First Step Toward Job Cuts

By Steve Alexander Reporter

Mobile County School Board gives superintendent permission to study a reduction in force at central office. First Step Toward Job Cuts

Published: Tue, February 26, 2008 - 10:40 pm Last Updated: Tue, February 26, 2008 - 10:54 pm

Steve Alexander

The Mobile County School Board has voted unanimously to pave the way for what could be the first step in job cuts.
But some people spoke out against the idea at Tuesday night's board meeting.
Their concerns: if central office personnel are put back in classrooms to teach, can they handle the job?
And can they give the same high level of instruction that current teachers are giving?
Several speakers raised those questions with Superintendent Roy Nichols and school board members.
Eunice Spencer, a parent, said, "They wanted to be into the administrative staff and not be teachers anymore. My concern is that you're going to bring that administrative staff into our classrooms and teach our kids."
Another parent, Stephanie Smith, said "I just want to make sure everything can be done before we start cutting people that enjoy their jobs and are good for our children."
But the board voted to take the first step in possibly cutting central office personnel, some of whom could go back to the classroom.
Superintendent Roy Nichols said, "All we did was ask the board for permission to study a reduction in force at central office."
Nichols says he's not ready to make cuts because he doesn't know how much state money will be coming to the system.
And even when he does, he says, "First, we're going to look at operating efficiencies. Second, we're going to look at programs that might be reduced or cut or modified. And only after everything that we can think of has been considered will we consider cutting individuals."
Nichols says the earliest he could bring names to the board would be April.

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redrose Says:

Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 9:24 am

I thank that Nichols and the Board Members should take a pay cut.

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KSJD Says:

Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 8:55 am

okay i agree that jobs should not be cut, but if you are gonna cut you need to go after the new teachers who come into the classroom trying to be cute and dress inappropriately and let the ones who care about our children stay. administrative interim principals should not go because the are some of the best disciplinary personnel our school has seen. if ours goes it will be a great lose to our school.

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asda Says:

Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 8:29 am

I would like to see a full audit of where this money is going. After people like David Thomas taking advantage of his position and the people at Bishop State I am very interested to see what this money is being spent on. Before we lose any of out teachers lets look at the balance sheet of where all the money is going. I feel that we should make sure we keep these teachers because when we lose them they will go to another state and not come back. I see in the news all the time about the shortage of teachers and we are about to fire some? This makes no sense at all. Maybe the school board should have taken some more business classes.

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