March 18, 2009

Possible staff cuts will be difficult, but won't be deep compared to nearby school districts
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Dear Staff:

As you may know by now, the Barrington 220 Board of Education is considering the potential reduction of approximately 13 staff positions next year in response to economic challenges. At its meeting Tuesday evening, our school board discussed the possible process of implementing precautionary staff cuts for the 2009-10 school year.

I know this does not make the news any easier, but, if necessary, the impact of staff reductions and other cost-saving actions will be lessened by distributing them across all grade levels. The exact positions that may be trimmed are still part of the discussion process and have not yet been determined. Some of the eliminated positions would likely come from planned retirements and the typical redistribution of staff due to enrollment shifts and class registrations.

While this number is not nearly as drastic as cuts we hear about in neighboring school districts, the mere possibility of losing valued members of our staff is disconcerting and certainly not a potential move we take lightly. If needed, a collective decrease of approximately 13 full-time-equivalent employees – some of whom are in non-classroom or administrative positions – will have little effect on class sizes given the school district’s stable enrollment and recent efforts to decrease the pupil-to-teacher ratio in most grade levels and core classes. Additional cost-saving measures will be implemented in our supplies, maintenance and energy management budgets.

This proactive yet sensitive conversation is recommended by the Board’s finance committee to preserve the school district’s minimum fund balance, or savings, of at least 25-percent of its operating account in accordance with Board policy. Our revenues have been adversely impacted by a declining Consumer Price Index and stagnant growth in new construction – both of which are Barrington 220’s primary sources of income in Illinois’ school funding formula. State and federal subsidies for education may also be considerably less than in previous years.

The Board of Education will vote on these possible staff cuts at an upcoming meeting in April. By law, the school district must notify non-tenured teachers at least 45 days before the end of their contract if employment cannot be offered for the following school year. Even if positions are eliminated, any reduced staff may still be re-hired should circumstances change before the conclusion of this school year or the beginning of next year.

Obviously, our national and local economies are experiencing unsettled times that affect many different aspects of our daily lives. Although Barrington 220 is in stronger financial condition with better facilities and more reasonable class sizes than most surrounding districts, we still must be responsive to the challenges we face. We appreciate your patience, while understanding we all have the same objective in mind: to maintain Barrington 220 as one of the best public school systems in which students can learn and staff can work.