Elanco parents troubled by layoffs - Lancaster Online 2/6/2011

Elanco parents troubled by layoffs About 100 attend organizational meeting Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Feb 06, 2011 21:37

By P.J. REILLY, Staff Writer

Brian Corrie is spending a lot of time worrying these days.

He's got three children in the Eastern Lancaster County School District, and the district's plans to lay off 15 teachers to help close a projected budget deficit has him concerned.

He's concerned for the welfare of those teachers and about the quality of the education his children will receive.

Corrie is not the only Elanco parent with those concerns, as evidenced by the 100 parents or so who turned out Sunday for an informal meeting at New Holland Recreation Center aimed at forming an organized opposition to the district's layoff proposal.

"We're trying to band together and keep a good school system for our kids, as well as the teachers who are part of our community as well," Corrie said.

"I'm hoping (the school board) will listen to us and say, 'Let's backpedal on this. Let's look at it again.' "

Early last month, district business manager Keith Ramsey proposed a preliminary spending plan for 2011-12 of $44.16 million, which includes a $1.3 million deficit.

Within days, 15 teachers at New Holland Elementary School and Garden Spot middle and high schools were notified they would be laid off at the end of the school year.

Lourdes Vargas, who has two daughters attending Elanco schools, said she's bothered that a decision apparently was made to cut teachers without any input from parents.

"Cutting 15 teachers who have a direct impact on the education of our children is unacceptable," said Vargas, who organized Sunday's meeting.

Vargas wondered if the school board or district administrators considered eliminating any executive positions.

"Our school district is top-heavy," she said. "We have one superintendent and two assistant superintendents for only five schools.

"We have too many administrators for such a small district."

Stephanie Shirk, who has three children attending district schools, said she doesn't know much about the layoff proposal because there hasn't been a great deal of communication between district officials and parents.

"There's a communication-specialist person on the payroll, but it doesn't seem communication has been shared with parents and the community about this issue," she said.

Shirk told the parents in attendance Sunday that the apparent lack of communication from the district doesn't mean parents should keep quiet.

"We need to come together with a calm and tactful voice to the school board," she said. "Yes, we are all very passionate about these issues ... but we need to do this in a way that we don't seem like we're crazy and fanatical."

One way Shirk suggested parents express how they feel is by finding candidates whose views reflect theirs to run for the school board. Five seats are up for grabs on the nine-member Elanco board this year.

"Local Republican and Democratic committees are getting together within the next few weeks," she said. "Primary election candidates must file that they want to be on the (ballot) within the next month, so if you are at all interested in that, please contact the local people that can help you get involved with that."

The board has a work session scheduled for Feb. 14 that Vargas said she hopes is well attended by parents.

Typically, the board doesn't take public comment at those meetings, but Vargas said she's working on having that changed so parents can speak their minds.

Glenn Yoder, president of the school board, said he is encouraging all concerned parents to attend that Feb. 14 meeting to hear the board's explanation for the proposed cuts.

"Obviously, we are facing some serious budgetary concerns," he said.

"Even if we raised taxes to the maximum, we would still face a $1.3 million deficit.

"We have to make cuts."

preilly@lnpnews.com









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