In connection with the cutbacks approved Thursday by the Jefferson County Board of Education, here is the verbatim text of the enacting resolution, as well as a statement issued by JefCoEd that gives details of the cuts.

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RESOLUTION OF THE JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

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WHEREAS the Jefferson County Board of Education (“the Board”) finds and determines that its operating costs must be reduced in order to maintain a balanced budget, to remain in compliance with provisions of state law that require boards of education to maintain a minimum reserve fund equal to one month’s operating expenses, and to retain the ability to apply available funds to meet critical educational needs; and

WHEREAS a general reduction and reorganization of the Board’s workforce is necessary and unavoidable if the cost savings required to achieve the foregoing obligations are to be realized; and

WHEREAS the Superintendent has recommended Board approval of a carefully developed Financial Improvement Plan (“the Plan”) for reducing and restructuring the Board’s workforce through a combination of personnel actions and other measures; and

WHEREAS the Board finds the Plan to be a reasonable and appropriate means of achieving its objectives and meeting its legal obligations;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Jefferson County Board of Education as follows:

1. The Financial Improvement Plan presented to the Board for consideration at its regular meeting on March 26, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference, is hereby adopted and approved;

2. In keeping with Ala. Code § 16-1-33 (1975) and corresponding Jefferson County Board of Education policy (5.15), a reduction in force is hereby declared for the reasons enumerated above. Said reduction in force shall be implemented with respect to the positions (job classifications) identified in the Plan in accordance with the following criteria:

(a) The reduction in force shall be implemented by means of layoffs, which shall be effective as of July 1, 2015.

(b) The selection of employees to be laid off is based on the type, category, or classification of their employment, and not on the employees’ job performance;

(c) Recall of laid off employees shall be based on Jefferson County Board of Education Policy 5.15 and section 5.15.1 thereof, in particular; and

(d) Nontenured or probationary employees who are not retained will not be laid off, but will receive separate notice of any action taken by the Board with respect to their employment.

3. Reduction in the length of the annual employment term for employees in the job classifications identified in the Plan (assistant principals and career technical instructors) from 12 months to 10 months over the next two contract periods and commensurate reduction in compensation is hereby approved, to be effective for the 2015-2016 school year and each year thereafter unless subsequently modified.

4. The Superintendent is authorized to modify implementation of the Plan if and to the extent required to comply with any relevant legal requirement, to address unanticipated developments or changed circumstances, or to avoid or mitigate extraordinary hardship or inequity in individual cases.

5. The Superintendent is authorized and directed to provide appropriate notice of any action or decision that is taken in accordance with the Plan to employees whose employment status or interests are affected thereby.

ADOPTED AND APPROVED this 26th day of March, 2015.

/s/ Dean Taylor Jr., President

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Media Release:

Superintendent’s Recommendation For Financial Improvement

Jefferson County Schools

All improvement efforts would be effective starting 2015-2016 school year (July 1, 2015).

Extensive efforts have been ongoing for the past 6 months to conduct a thorough review of financial and programmatic resources. This analysis has revealed an imbalance between financial obligations that exist relative to the financial resources that are available. The goal in financial management for all school districts should be to maximize the greatest academic gain for our children. This cannot occur without an annual comprehensive review and necessary adjustments by the superintendent and the board.

This plan is designed to:

• Eliminate duplication and distribution of inequitable services throughout the district
• Ensure a balance between programming and people, which will lead to maximizing student learning

To address the challenges facing Jefferson County Schools, the following comprehensive plan is my official recommendation in order to reduce expenses and create a balanced budget.

Supplemental Benefits – Cost Savings $190,481

Rationale: Funding for all supplements should include salary and employer benefits. The state doesn’t necessarily include adequate funding to cover these costs. If insufficient funding is provided, the employee will be responsible for the cost of employer benefits.

JCCLC West – Cost Savings $272,314

Rationale: Based on enrollment/usage, it is requested to consolidate both programs into one site located at JCCLC East.

General Education Instructional Aides – Cost Savings $772,939

Rationale: Declare a Reduction in Force of all general education instructional aides (20). Due to changes and modifications in curriculum/instructional delivery, the function of the instructional aide position is now outdated. Many of these positions are no longer used in the function originally intended, and it contributes to the inequity of staffing that exists among schools. Other employment opportunities, such as Pre-K, may be available to these employees if qualified.

Reduction of locally funded teacher units – Cost Savings $4,781,169

Rationale: Reduce local teacher units by 70. An in-depth analysis has been done of every schools’ leadership program, instructional program, and schedule. It has been determined based on the analysis that the instructional program can be balanced and maintained more efficiently through the reduction of these units.

Reduction of locally funded administrative units – Cost Savings $1,642,335

Rationale: Reducing locally funded Assistant Principal units by 16 while shifting 2 units to allowable Federal funding, resulting in a total reduction of 18 locally funded assistant principals. An in-depth analysis has been done of every schools’ leadership program, instructional program, and schedule. It has been determined based on the analysis that the instructional program can be maintained more efficiently through the reduction of these units.

Reorganization and reduction of local school office staff – Cost Savings $2,148,926

Rationale: Declare a Reduction in Force of various local school office staff (78). Maximizing efficiency and eliminating duplication of effort in the local school accounting function in the elementary schools. An equity study was completed reviewing the assignment of office personnel at all schools. As a result, the recommendation is made to allocate office personnel based on ADM in order to standardize this process. Efficiencies can be achieved by centralizing local school accounting. We are creating 65 new 10 month office assistant positions.

Reduction of contract lengths (CTE) – Cost Savings $188,963

Rationale: Reduce the contract lengths of 12 month Career Tech teachers to 10 months. All job functions can be achieved within a 10 month contract. Additional work compensation can be applied for and funded through state Career Technical funds. All basic CTE positions should be a 10 month contract based upon evaluation of need.

Reduction of contract lengths – Cost Savings $715,583

Rationale: Reduce the contract lengths of 12 month Assistant Principals to 10 months. All job functions can be achieved within a 10 month contract through a coordinated, flexible/staggered summer work assignment.

Maximizing Efficiency of Utilities – Cost Savings of $1,119,900

Rationale: An analysis has been conducted to determine efficiency of equipment and usage which will result in cost savings through reducing energy costs through the introduction of an energy-management program.

Central Office Reductions – Cost Savings of $773,750

Rationale: Declare a Reduction in Force for various central office positions (13). Maximizing efficiency and eliminating duplication of effort in the central office can be achieved by pooling tasks and responsibilities within central office staff.

Retention of CNP Pass-through Funds – Cost Savings $1,000,000

Rationale: Retain $1,000,000 of CNP Pass-through Funds. The current CNP balance is approximately 4 months, which exceeds the 2 month reserve requirement from the ALSDE. The state allows a reduction of the required CNP Pass-through amount in these cases.

[Editor’s note: “CNP” stands for Child Nutrition Program.]

All improvement efforts would be effective at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year (July 1, 2015).