Schools prepare for teacher layoffs

Hundreds of layoff notices will go out to teachers at the end of the week as districts prepare final votes before the state required deadline of May 15 to notify those who will be out of a job.

California required districts to send out preliminary notices to teachers by March 15. That number is refined this month as final layoff notices must be sent out by May 15, this Saturday. Local elected school officials will be faced with the vote to send out final notices today and tomorrow. Altogether, hundreds of teachers are expected to receive pink slips. Cuts proposed are normally part of a larger plan for reduction, including layoffs for other employees.

On Wednesday, the San Bruno Park Elementary School District Board of Trustees will vote to 26 certificated employees. It originally noticed 33 people.

The Millbrae Elementary School District Board of Trustees will vote Wednesday to release 33.75 full-time equivalent employees, known as FTEs. Most of those position cuts are due to plans to increase class sizes in kindergarten through third grade from 20:1 to 28:1, said board President Frank Barbaro.

Negotiations with the teachers are ongoing in terms of both class size increases as well as possible furlough days in the coming school year. Talks are scheduled for Wednesday, which means that while an agreement is not on the agenda there could be an update at tonight's meeting.

The South San Francisco Unified School District Board of Trustees meets Thursday to discuss laying off 50.65 FTEs.

Earlier proposals for cuts showed increasing class sizes, going to 23.9 students to one teacher in kindergarten through third grade, and increasing class sizes through high school, will result in the loss of 26 to 27 teachers. Other positions could be eliminated due to a reduction in summer school offerings. Art teachers and physical education teachers are all among the possible cuts.

Twenty individuals in the San Carlos Elementary School District, representing 12.65 FTEs, could have their positions reduced or eliminated when the Board of Trustees meets Thursday evening.

Numbers for the Redwood City Elementary School District will be delayed. The school district finished mandatory hearings about the proposed layoffs Monday, which pushes back the deadline to vote on layoffs until later this month.

In March, the district sent preliminary pink slips to 127.2 FTEs. Eighty-two of those positions are classroom teachers who will be lost due to increasing class sizes, which at the time was estimated to rise to 34. Teachers ratified a contract allowing an increase of up to 32 students, which should save some jobs. The Redwood City Elementary School District Board of Trustees will vote on the three-year contract Wednesday. If approved, the contract also shortens the school year by six days - five instructional days and one staff development day - for the next two years.

Last week, notices were issued from the San Mateo-Foster City and Belmont-Redwood Shores elementary school districts. The San Mateo-Foster City School District identified over 100 certificated and administrator positions for potential layoffs in March, but voted to release 66.12 FTEs Thursday.

Belmont-Redwood Shores previously let go 19.5 temporary teachers. Otherwise, the district was able to reinstate nearly all other positions, said Superintendent Emerita Orta-Camilleri. As a result, the district will have a 25:1 student/teacher ratio in the coming year.

Meeting times:

The San Bruno Park Elementary School District meets 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 at the District Office, 500 Acacia Ave. in San Bruno.

The Millbrae Elementary School District meets 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 at City Hall, 621 Magnolia Ave.

The Redwood City Elementary School District Board of Trustees meets 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 at the District Office, 750 Bradford St. in Redwood City.

The San Carlos Elementary School District Board of Trustees meets 4 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at Central Middle School, 828 Chestnut St. in San Carlos.

The South San Francisco Unified School District meets 7 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the South San Francisco High School library, 400 B St. in South San Francisco.