The Jackson County Board of Education will announce the school system’s layoff plans on Wednesday morning. During its annual retreat on Thursday and Friday, the board discussed the district’s financial woes amid dwindling state revenue.
The board held a 35-minute closed-door meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss personnel issues.
Superintendent Shannon Adams issued a statement after the meeting on the district’s layoff plan — or Reduction in Force (RIF).
“Over a period of months, I have been working to develop a Reduction in Force plan for the school system,” Adams wrote in his statement.
“I am not presenting any plan to the Board of Education at this time, because I feel it would be appropriate for me to first address those employees who would be affected by the proposal should the plan be adopted by the Board, rather than for those employees to be informed in some other way after the plan is presented,” he wrote. “I will be making those contacts on Monday and Tuesday of next week.”
The board will hold a called meeting on Wednesday, March 25, at 8 a.m. to announce the district’s layoff plan or accept resignations from those affected by the move.
Besides laying off employees, the school system also anticipates losing more than 30 certified and classified positions in the district through attrition next school year. By not hiring new employees to fill those vacant positions, the school system estimates a $1.8 million savings.
The school system also plans to furlough a few of its employees in the district for five days during the 2009-2010 school year for an estimated savings of $110,900.
The proposed 2009-2010 fiscal budget calls for a 2.95 percent drop from $90.6 million this year to $88 million next year.
Among some of the proposals to trim costs for the school system are eliminating the system-paid portion of employees’ dental insurance for a savings of $264,500 and restricting out-of-district travel for conferences and training for a savings of $252,000.
For more details, see the Wednesday, March 25 edition of The Jackson Herald.
trouble.
They have caused a School Counselor, Graduation Coach, along with two teachers to quit during the school year. They fired a custodian and then caused her unemployment benefits to be denied by claiming she resigned from her position.
And recently I understand that the School Resource Officer who had worked with the school system since 2003 resigned his position effective April 3rd 2009, but received a phone call from the principal, Dr. Joann Zupsic on a day in which he was out of town taking care of personal business, telling him that he was no longer needed, don't come back to work anymore. I understand that later that evening he received a text messege from Dr. Joann Zupsic telling him to bring his keys back to the office on the next day. How unprofessional and disrespectful to the School Resource Officer.
Since I am a Gordon Street Center Alum, I know the people who are no longer employees of the Gordon Street Center, and all of them have one thing in common, they worked for the former principal, Mrs. Janice Stowe. They were all extremely loyal to Mrs. Stowe and committed to helping make Gordon Street Center a great school.
It appears to me that Dr. Joann Zupsic and Mary Ann Hale committed themselves to rid the Gordon Street Center of any one that proudly work for Mrs. Janice Stowe, the best principal that the Gordon Street Center ever had.
So if the Board of Education is cutting jobs, I hope you consider removing the two power hungry administrators at the top at the Gordon Street Center so that the good work of Janice Stowe will not be destroyed. To Dr. Shannon Adams and members of the Board of Education, what you see on the outside is not what's going on on the inside. Just ask some of the faculty and staff that are no longer there, I did.
Alum, I did resign my position as the school resource officer effective April 3rd, 2009. The manner in which it was handled
was unprofessional and I did feel disrespected. I worked along side
Dr. Joann Zupsic and Mary Ann Hale on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday and neither administrator said a word to me about not
honoring my resignation for April 3rd.
I was very shocked when I received a telephone call from Dr.
Zupsic on Thursday afternoon when I was out of town taking care
of personal business and she tells me that I am no longer needed
and don't come back to work of Friday. But also to receive a
text messege from Dr. Zupsic later that evening to bring my keys
back to the school.
But I was really shocked when I spoke to Dr. Adams and he said that
he was unaware of Dr. Zupsic actions. Let me say this, as I told
Dr. Adams I don't want to work anywhere I'm not wanted, but I
did believe that a school administrator with a PHD would act as
a professional and treat people in a professional way.
Dr. Adams and Dr. Everson are good people and they are good for
the Jackson County School System, it's just a shame that they
have to deal with principals that say they are professional,
yet they don't act like it.
That might save a bit of money
at the high school, unlike the county deputies he does not have
the benefits they have. He does not receive county insurance or a county
pension plan. So when you add it all up the Jackson County
School System has a first class officer with over 30 years
of experience for just $40,000 a year minus the benefits,
what a bargain.