Close Schools or RIF

Interesting arguement. Seattle SD is moving toward closing schools since they are at about 75% of building capacity, 25% unused space. Board member Dick Lilly makes counterpoint and says that it would be best to reduced teachers...

"But after the forum, he said closing schools wouldn't dramatically reduce the biggest part of the budget — employee salaries and benefits. The state supports annual pay raises, given automatically based on experience and education, for only about 2,300 Seattle teachers, he said.

The district is obligated to treat 800 other teachers, who aren't state supported, the same.

Lilly said the district should reduce its teacher work force through attrition instead of closing schools. The annual savings from not replacing six teachers who leave — $360,000 in wages and benefits — is almost equivalent to the administration's projected savings from closing one elementary school, he said. The turnover rate for the district is just less than 10 percent annually, he said."

BUT THEN CLASS SIZES GO UP. SPECIAL CLASSES LIKE LANGUAGES, ARTS GO AWAY. IN FACT, AN UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION THAT HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED IS THAT CLASS SIZES ARE GOING UP ANYWAY, CLOSER TO THE CONTRACT MAXIMUMS WHICH IS ALSO AN UNOFFICIAL RIF. SEATTLE HAS LOTS OF BUDGET CUTTING TO DO.