Clayton County public school employees get some good news and bad news from a budget-cutting plan approved by the school board Monday night.
The employees $6.4 million in incentive pay stays. But they must take five furlough days before the end of June to make up the difference.
The standing-room only crowd also heard that 60 physical education and in-school suspension positions were slashed. But elementary school counselors, music and art teachers will keep their jobs.
"We're happy they saved elementary counselors and fine arts teachers," Sid Chapman, Clayton County Education Association president told the AJC. "But we're concerned for the P.E. and ISS and we're concerned about the furloughs." Chapman said it was his understanding that furloughs were likely to be used during the next school year, not this school year.
District employees were given $6.4 million of $9 million in federal stimulus job-saving money late last year in exchange for attending professional development training, which must be completed by June. The board voted to give the money to workers just before Christmas last year. Board members considered trying to get that money back, but voted against it.
"We didn't have the legal right to go after the Ed Jobs [stimulus] money," board Chairwoman Pam Adamson said. "This move we made tonight is directly tied to their contracts."
The Clayton school board is trying to fight off an anticipated $49 million budget deficit over the next two years.
The five furlough days mean workers will lose a week’s pay this school year. They will be deducted from the workers pay check since employees have four snow make up days and two post-planning days slated for the end of May.
"That would be a problem," said Janice Scott, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Sequoyah Middle School. "That's a big chunk of money."