August 10th, 2010
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Author: Published: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 7:38 PM Updated: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 7:51 PM
Just hours after a jobs bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives aimed at protecting educators, the Birmingham Board of Education approved a reduction in force that will allow layoffs among its lowest-paid employees.
The board voted 5-4, with Emanuel Ford, Virginia Volker, Edward Maddox and Tyrone Belcher dissenting, to declare a reduction in force to lay off 21 support employees. Support personnel includes custodians, maintenance workers, cafeteria workers and secretaries.
Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said the 21 layoffs will save the district almost $900,000. The jobs bill will bring $149 million to Alabama to save thousands of school jobs across the state. Birmingham will receive about $5.5 million from the bill.
Among the hundreds in attendance at today’s board meeting was Paul Hubbert, executive secretary for the Alabama Education Association, who asked the board to table the item in light of the jobs bill.
After the vote, Hubbert said some of the board members are “out of touch.”
“Right now, they could cut people in this building and it wouldn’t affect the classroom,” he said, adding that Birmingham pays more for its administration than any other school district in the state.
This is the third time the board has considered a reduction in force. In May, it tabled discussion until it received more information about how much the layoffs would save the district and why it was necessary.
Last month, the board rejected the reduction in force by a 7-2 vote, with only members April Williams and Brian Giattina voting for it.
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