The Sacramento Bee

Teacher layoff threat brews uncertainty at new Rancho Cordova school

By Diana Lambert
Monday, Apr. 19, 2010

Next school year, students returning to Sunrise Elementary School in Rancho Cordova may recognize only half their teachers.

The other half are targeted for layoffs and likely will be replaced by district teachers with more seniority.

Teachers at Elk Grove Unified's newest campus are trying to be upbeat for students, but there is an undeniable undercurrent of stress.

"It's very discouraging and disheartening to put this type of effort into this job and to have this kind of expectation for the future," said sixth-grade teacher Tim Martin. "It can make it difficult to keep up good morale."

Martin, 42, has received a pink slip each of his three years as a teacher. The first year, Elk Grove Unified drew on financial reserves to rescind layoff notices. In year two, the district used federal stimulus dollars and Martin was saved again.

But this time might be different. In the past three years, Elk Grove Unified has slashed $100 million from its budget, the ripple effect of state funding cuts, said Elizabeth Graswich, district spokeswoman. To compensate, the district has made classes bigger, eliminated most transportation and cut counselors, librarians and vice principals.

With a $60.5 million shortfall looming next year, salaries continue to be a primary target. The district spends 88 cents of every dollar on personnel, Graswich said.

With that target on their back, it's little wonder some teachers are demoralized.

Martin is among 14 teachers at Sunrise who received pink slips in March, out of 30 teachers total at the school. Districtwide, about 790 teachers got notices their jobs could be in jeopardy, along with 26,000 educators statewide.

School districts will send final pink slips on May 15 after seniority issues are resolved. In years past, districts that find money later could still rescind some pink slips before the next school year starts.

Fifth-grade teacher Sandi Peterson said the worst thing about getting a pink slip is not knowing what will happen next. "Literally, we have no idea where we will be in a few months," she said.

The insecurity, coupled in some cases with furlough days, pay freezes and benefit reductions, has some California teachers rethinking their career choice.

A recent study from the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning notes a dramatic decrease in new teachers. It found that the state's teacher work force shrank in 2008-09 for the first time in five years and that the number of prospective teachers was in decline. Students enrolled in teacher preparation programs fell from 77,000 in 2001-02 to less than 52,000 in 2006-07, according to the study.

The University of California, Davis, hasn't seen a slowdown in applicants for its teacher preparation program, said Paul Heckman, associate dean of the School of Education. But students are nervous.

"They are very concerned," Heckman said. "Even if they get a job, they are likely to get (laid off) the next year."

Others see a silver lining. Bob Roe, director of elementary education at Elk Grove Unified, is an instructor at the district's Teacher Education Institute. He said college graduates are coming into the program more qualified than ever. He said that 20 of his 27 student teachers have dual credentials, meaning they can teach multiple subjects.

"They are trying to make themselves more employable," he said.

Tom Gardner, president of the Elk Grove Education Association, said he's seeing a more devoted group of new teachers.

"Ten years ago we had a lot of people who decided to go into teaching, not because they wanted to be teachers, but because they were looking for something they could do," Gardner said. "That's one benefit of this whole thing – teachers who want to be teachers."

Martin and Peterson started second careers as teachers three years ago. Martin had been a firefighter and Peterson a school secretary. Both went back to school, earned their credentials and incurred about $30,000 in student loan debt each.

"Elk Grove was opening two to three schools a year," Peterson said. "We thought: 'Who'd fire a teacher?' "

Sunrise Elementary informed parents of the potential layoffs through the school newsletter. Many called to offer teachers their support; some responded by throwing a special teachers luncheon.

Sunrise principal Judy Hunt-Brown said her job now is as much about being a cheerleader as an administrator.

"You have to be positive, even when you're discouraged," Hunt-Brown said.

She and her teachers say they are doing what they can to keep the cuts from interfering with learning and student morale. But students may notice they have fewer teachers and more classmates next school year. While classes in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades will remain at 26 students or fewer students, kindergarten through third grades will grow from

"We'll do the best we can," said Hunt-Brown. "Will it be exactly the same? It can't be."

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