School Board to Vote on Layoffs

Editor's Note:  This week's vote includes only the 42 teachers and counselors.  

The Beaumont Unified School District board of trustees will soon meet to discuss the future of some 76 positions within the district.

Approximately , and another 34 classified employees, were notified that their jobs were in jeopardy when pink slips-- or precautionary layoff notices-- were mailed out March 5, according to district Personnel Manager Maggie Racadio.

The deadline for the district to let those employees know if they will receive final layoff noticies is Tuesday, May 15, Racadio said.

Since the initial notices were mailed out, unions representing the teachers and classified employees have been in talks with the district to try to save as many jobs as possible, through concessions.

"We're really, really close," Racadio said when talking about how the talks were coming.  "I have a strong feeling we'll be bringing almost all [the positions] back."

One of the services that has been proposed to be cut to the district is home-to-school transportation, or bus services.  Listed in the precautionary layoff list are seven bus drivers of the 22 employed in the district.

Since talk of the layoffs first began, the community has stepped up to support those who may lose their jobs.  At this week's board meeting, it was standing room only as speaker after speaker voiced their concern for such drastic cuts to the system.

The bus drivers are not the only ones affected.  Also listed in the classified employee layoff list are (both full and part time positions): 

• 4 instructional assistants- bilingual 
• 8 clerks
• 2 grounds positions
• 3 custodians
• 6 campus security positions
• 1 driver/trainer
• 1 vehicle maintenance
• 1 theater manager
• 1 occupational therapist

"We had really good progress last week," said Beth Caskie, labor relations representative for the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the union that represents the classified employees.  "We offered them a proposal with five days of furloughs, the money would come back if it were no longer needed after the Nov. ballot."

The Beaumont Unified School District board of trustees is scheduled to meet in a special closed session at 5 p.m. Friday May 11, at 500 Grace Ave., Beaumont.