At least four Scranton School District teachers were notified of impending furloughs without the knowledge of most members of the school board.
Principals notified two English and two math teachers, all on the secondary-level, about the furloughs on Friday, Superintendent William King said Monday. The teachers union president claims the district told even more teachers they may not have jobs next year.
Any furloughs would not be official until a board vote. Directors, who are embarrassed - and angry - about the administration's actions, will work to keep all jobs, they said.
"There's no teacher going anywhere, that's it," board President Nathan Barrett said. "The only people who hire or fire are the board."
Some board members said they did not know about the furloughs until hearing rumors about them on Friday, or until a phone call from a Times-Tribune reporter on Monday.
Mr. King said the administration followed the same protocols as in previous years, reviewing projected enrollment and class schedules. While four secondary positions would be eliminated, additional elementary-certified teachers would be added, he said. There would be an overall increase in the number of school district teachers, Mr. King said. It is unlikely that secondary teachers are certified for the elementary positions.
"This falls under day-to-day operations of my job. This is what I was hired to do. This is no different than what we've done in the past," Mr. King said. "But nothing is official until the board takes action."
Scranton Federation of Teachers president Rosemary Boland said the union will fight furloughs.
"This furloughing is a poor, if not pathetic, decision by Mr. King," she said.
Ms. Boland said during a meeting last week with William Gaynord, manager of personnel services, she was told furloughing may be an option, but she was not told what positions or how many teachers could be affected. She said she was surprised to see crying teachers in her office Friday afternoon.
Since the union received no official word from the district on the furloughs, Ms. Boland said she did not know the total number affected. But there are more teachers who received notice than the four Mr. King claims could be furloughed, and some teachers were told they could be moved to part-time status, she said.
Efforts to reach Mr. Gaynord were unsuccessful Monday.
Two years ago, the board furloughed two music teachers, who spent the last two years in a "substitute pool." The pool, which is defined in the teachers contract, can include up to 10 furloughed teachers, who receive salaries of $25,000 each, continue to receive benefits and substitute teach for the district. They can remain in the pool two years, and those teachers are the first to be called back if a vacancy occurs. If any teachers are furloughed for the 2013-14 school year, they could also be placed in the pool.
Bob Sheridan, board vice president, was unaware of the furloughs until a call from a Times-Tribune reporter on Monday.
"I'm not happy with it at all... that's embarrassing on our part," Mr. Sheridan said. "Bill (King) knows that the hiring and firing goes through the board. The board has no interest in laying any of these school teachers off."
With almost $11 million in state funding cuts over the last two years, the district has worked to not furlough teachers, and instead has not replaced retiring teachers. The cuts are not for economic reasons, but for enrollment, Mr. King said. Under the contract, teachers would be furloughed by seniority and certifications, with the newest teachers being first to lose their jobs.
Mr. King said he met with school Director Armand Martinelli, chairman of the personnel committee, last week and informed him of the need to furlough. Mr. Martinelli said the board would likely have a personnel committee meeting to discuss the issue.
Director Cy Douaihy said he learned about the furloughs when he read a weekly memo from the superintendent on Friday.
"I'm not happy that the board wasn't informed prior to this," he said. "I think the board will probably want to talk to Mr. King about the timeliness of all of this."
Director Kathleen McGuigan said teachers could be in "panic mode" for nothing.
"It's premature for teachers to be notified of a furlough when it hasn't been acted on by the board," she said. "I don't agree with the way people were notified."
Mr. Barrett said the district often experiences an influx of students in the late summer, and it is premature to decide to furlough teachers.
"I stand firm that there is not a teacher being furloughed in this district," he said.
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter