According to today’s SUN the school committee and school dept. want to be able to lay off teachers but NOT let them collect until the next Sept. when it is clear whether they are coming back or not.
So if a teacher gets a “layoff” notice in June, the Committee wants to be able to tell them ” Sorry struggle to feed yourself, pay your student loans, your car payment etc and maybe if we don’t hire you back in Sept. we can make the unemployment retro.” I’m sure all landlords, utility companies, student loan programs and car finance company would support not getting paid for two months.
The district is required by state law to notify teachers who do not possess professional status of potential layoffs by June 15. These are usually the first and second year teachers just out of school. Then, once the budget is settled, employees are called back. In order to gain professional status, a teacher must have served for at least three consecutive and complete school years under a valid license.
Teachers who are given layoff notices are eligible to receive unemployment-compensation benefits from the day after the school year ends to the time at which they are issued a letter of reasonable assurance of employment for the coming school year. Employees whose annual salaries are paid out over the 42-week school year or 52-week calendar year are eligible to apply for unemployment-compensation benefits.
I realize that the uncertainty of the State Budget affects the local budget and we need to cut cost where ever possible. But to tell a young teacher you have to wait two months and support yourself without unemployment is pretty cold-hearted even for this school committee.
Expecting the State Legislature to do their dirty work is even worse. The Supt and her asst. need to plan better and do their homework so not as many teachers are effected, That is what we pay them very good money for.
This is the same Supt and School System and most of the same committee that gave all the Asst. Supt. a $10,000 raise negotiated by Kevin Murphy for his wife. The same Supt. and Committee that has turned the headmaster search into a joke of a process.
Find the money somewhere else, these teachers who are mostly young people just out of school a year or two need to be able to pay their bills. To deprive one group of Unemployment is not fair.
