District 1 ratifies 28 teacher cuts

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade - at least that's what one teacher at Rolle School said could help a Yuma School District 1 budget crisis that's led the district to cut 28 teaching positions.
 
Tuesday, the Governing Board ratified its decision to cut the 28 teaching positions it passed at a meeting April 8.
 
Dark times for District 1, caused by the state budget crisis and reduced enrollment, have led Mary Loghry, a 5th grade teacher at James B. Rolle School, to propose something unique at the board meeting Tuesday night.
 
Loghry and her husband John want to donate 10 acres of lemons to the district to help offset some food costs and go toward teacher salaries.
 
Lemon pudding, lemon pie, and lemon bars in school cafeterias are just some of the ways the district could utilize their donation, Loghry said.
 
And the district will welcome the donation and any others with welcome arms.
 
"We're excited and that's what we need during times like this - positive and out of the box," Superintendent Darwin Stiffler said.
 
Board President Greg Wilkinson said they'd appreciated any donation whether it's a ream of paper or ten acres of lemons.
 
But the community will have to get really creative when it comes to helping out District 1.
 
After a state-mandated cut of emergency certified teachers, the district has not asked back about 50 teaching positions. Stiffler said the teachers were notified this week that they would not have a position for the next school year.
 
Because the state Legislature hasn't finished the 2010 budget, the district will have to wait and see just how many teachers it can ask back for next year.
 
Wilkinson said even with the additional cuts, the student-teacher ratios would remain 25:1 for K-2 and 28:1 for grades 3-8., as previously approved by the board.
 
Stiffler said the district still isn't sure about a timeline for the state budget, which will determine just how far the cuts will go.
 
"We are not anticipating clarity in the budget situation until June," Stiffler said. And, he said, stimulus funds from the federal government won't be able to make up for the anticipated budget shortfall.
 
"What that means is: the hole is too big," Stiffler said.
 
Loghry said she wants more community members to think out of the box to help out.
   
"I guess I'm challenging all of the Yuma County community what ideas can they come up with," she said. "Let's be creative in our budget financing."

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Stephanie A. Wilken can be reached at swilken@yumasun.com or 539-6857.