Alameda Schools Mull Staff Cuts

By Hanna Tamrat, STAFF WRITER

ALAMEDA — Under the Alameda school district’s new budget plans, a high school counselor and as many as three teachers may be out of jobs in the fall in an effort to save about $500,000 per year.

Following a Feb. 2 meeting with school district staff, employee group leaders and the public, the superintendent came up with two different plans to be reviewed by the school board, which will take a preliminary vote to decide on one of the plans tonight. A final vote is expected Feb. 28.

District staff estimate a savings of $300,000 by closing Longfellow Elementary school, $90,000 by reducing special education staff and $50,000 by eliminating Paden School’s multiage program for grades 6 to 8.

Eliminating other positions — including a few health clerks in K- 8 schools and high school career and textbook technicians — is expected to generate a few more thousand dollars in savings.

In the new proposal, Longfellow’s 166 elementary students and Paden’s 61 middle school students would be sent to other schools. There are also proposed cuts of $27,200 from the superintendent’s and district office’s budgets.

An ongoing decline in enrollment, which hurts the district’s ability to secure state funds, has caused the district to cut $5.5 million in the past five years.

Last month, the board approved the closure of George P. Miller Elementary to help the district offset a projected

$300,000 district deficit.

Tonight’s meeting is at 7 p.m. at Alameda City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave.