure wash, shampoo the carpets and repair desks, lockers and chairs.
The new, reduced schedule will be implemented Sept. 1.
“With many of the custodians already living paycheck to paycheck, due to this economy, they will be forced to seek employment elsewhere after June 15, 2010,” Wallace said at the July 9 school board meeting.
Wallace asked why the rainy day fund was not being used to reinstate custodial summer hours.
“Many of the custodians feel like we are being treated like we don’t matter,” Wallace said. “If we had seen something like the administrators giving up 10 percent of their earnings for the next two years, we wouldn’t feel like we are the only ones feeling the cut.”
The custodial department is losing about $400,000, yet, in light of budget cuts, many Snoqualmie Valley school programs have also received monetary slashes. The district cut all four middle and high school librarian positions, laying off two of the librarians and reassigning the other two as classroom teachers. The middle school extra-curricular program lost $300,000, although the district has found other ways to fund it, including a pay-to-play policy for sports and ASB card fee increases. To view other reductions, visit www.svsd410.org and select “2009-10 Budget Update.”
“It really looks across all departments and at all schools,” Snoqualmie Valley schools spokeswoman Carolyn Malcolm said. “It is pretty comprehensive. The priority with the plans is to maintain class size and those core programs.”
Malcolm added that all district administrators and principals forwent raises this year.
In his statement to the school board, Wallace pointed out that his salary would drop from $35,000 this year to about $26,220 during the 2009-10 school year.
“I believe that most of the assistant custodians will not survive this drastic cut put upon us,” Wallace said.
The custodians might be able to make ends meet if they get back their summer work schedule, Wallace said, asking the district for their summer schedule to be returned, with the help of the rainy day fund.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
Comments
