The Echo

The Great Divide: Reduction in Force

For one brief moment last night, I thought one of our CSD board members would be BOLD and vote Nay on the recommendation to RIF 9 Teachers and 4 School Counselors. Of course, one decenting vote wouldn't stop the RIF, but it would move the board one step away from its history of rubber-stamping district recommendations.

To my dismay, but not surprise, our board members, some of whom expressed receiving negative feedback from constituents regarding the contracted counseling agency in place in 13 of our elementary schools, voted to eliminate the last four counselors directly employed by the CSD. With that unanimous vote, CSD kissed good-bye to personal ownership of the counseling program.

Two things stuck out during last nights procedings 1) No one could or would supply the cost savings projections of out-sourcing these last four counselors 2) Our board voted for the RIF seemingly without requiring the district to produce it. Okay, could the board have examined the projections during Executive Session behind closed doors? Sure, but we'll never know because our district continues to lack full transparency in the decision-making process.