Schools
Nine Education Positions May Be Cut
Among positions being cut are technology director and temporary teachers.
Nine local school district employees will be notified Monday that they may be laid off at the end of the school year, following a 4-1 vote by the Hermosa Beach School Board on Wednesday, March 9.
The total number of hours that may need to be cut per full-time employee will vary between 20 and 40 percent. The proposed lay-offs would free up approximately $500,000 if put into effect.
"I don't know how our school can run or how we can continue," said Lisa Claypoole, president of the school board, and the single vote opposed to the resolution. "I don't believe that our school can operate without technology support or technology leadership."
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Both the Hermosa Valley and View schools are known for their exceptional technology programs, which could not function without a technology director, who is among those receiving pink slips.
Notices are required to be sent out to teachers and other staff by March 15 before they can legally be let go. The board will make a decision to actually act on the layoffs by June.
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"It doesn't mean that they're going to be gone, it's just that they have to have notice," said Angela Jones, school board business manager, referring to the lay-offs as a whole. "One of the things that we're trying to tell everyone is that we're trying to keep as many people as we can. It does not mean these programs are gone."
Of the many people in attendance at the meeting was David Carver, president of the Hermosa Beach Educators Association (HBEA). Carver appeared during a public comment portion of the meeting to reassure the board and local residents how to handle the difficult times ahead.
"This is the beginning of a process and as long as we all work together, there should hopefully be a position that we can pull out of this," Carver said. "I've been at this district for 17 years and it's the best district I've ever worked at."