Schools

Dispatches: School Board Restores Employee Positions

The San Marino Unified School District Board of Education voted last Tuesday to rehire workers and restore hours to different school employees.

At last Tuesday night’s meeting, the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously to restore various employee positions, some of which were already budgeted.

This is the latest San Marino story in our Dispatches series, which chronicles how San Marino is faring in the midst of the economic crisis--whether positive or negative.

“We have several sources of money,” SMUSD Board of Education President Chris Norgaard told Patch, regarding how the district funded the reinstatements. “Some had been budgeted but we’d been deliberately slow to hire people to replace so we would maximize our cash flow.”

Find out what's happening in San Marinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Norgaard also attributed funding to the and the San Marino Schools Foundation, which asks parents to donate $2000 per year per child in San Marino schools.

“If the [San Marino Schools] Foundation keeps giving at the current rate we’ll be able to do this for the next few years,” said Norgaard.

Find out what's happening in San Marinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A Instructional Assistant for English Language Development was restored due to funding from Title III, whose “overarching purpose is to ensure that limited-English-proficient (LEP) students (called English learners under California laws), including immigrant children and youths, attain English proficiency and meet the same challenging academic content and achievement standards that other students are expected to meet,” according to the California Department of Education.

The .

The SMUSD Board of Education voted to upgrade and restore the following positions Tuesday night, according to Norgaard. An FTE is a full-time equivalent so anything less than one FTE is part-time.

  • Restore elementary school secretary positions to full time.
  • Restore middle school ASB accountant to .75 FTE.                                 
  • Restore two technology services technician positions to full time.
  • Restore technology network analyst to full time
  • Reclassify health services/receptionist/registrar, attendance and facilities coordinator positions to reflect additional responsibilities that have been assumed by several classified employees
  • Restore .20 FTE for 8th grade English
  • Restore .20 FTE for 8th grade Algebra
  • Restore Instructional Assistant II ELD (English Language Development) at .475 FTE (to be funded by Title III)
  • Restore Accounting Technician-Budget position at .75 FTE
  • Restore one custodian position
  • Restore one grounds worker position

In addition, several of the previously school site-funded science, computer lab, physical education and other positions can now be funded again at the site level. 

How do you feel about the SMUSD reinstating these positions? Is there a certain restored position you are most happy about? Tell us in the comments. 


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