Catawba County Schools Cuts Teacher Assistant Positions

NEWTON, N.C.,None — The Catawba County Schools Board of Education approved cutting some teacher assistant positions at its meeting Monday night.

Due to the significant state budget cuts, Catawba County Schools has had to eliminate several positions within its district.

"This has been a challenging year to make the mandates and the reversions," said Glenn Barger, superintendent of Catawba County Schools.

The school system has eliminated 34 certified positions: The director of student services The system's public information officer 1.5 ESL teachers 11.5 exceptional children teachers 6 elementary positions 1 middle school position 6 high school position 2 high school media positions 2 high school counselors 1 dropout prevention counselor 1 More at Four position.

"This was less than last year, and there was no reduction in force," Barger said. "Some people may not be in the same place, but they do have a job."

The same could not be said for the teacher assistants. System wide, 27 positions will be eliminated, although 10 of those positions will be through retirements or resignations, Barger said. That leaves 17 teacher assistants whose jobs will be cut through reduction in force.

"That has been a painstaking process, and Pat (Hensley, assistant superintendent of human resources) and I have worked through this to impact as few people as we can," Barger said.

He said the 17 people who will lose their jobs will not be identified until the board's meeting on July 18.

"We're looking at attendance, performance and longevity with the system," Barger said.

The school board unanimously approved the reduction of the teacher assistants.

Barger said the board must go one step further to save money, however. The state reduced the transportation budget by 2.5 percent, and Catawba County Schools is still considering the best option for how to balance that cut with other new state requirements. Barger said moving the Maiden district to fleet busing will help, but is not enough.

He said there are two options: eliminating the bus routes Catawba County Schools currently runs of about 900 students who live less than the required distance a student must live from a school for a bus to pick them up.

The second option was to try to eliminate the overtime of bus drivers, something Barger acknowledged may be reduced with the number of teacher assistants also trimmed, since many also drive buses.

"We have 62 adults not employed by us who are certified or will be to drive buses," Barger said. "I will be quick to point out it also affects the paychecks of many of our employees."

Board member Glenn Fulbright said he did not care much for contract drivers, particularly in elementary schools.

"Those kids really connect with their teacher assistants," Fulbright said. "And I don't want to take from one to give to the other."

Barger said every contract driver would have a background and drug test.

The board approved the second option of trying to eliminate overtime by a vote of 6-1, with board member M. David Brittain being the dissenting vote. Although he didn't speak out against contract drivers during the discussion, he said that he, too, did not support them.

"I'm opposed to them," he said. "Charlotte-Meck tried it and it didn't work."

WSOC