Wednesday was a pink-letter day for teachers in School District 57.
As a result of declining school populations, the Prince George District Teachers Association issued layoff notices but there was a good chance none of those teachers receiving pink slips will be unemployed when the new school year begins.
"Right now we have 23 surplus positions and two people without positions, resulting in two layoffs, but we are anticipating it's going to work itself out and those layoffs could be rescinded very quickly," said Tina Cousins, first vice-chair of the Prince George District Teachers Association.
"People are worried. It's very worrisome when you don't know where your job is going to be."
Cousins said the number of full-time equivalent teachers will drop from 737 to 705 this year. Retirements and teachers leaving for other school districts will minimize the teaching staff cuts. Cousins said teachers are working longer into their careers and less than 20 retirements have been announced this year, as compared with 47 last year, but a final tally won't be known until the end of June.
Staff reductions will be most noticeable at Prince George secondary school and Kelly Road secondary school. Those schools could each have 10 fewer teachers in 2012-13.
Student population across the district is expected to fall from the current 13,781 to a projected 12,529 in 2012-13, but that number also could change.
"You often don't know until September when you see the whites of their eyes," Cousins said.
The board gave third and final reading to a $139,270,849 operating budget at Tuesday's meeting. The budget for teachers salaries for 2012-13 will drop $3.5 million from the present school year, from $51,731,426 to $50,925,060. Over that same period, salaries for 38 principals and 23 vice-principals will increase by $73,000, from $6,419,328 to $6,492,329.
The increase in principals' salaries is attributed to rate scale increases that come with seniority and having education-related masters degrees, Board secretary-treasurer Bryan Mix said each advance in the five-step salary grid adds about $4,000 to the annual salaries of principals and vice-principals.
n At Tuesday's meeting, PGDTA president Matt Pearce read to trustees a letter from Larry Hayes, chair of the Burnaby school board, in reference to the Cowichan Valley school board, which last week gave final reading to a deficit budget. It fell $3.7 million short of meeting the School Act requirement that all school boards pass balanced budgets. Education Minister George Abbott warned Cowichan trustees will be fired if they file a deficit budget. Pearce said the illegal action of the Cowichan board highlights what he considers the chronic underfunding of schools in the province.
Pearce stated the $1.5 million coming to School District 57 next school year as part of the province's Learning Improvement Fund as part of the Bill 22 legislation falls far short of meeting the needs of schools to address concerns of class composition and class size.
n The decision of teachers to not take part in extracurricular activities came under fire by the District Parent Advisory Council. DPAC chair Don Sabo. As a result of a lack of teacher involvement as part of their job action, Sabo said Duchess Park secondary school has cancelled most sports programs, plans for an academic achievement ceremony at Pinewood elementary have been scrapped, schools have scuttled field trips, and participation in the Quiz Me television game show for students was less than half of previous years.
n Trustees voted in favour of asking the staff of the Northern Learning Centre pilot project, set to begin in September at Kelly Road secondary school, to present a progress update at the June 26 public meeting. The project-centred, technology-driven personal learning choice school program will be open to students in Grades 8 and 9. So far, 52 students have enrolled.
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