Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Some Shawano School District employees received preliminary layoff notices last week, but it is uncertain whether those staff members will be cut when the School Board makes a final decision May 4.
The board emerged from closed session on March 23 and agreed to issue the notices. Superintendent Gary Cumberland would not say how many employees received notices but confirmed it was in the double digits.
“I don’t want to hand these things to people,” Cumberland said regarding the layoff notices. “That was not a good day when I had to go do that. I did not feel good about that at all.”
Cumberland said the potential layoffs are one scenario the district is looking at to cut expenses after learning that Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed biennial budget could impact Shawano by almost $1 million next year.
Walker’s budget suspends school districts’ categorical aid, which equals $150 per student, which in Shawano will result in a $370,000 loss, according to Cumberland.
The budget also includes a freeze on school districts’ levy limits, which will cause an additional loss up to $580,000 in the 2015-16 school year, Cumberland said.
“When we look at our budget, we have to look at potential increases — lights, cost-of-living type things, fuel we purchase, potential raises people would get, potential health insurance increases, etc.,” he said.
Cumberland said Shawano’s representatives in the state Legislature have assured him the budget will change, although they did not give him specifics on what those changes would be.
By law, teachers have to be notified by May 15 if their job is to be eliminated.
Cumberland said he has met with his administrators to see what can be done to cut costs in case the worst-case scenario happens in Madison.
“I told all of my principals, all of my supervisors, ‘You’ve got to put everything on the table. We got to see what we can, if we need to, scale back,’” Cumberland said.
Some of the positions targeted for elimination are at Shawano Community High School. Cumberland said reduced student numbers, along with some courses not garnering enough student interest, will allow the school to reduce positions without major impacts on student learning.
Cumberland felt it was prudent to issue preliminary notices, even though all the positions might not be cut, to give employees plenty of time to search for other employment. This week is spring break for the Shawano schools, so employees will be able to use the time for job searches, Cumberland said.
“We don’t want these employees to leave, but we also understand they’ve got to protect themselves and their families,” he said.