25 employees cut from Moses Lake schools

Reduction in force part of district budget tightening

MOSES LAKE — With the 2005-2006 school year coming to a close, Moses Lake School District administrators have been looking ahead to next school year's budget.

In reviewing that budget, the MLSD within the last week has sent out 60 letters to classified staff notifying them of layoffs being made in the district.

Twenty-five of those, the least senior ranking employees, no longer work for the school district as of Tuesday, said MLSD Superintendent Steve Chestnut.

Classified staff include what are called para pros, those who work as classroom assistants to teachers, bus drivers and employees who instruct special needs students.

No cuts to certified staff have been made.

"This year it is a little higher than normal," Chestnut said of the number of layoffs.

Chestnut referenced a decrease in federal Title I monies to school districts as the main reason Moses Lake schools are having to make cuts to make up for the difference.

Title I is the largest source of education funding to states for low-income students and directs federal money to implement the No Child Left Behind Act to help close achievement gaps in school.

As announced earlier this year in President George W. Bush's budget proposal, Title I would receive no new funding in 2007.

Increased energy, gas, labor and benefit costs have also placed a burden on the district.

Assistant superintendent of business and operations for the MLSD Monte Redal said Title I funds for the district are down by $80,000.

"We're talking about being more efficient in what we do," Redal said. "The main issue is we want to get where we're not spending more than our revenues are."

In reviewing its utilization of staff the district has also done an analysis of its special education employees.

Whereas some schools had paired students one on one with a para pro, the district is going to try and double up on the number of students each para pro receives, Redal added.

Reshuffling of one administrative position at Chief Moses Middle School, the assistant principal, now goes to Nikki Mackey, the former Federal Programs Director for the district to further save costs.

Redal said the cuts to classified staff will not result in cuts to programs.

The district will "still have the same programs and offerings, we just may not have as many adults in the classroom," Redal said.

There is the possibility those who have been laid off could be rehired next school year.

"Typically we hire 30 to 40 classified staff in a school year so it's likely most of these people who have been laid off will be able to get placed in another position next year," Chestnut said, adding the layoff process was conducted in cooperation with the Public School Employees Union.