Brighton Teachers Face Layoffs As Budget Tightens

With Brighton Area Schools bracing for up to $5 million in cuts next year, district administrators are gearing up to issue "pink slips" to 51 teachers.

A list of certified staff being considered for layoffs was in Monday's board of education meeting packet for future action. The names included 23 teachers at ; 12 at ; nine at ; one at ; two at ; two at and two at .

"There are a lot of livelihoods here," said Board Trustee John Conely. "I see my neighbor on this list."

According to BAS Superintendent Dr. Greg Gray, the district is prevented from laying off any teachers for the 2011-12 school year after April 30, so this step must be taken to prepare for the worst budget scenario. Many of the teachers will be called back before Aug. 31, Gray said, but not all.

"Our goal in terms of our deficit elimination plan is to eliminate roughly 25 to 30 positions," he said. "There are a number of things that can affect, up or down, how many people we have to let go. It's a precaution for the district and I know it feels bad, but it's something we have to do."

Issuing pink slips is a common practice in school districts, said Gray, whose own two children attend Brighton schools.

"It's a standard operating procedure," Gray said. "I was pink slipped my first few years of teaching."

Eliminating 50 teachers would save the district $2.5 million to $5 million, Gray said.

Union Perspective

Barry Goode, president of the Brighton Education Association, said staffing is among many things that will come up during contract negotiations between the district and the BEA, which are expected to start in May.

"I can understand why teachers who are listed would be concerned, especially those who have been in the district for some years," he said, "but in the end, there won't be that many people laid off."

"A lot of this is posturing before bargaining," Goode said.

Budget Woes

After cutting $15 million and declaring a balanced budget this year, the district is anticipating another $5 million reduction in funding for 2011-12, due to rising healthcare costs and declining enrollment, combined with Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed state budget, which calls for funding reductions at every district in the state.

To cut spending, district officials also are considering an increase in class sizes from fifth to 12th grades, as discussed during a committee of the whole meeting on March 28.

Class size is on the bargaining table, Goode said, along with compensation, working conditions, and federal Race to the Top legislation passed last year that calls for merit pay to be tied to teacher evaluations.

The current contract expires on Aug. 31.