Students and parents gathered at West Woodland Elementary’s playground at 5601 4th Ave. NW this morning before school for a rally against the school district’s Reduction in Force (RIF) plan to cut teachers and staff.
Under the district’s plan, West Woodland would lose three teachers. 1.5 staff positions.
Here’s what the PTA sent in a press release:
Our message is simple: The West Woodland PTA is asking the Superintendent and the School Board to reconsider the RIFs by withholding a portion of open positions due to RIF (30-40%) and delaying the assignment of replacement teachers until the true effects of attrition and retirement are known, until enrollment is closed and until all RIF disputes are settled.
5 responses so far ↓
1 EnduroDriver // May 26, 2009 at 4:10 pm
If I’m reading this right West Woodland would lose 1.5 staff. I’m not sure how many people work there but that doesn’t seem significant enough to warrant a rally. Let’s look at some layoff numbers Microsoft 1400, Eddie Bauer 193, Weyerhauser 221, Starbucks 6700, Boeing 10000, DHL 225, Kenworth 430. Like many local companies revenue is down and the district doesn’t have enough money. The 160-170 in layoffs the district is looking at doesn’t seem to be out of line with business world.
2 carolyn // May 26, 2009 at 9:47 pm
The school is expecting 3 teachers at West Woodland to be RIF’d, including one of only 8 second year teachers being RIF’d by the district. The positions remain, and will be filled by more senior teachers who have lost positions at closed schools. The big issue is that the district “over-RIFs”, since there is a legal deadline to notify of a reduction in force. Some of these 3 teachers - very likely the 2nd year teacher - will be rehired at other schools. The result is unnecessary discontinuity across schools and for affected teachers, whose compensation hardly makes up for the inconvenience.
3 David // May 27, 2009 at 7:27 am
EnduroDriver, I don’t think you are reading it right. To further your analogy, would it make sense for Weyerhaeuser to layoff 221 people and then re-hire 221 people who had been laid off from Boeing?
4 tiktok // May 27, 2009 at 12:40 pm
It would if they could pay the ex-Boeing workers less than the folks they’d just laid off…
5 David // Jun 1, 2009 at 12:11 pm
But that point is irrelevant to the RIF layoffs. (Fortunately, we are not talking about trying to re- hire teachers at lower salaries. )
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