Natomas Unified School District families will primary grade children still do not know whether their students will be in a class of 20, 25 or 30.
Earlier this month, the board of trustees approved cuts that would increase class size in 2nd and 3rd grades only from 20 to 30 students. The following week, they voted instead to spread the pain — so to speak — by increasing class size in kindergarten through 3rd grades from 20 to 25 students.
This past week, however, when the district approved layoff notices for some five dozen educators, it was not immediately clear what this would translate to when it comes to class size. Some families no longer know what track they will be on or what teachers they will have at Natomas’ year-round campuses.
In case you missed it, here is the KOVR Channel 13 story aired on June 11 which illustrates just how a 2nd grade classroom will look at one Natomas school if 10 more kids, desks, etc. are added. Click here for the NUSD’s latest budget report.
Requests by THE BUZZ for similar information from the Twin Rivers Unified School District, which also has campuses in Natomas, have not be answered.
We, the community of Natomas, need to step up and save our teachers who were just notified of layoffs yesterday. Keeping the class sizes down will help benefit our students maxmizing their learning better. As Georgia said in this video, there will be loss of learning with larger numbers of students per class.
Fred Lavell
We need to get rid of our school board members and Superintendent because saving teachers but leaving them under the direction of misguided leadership won’t help our kids.
Fewer teachers and classrooms? Seems like there should be fewer administrative positions and custodial positions too. Makes me wonder what’s really going on? BAS
Dear Anonymous ‘Thinkers’,
Why does there have to always be something ‘going on’? Why is your first instinct to point fingers away from yourself when we live in a democratic scocity? Perhaps you missed that civics class? Perhaps we have all forgotten that our civic duty does require us to be involved . . . and by involvement we must not allow ourselves to simply think that this includes only the times we helped decorate the school for a dance or attended the latest parent meeting. Involvement also includes taking the time to understand the issues and then believing and supporting the fact that most people are giving their best effort to find resolution, solution and best results. Please stop with the ridiculous comments about whose fault it is that we will be having bigger class sizes for our kids. Cutting a $40,000 custodian and a $110,00 administrator may save
two teacher positions, but who then will do the jobs you cut? Even thinking through this question would require more than a blog can provide us. The fault lies in all of us. We are in this terrible financial mess due to the mistakes of many adults over a long period of time-and, of course, this includes people far beyond the reaches of our small Natomas community. Please take off your blinders and see the bigger picture. No one is perfect. However, everyone is perfectly capable of helping to find and implement solutions (within the confines of the resources we have have provided ourselves-remembering the democratic system comment above). Please choose action instead of throwing those willing to try for all of us ‘under the bus’ because you are unable to lift a hand and/or stretch your thoughts to a level where you completely understand all the issues and the terrible choices our school board and district leaders are having to make at this time.
-Anonymous
Why fewer custodial positions? Does Natomas have an overload of custodians?
Frankly, there is something else going on. There are too many people digging in their heels saying “not my program!” This Bee article this morning http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/1971525.html brought to light how unwilling the Sac City teacher’s union has been to negotiate.
How much has NTA given? Is the union actively negotiating or just point fingers and stomping their feet? Would you take an 8% pay cut to save your class size and fellow teachers’ jobs?
Buzz has done a fabulous job reporting the facts. I hope we will get more info after tonight’s meeting and that the District will be more forthcoming with ALL the information.
We live in a democratic society. Debate is essential. Scrutiny of those elected and their decisions is essential. I think it is great that so much attention is being directed at the school board and budget process. This will result in a better outcome for our students.
I agree that more community members need to get involved. But don’t confuse the two issues.
Sean
Sac. Coffee- Yes, as an NTA member, I would definitely take a pay cut if it meant saving jobs and keeping reduced class sizes. There are others who feel as I do, and some who do not.
As with all issues regarding compensation and benefits, these are in the process of being negotiated. When the district and the NTA come to an agreement, they will bring it to the membership for a vote. I suspect that it will include some form of pay cuts and furlough days, and possibly a pay freeze for the next several years.
The one thing I have heard, as an NTA member, is that the board is absolutely UNwilling to guarantee that they will use the money to save jobs or keep lower class sizes. I’ve heard that, even if we make all the concessions they are asking for, they will not rescind even 1 layoff notice.
As a Natomas teacher, I understand that I may have to take a pay cut, whether that’s through furlough days or on the salary schedule. Our state is BROKE, and I don’t mean that figuratively. Will this pay cut suck for my family? Yes. Will this have some negative impact on the education of our children? Of course. But these are extraordinarily tough economic times, and there are many in our community who have lost jobs and homes, and to stand up and say “no pay cut for teachers!” would, in my opinion, rightly be met with a Bronx cheer. We are all in this together as Californians and Natomans, and if I have to take a pay cut as a part of a package of budget-balancing cuts, so be it.
Anonymous NTA member-
And that is exactly why this board needs to go! I didn’t vote for a single one of them. Stubbornness on either side only hurts the kids. NTA needs to concede some pieces and the Board needs to take a pay cut, reduce their own administrative staff, supervise those who are on staff better and generally pull their heads out of their you-know-whats!
They must not realize that these kids will be the adults that are supposed to pay their social security bills. If they have no jobs, the board will have no social security!
Sean and Coffee are right. The board members are to blame. This is a mess.
Mom