Substitutes teach as schools consider hiring needs

By MICHELLE HATFIELD
mhatfield@modbee.com

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Ten classrooms in Modesto schools started the school year with substitute teachers, an attempt to juggle the need to hire teachers before student enrollment is known.

If too few students show up, the classes will be eliminated and students shuffled. If enough students enroll, the subs will be hired for the rest of the year.

It's a precarious balancing act districts do most years.

AT A GLANCE
- THE ISSUE: With cuts to the state education budget and drops in student enrollment, many valley school districts trimmed their teaching ranks through resignations, retirements and layoffs. Some teachers who were notified of a possible layoff in March were hired back this fall.
- WHAT'S NEXT: Continued uncertainty for teachers, students and districts until enrollment stabilizes and state funding is clear. Administrators will reassess classroom staffing later in the year.

Modesto City Schools administrators decided not to issue pink slips to any teachers in March before the deadline to give notice. The district had enough retirements and resignations and didn't need to lay off teachers. With a projected drop in student enrollment, which won't be determined until later in the year, officials didn't want to commit to teachers who can't be laid off midyear, so substitutes were called in.

"A lot of kids' parents still think that school starts after Labor Day," said Chris Flesuras, Modesto City Schools deputy superintendent of human resources. "Once we get a clearer picture, we can either collapse classes ... or offer the substitutes a temporary contract for the rest of the year."

Half of the subs are at elementary schools and half are at high school campuses.

Each spring, scores of teachers, usually those new to the profession, are given pink slips in case school districts can't afford the same number of teachers the next year. Valley districts are hurting more than normal because of state budget cuts and a steady flow of students out of districts.

Last year, 5,300 teachers worked in Stanislaus County, according to the state Department of Education.

After all the protesting and teacher turmoil from the spring, many people were spared layoffs, usually through retirements or resignations by people who found jobs in other districts or left to start other careers.

The Empire Union School District in southeast Modesto sent out 16 layoff notices to teachers and vice principals but rescinded them in April. Riverbank handed out 12 slips in the spring and canceled most of them, according to Superintendent Ken Geisick. Patterson Union issued layoff notices to three employees and rehired one of them, Superintendent Patrick Sweeney said.

Salida Union School District officials originally laid off 13 teachers but brought back seven this fall, Superintendent Doug Baughn said. Of those teachers who resigned, most found jobs in other districts, including Sylvan Union in Modesto and Ceres Unified, Baughn said.

The Oakdale Union School District did not hand out layoff notices to teachers last spring, but it had so many retirements and resignations that administrators had to hire 10 teachers from districts in Hughson, Modesto and Salida, according to Superintendent Fred Rich.

"Our student enrollment is stable. We've had a slight upturn," Rich said. "We've been fortunate."

Bee staff writer Michelle Hatfield can be reached at mhatfield@modbee.com or 578-2339.