Columbia SC School Districts May Have to Reduce Staffing

The State Newspaper has an article on what Columbia area school districts are doing to balance school budgets during this economic crisis. A sampling:

According to a survey of other districts Tuesday:

• No layoffs are expected at this time in Richland 1, said spokeswoman Karen York. But if more budget cuts are necessary, the district will begin looking at everything, she added.

• Lexington 1: No layoffs are planned, but teacher and staff furloughs are possible, spokeswoman Mary Beth Hill said. Other proposals include “slightly larger” classes and more reliance on substitute teachers instead of hiring for vacancies.

• Lexington 2 officials are looking at steps that could include unspecified cuts in its staff of 1,200. “Nothing is etched in stone,” assistant superintendent Jim Hinton said, adding plans won’t be settled until late spring.

• In Lexington 3, district leaders are starting to assess the coming year, spokeswoman Judy Turner Fox said. Teachers compose about half its 350 employees.

• Kershaw County, which announced salary cuts recently, is not expecting to lay off the district’s 800 teachers, spokesman Mary Ann Byrd said. But she added up to a dozen health assistants and secretarial posts could be eliminated.

• Aiken County, Board of Education has agreed to eliminate 120 plus positions for 2009-10. Retirees -- both administrators and teachers -- who continue to work for the district -- are also at risk of losing their jobs. The board also approved cuts to eliminate 21 district/department-level positions. The district is increasing its student//teacher ratio at all grade levels, which could mean the elimination of 90 teaching positions. Certified teachers who are displaced will get the first opportunity to move into positions due to vacancies or new retirements. Certified retirees will only be rehired based on district needs, driver's education programs will be cut. The district will cut $150,000 from middle and/or high school athletic budgets ( 20 percent of the total). The International Baccalaureate program at North Augusta High School and Aiken High School will be eliminated, saving $400,000.