By Kristine Thomas
A retirement incentive plan allowed the Silver Falls School District to avoid laying off teachers and reduce the number of classified employee layoffs necessitated by reductions in state school funding, Superintendent Andy Bellando said.
Because 17 teachers agreed to the district’s retirement incentive plan, there will be no teacher layoffs. Instead, Bellando said, the district will be hiring the equivalent of 12.17 full-time new teachers. The district was looking at laying off 5.5 FTE teachers, who will now be reassigned to new schools.
“Many factors are considered when making most staffing decisions,” Bellando wrote. “These include personal interest of the employee, professional interest/reflection, building interests, district interests and opportunity for changes that are in the best interest of students.”
Bellando said a conservative estimate, of what the retirement incentive saved the district is around $100,000 “but the actually savings won’t known until the district knows the cost of the newly hired employees.”
For classified staff, the district was anticipating eliminating positions equivalent to 17 fulltime employees.
“We now have seven fulltime equivalent classified employees to lay off,” Bellando said.
The district offered the retirement incentive to certified and classified staff who had worked 10 years in the district and met the PERS eligibility requirements.
Teachers who met the requirements are compensated $900 a month for three years if they agree to substitute teach for 20 days a year for three years. Classified employees will receive $700 a month with the same substitution requirements.
Those retiring at the end of this school year include: Patricia Mickelson, Central Howell; Cynthia Morman and Sheryl Polvogt, Victor Point; Donna Barr, Gail Fery, and Jeannett McGilvray, Robert Frost; Jan Bothum and Beverly Huber, Eugene Field; Jonna Brady, Susan Downey, Keith Eckley, Les Keele, Larry Kingery and Maryanne Layton, Mark Twain; William Bright, Evergreen; Zelma Cannon, Mary Jane Crosby, Christine Hampton, Colleen Heater, Richard Jinings, Ray Kaser, Lorraine Kittinger, Weylin Rupe, Patrick Scott, Greg Snyder and Kellee Stanley, Silverton High School; Torrance Wilson, Silver Crest; Warren Glaede and Christine Hindman, Scotts Mills; Diane Lee and Nida Lokteff, Butte Creek and Mary Maciejewski, district office.
There are 17 licensed employees and 12 classified employees taking advantage of the incentive. The three remaining soon-to-be-retired staff members made their decision before the incentive was offered or didn’t meet the requirements.
“I was surprised that many licensed employees retired,” Bellando said, adding he believes the package is fair because it honors the employees’ service to the district while also having the retirees substitute.
Bellando also announced the following administrative changes beginning July 1:
Linda Myers will become an assistant vice principal at Silverton High School and the curriculum administrator for middle and high school students. She is currently the principal at Victor Point.
Catherine Brosnan-Trepus will become the principal at Victor Point and the kindergarten through sixth-grade curriculum and migrant programs administrator. She is currently the principal at Eugene Field Elementary School.
Jennifer Hannan will become the principal at Eugene Field. She is currently Evergreen principal and high school Advisory Group TOSA.
Dale Koger has been selected as the next principal of Evergreen School. Koger was principal of Evergreen when he left the district three years ago and became an administrator in Lebanon School District.
Scotts Mills Principal Marilyn Annen voluntarily reduced her administrative assignment to half time and Dandy Parson will become principal at Mark Twain.
