Delaware Teacher Layoffs – More Than You Think

Filed in National by on May 21, 2010

As mentioned earlier today, while Gov. Markell is busy stroking business leaders in and outside of Delaware, real education jobs are being lost in Delaware, well over 200.

According to the Delaware State Education Association, here is the list of layoffs across Delaware.

Brandywine: 39 teachers and specialists
Caesar Rodney: no layoffs
Cape Henlopen: 13 teachers
Capital: 1 teacher
Christina: 43 teachers; 82 temporary contract teachers; 16 paraprofessionals
Colonial: none
Delmar: none
Indian River: 68 teachers
Lake Forest: 3 paraprofessional; one social worker
Milford: 2 teachers
Red Clay: 10 teachers; 25 temporary teacher contracts not extended
Smyrna: none
Sussex Tech: 1
Woodbridge: 2

Note that Indian River historically layoffs many of the inexperienced teachers and then rehires some after the budget is passed. And before you ask, paraprofessionals are state certified people hired to assist teachers by teaching and instructing small groups of students.

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  1. On Education Funding. : Delaware Liberal | May 26, 2010
  1. donviti says:

    wait, markell is awesome and businesses are coming in droves. We have an expected surplus!!!

  2. anon says:

    If your district lost teachers, take a bunch of friends to the board meeting next fall and raise holy hell when they try to pass the annual class size waiver.

  3. cassandra m says:

    The NJ reported earlier this week that the number was upwards of 390. But you still won’t know what the net number will be until after the GA finishes their budget, right?

  4. Brooke says:

    Well, in my opinion, this is bad news for everyone. And I’m sure going into my setting the taxes meeting tonight understanding that we’re looking at another large school hike, down the road.

    I have no great love for the state DOE, but I trust it’s apparent to everyone that we don’t get better communities when we fail our children in school… and teachers are the ones making the difference.

  5. nemski says:

    cassandra_m, I left out Indian River in my totals and also the numbers in this post are looking at teaching professionals — not administration or other support staff. That’s why over 200 is a more realistic number. Or maybe I can’t add. 😉

  6. Roy Munson says:

    Well, part of Indian River’s layoffs are that they are laying off all of their librarians in the district, except for 3. In the other 10 schools, the library will be ran by paraprofessionals.

  7. delacrat says:

    So Delaware is laying off 305 education personnel.

    but ….. according to:

    http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=1&state=10&program=275&tradeoff_item_item=280&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off

    Taxpayers in Delaware will pay $64.7 million for proposed ballistic missile defense in FY2010. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

    1,059 Elementary School Teachers for One Year

    So, for just what Delaware taxpayers blow on Star Wars, we could keep the 305 educators and hired twice that many more.

  8. MJ says:

    Cape is eliminating 12 positions, which includes librarians. Actual layoffs are 1 middle school band teacher, 2 middle school librarians, 2 high school business teachers, 1 high school science teacher, 1 high school technology teacher, 2 HOST program coordinators and 2 intensive learning center coordinators. Also, the Gateway Alternative program was eliminated, which affected 2 teachers. I’ve been told by some teachers at Cape that the science teacher’s method of teaching was to show films in class, and not necessarily science films. They are not lamenting his loss.

  9. MJ says:

    While the layoffs are due to a decrease in state funding, we also need to remember that homes, at least down here, are not being built and sold as they were 5 years ago. Also, we need to get rid of the system that requires school boards to go to referendum to transfer money between funds. Cape had $875,000 in leftover building funds that had to be used for the new high school or be returned to the state. So the school board decided to build a new turf field. I would have rather seen those funds poured back into the classroom, but it would have had to go to referendum. And after the failure of the technology referendum last year, the board is a bit gun shy.

  10. Anvil says:

    This is a good start. Now move over into the administration ranks.

  11. donviti says:

    when do i get my apology?

    bunch of hypocrites over here….

  12. AQC says:

    I don’t think you can fault the governor for focusing on bringing jobs to the state. Get angry at your lousy ass districts that are keeping all their administrators and administrative support instead of teachers.

  13. anon says:

    MJ – I don’t quite understand your point on the home sales. Schools don’t get a slice of the realty transfer tax. They get property taxes, so that, at least, should have remained stable.

    I totally agree with you on the referendum-transfer issue. It’s stupid and silly to require a district to ask permission to shift $50,000 between funds. Referendums should be for big capital projects.

    I’ve heard a rumor that some elements in the GA are proposing to do away with referendums entirely in exchange for the districts’ acquiescence to the cuts this year. But it may just be wishful thinking.

  14. MJ says:

    Anon – I wasn’t referring to the transfer tax. If homes are not built and sold, then the school district doesn’t see more income. Remember that undeveloped land is assessed at a different level than a home.

  15. anon says:

    Right – but it hasn’t been cut. With the exceptions of delinquencies, property taxes should still be coming in at the same levels they have in the past. There’s just not a lot of growth. So the revenue derived from property taxes shouldn’t affect much of anything, because it doesn’t really change – it’s kind of the baseline of your funding.

  16. anonone says:

    Clearly, Obomba cares more about continuing to pay to kill Afghanistan children than he does about educating ours.

  17. anonone says:

    Rep Grayson: And I think most people would be surprised to learn that that is so much money that we’ve been spending on the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq that every single taxpayer in America will be get his first or her first $35,000 of income completely tax free.

  18. nemski says:

    A1 stop the spamming, please.

  19. anonone says:

    Spamming, Nemski? Is it “spamming” only because you don’t want it pointed out how much Obomba is spending on the Afghanistan War and Star Wars while our children’s education suffers?

    Do you even know what “spamming” means?

  20. Good news on Education. Christina referendum approved by 26 votes: 3049 for; 3023 against.